Breakdown of Odio la gente invadente, vale a dire chi si impiccia.
la gente
the people
la
her/it (direct object)
odiare
to hate
chi
whoever / the people who (the one who, those who)
vale a dire
that is to say
invadente
intrusive
impicciarsi
to meddle (to be nosy)
Questions & Answers about Odio la gente invadente, vale a dire chi si impiccia.
The current lesson is about altrui, but it isn't in this sentence. How could we use it here?
The verb impicciarsi (to meddle) often takes the preposition di followed by what you are meddling in. To use altrui, you could expand the sentence to: ...chi si impiccia degli affari altrui (those who meddle in other people's business) or ...dei fatti altrui. Remember that altrui is invariable and strictly placed after the noun!
What exactly is vale a dire, and how do I use it?
Why is the verb singular in chi si impiccia when the English translation says "those who"?
Why is the adjective singular in la gente invadente (intrusive people)?
Even though it translates to the plural word "people," the Italian word la gente is a singular feminine collective noun. Therefore, any articles, verbs, and adjectives modifying it—like invadente—must also be singular.
What kind of verb is si impiccia?
It comes from the pronominal verb impicciarsi, which means to meddle, pry, or stick one's nose in. The reflexive pronoun si is required for this meaning. If you want to specify what someone is meddling in, you connect it with the preposition di, as in impicciarsi di qualcosa (to meddle in something).
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