Categorization of in-based idiomatic expressions
A. States and conditions of being (Essere/Stare in…)
These are among the most common patterns, describing a person’s physical, emotional, financial, or social state.
| Phrase | Example |
| essere in gamba (to be capable, sharp, on the ball) | Mio nonno ha 90 anni ma è ancora in gamba. (My grandfather is 90 but still sharp.) |
| essere in vena (to be in the mood, inspired) | Oggi non sono in vena di scherzi. (Today I’m not in the mood for jokes.) |
| essere in crisi (to be struggling, in a difficult period) | L’azienda è in crisi da mesi. (The company has been struggling for months.) |
| essere in difficoltà (to be in trouble, struggling) | Se sei in difficoltà, posso aiutarti. (If you’re in trouble, I can help you.) |
| essere in pericolo (to be at risk) | La sua vita è in pericolo. (His life is in danger.) |
| essere in bilico (to be in a precarious situation) | L’azienda è in bilico tra successo e fallimento. (The company is teetering between success and failure.) |
| essere in forse (to be uncertain, doubtful) | La sua partecipazione è ancora in forse. (His participation is still uncertain.) |
| essere in ansia (to be anxious, worried) | Sono in ansia per l’esame. (I’m anxious about the exam.) |
| essere in attesa (to be expecting (pregnant) / to be waiting) | Maria è in attesa di un bambino. (Maria is expecting a baby.) |
| essere in stato interessante to be pregnant (euphemistic, dated) | La signora è in stato interessante. (The lady is in a delicate condition.) |
| essere in cura (to be undergoing medical treatment) | È in cura presso un famoso specialista. (He’s being treated by a famous specialist.) |
| essere in possesso (to have, to possess) | Non sono in possesso dei documenti richiesti. (I don’t have the required documents.) |
| essere in grado (to be capable, able) | Sei in grado di farlo da solo? (Are you able to do it alone?) |
| essere in contrasto (to conflict, disagree) | Le loro versioni sono in contrasto. (Their versions conflict.) |
| essere in lotta (to be fighting, struggling) | Sono in lotta per i diritti dei lavoratori. (They’re fighting for workers’ rights.) |
| essere in sciopero (to be on strike) | I treni sono in sciopero oggi. (The trains are on strike today.) |
| essere in permesso / in congedo (to be on leave, off duty) | Il direttore è in congedo questa settimana. (The director is on leave this week.) |
| essere in vacanza (to be on holiday) | Siamo in vacanza al mare. (We’re on holiday at the sea.) |
| essere in anticipo / in ritardo / in orario (to be early / late / on time) | Il treno è in orario. (The train is on time.) |
| essere in partenza / in arrivo (to be leaving / arriving) | l volo è in partenza dal gate 5. (The flight is departing from gate 5.) |
| essere in corso (to be underway, in progress) | I lavori sono in corso. (The work is underway.) |
| essere in corso di stampa (to be in print, being printed) | Il libro è in corso di stampa. (The book is being printed.) |
B. Financial and economic states
Italian has a rich repertoire of expressions for describing financial situations, often with vivid imagery.
| Phrase | Example |
| essere in bolletta (to be broke, short of money) | Dopo le vacanze sono completamente in bolletta. (After the holidays I’m completely broke.) |
| essere povero in canna (to be dirt poor) | Da giovane era povero in canna. (As a young man he was dirt poor.) |
| essere in passivo (to be in passive) | to be in the red, at a loss Il bilancio è in passivo. (The budget is in the red.) |
| essere in alto mare (to be far from completion, in deep water) | Il progetto è ancora in alto mare. (The project is still far from completion.) |
| trovarsi in cattive acque (to be in financial trouble) | L’azienda si trova in cattive acque. (The company is in financial trouble.) |
C. Actions and activities (mettere/prendere/stare in…)
These describe actions, interactions, or treatments involving someone or something.
| Phrase | Example |
| prendere in giro (to make fun of, tease) | Mi stai prendendo in giro? (Are you kidding me?) |
| prendere in considerazione (to consider) | Prenderemo in considerazione la tua proposta. (We’ll consider your proposal.) |
| prendere in parola (to take someone at their word) | L’ho preso in parola e ora deve mantenere la promessa. (I took him at his word and now he must keep his promise.) |
| prendere in contropiede (to catch off guard) | La domanda mi ha preso in contropiede. (The question caught me off guard.) |
| mettere in chiaro (to clarify, make clear) | Voglio mettere in chiaro una cosa. (I want to make one thing clear.) |
| mettere in atto (to put into action, implement) | Hanno messo in atto il piano. (They implemented the plan.) |
| mettere in funzione (to start up, activate) | Hanno messo in funzione il nuovo sistema. (They activated the new system.) |
| mettere in ordine (to tidy up, organize) | Devo mettere in ordine la stanza. (I need to tidy up the room.) |
| mettere in castigo (to punish (especially children)) | I genitori lo hanno messo in castigo. (His parents grounded him.) |
| mettere in salvo (to save, rescue) | Sono riusciti a mettere in salvo tutti i passeggeri. (They managed to save all passengers.) |
| mettere in piazza (to air in public, to reveal private matters) | Non mettere in piazza i nostri problemi. (Don’t air our problems in public.) |
| stare/mettere in guardia (to be on guard / to warn) | Ti metto in guardia: è una persona pericolosa. (I warn you: he’s a dangerous person.) |
| stare/essere in ansia (to be anxious) | I genitori stanno in ansia per i figli. (Parents are anxious about their children.) |
| starsene in disparte (to keep to oneself, stay apart) | Preferisce starsene in disparte. (He prefers to keep to himself.) |
| starsene con le mani in mano to (to twiddle one’s thumbs, do nothing) | Non puoi startene con le mani in mano tutto il giorno. (You can’t just do nothing all day.) |
| tenere in poco (to hold in low regard) | Lo tengono in poco. (They hold him in low regard.) |
| tenere il piede in due staffe (to have a foot in both camps, to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds) | Prima o poi dovrai smettere di tenere il piede in due staffe. (Sooner or later you’ll have to stop playing both sides.) |
D. Communication and silence
These involve speaking, silence, or secrecy.
| Phrase | Example |
| avere voce in capitolo (to have a say, to have influence) | Nella decisione finale, solo il direttore ha voce in capitolo. (In the final decision, only the director has a say.) |
| taci! acqua in bocca! (keep quiet, don’t say a word!) | Non dirlo a nessuno, acqua in bocca! (Don’t tell anyone, mum’s the word!) |
E. Travel and movement
These describe motion, direction, or progression.
| Phrase | Example |
| andare di bene in meglio (to go from bad to worse (ironic) / to improve) | La situazione va di bene in meglio. (The situation is going from bad to worse.) |
| essere/andare in giro (to be out and about, to wander) | Oggi vado in giro per negozi. (Today I’m going around the shops.) |
| partire in quarta (to start off at full speed, to rush into) | Non partire in quarta, pensaci bene prima. (Don’t rush into it, think carefully first.) |
| saltare di palo in frasca (to jump from one topic to another, to be incoherent) | Nel suo discorso saltava di palo in frasca. (In his speech he jumped from one topic to another.) |
| tirare i remi in barca (to back off, to give up, to draw in one’s horns) | Dopo le critiche, ha tirato i remi in barca. (After the criticism, he backed off.) |
F. Spatial and positional metaphors
These use physical positions to describe abstract situations.
| Phrase | Example |
| chiudersi in una torre d’avorio (to retreat from reality) | Dopo il successo, si è chiuso in una torre d’avorio. (After success, he retreated into an ivory tower.) |
| stare con le mani in mano (to do nothing, to be idle) | Non puoi startene con le mani in mano. (You can’t just sit there doing nothing.) |
| starsene in disparte (to keep to oneself, stay apart) | Preferisco starmene in disparte. (I prefer to keep to myself.) |
| non stare né in cielo né in terra (to have no basis, to be absurd) | La sua spiegazione non sta né in cielo né in terra. (His explanation makes no sense.) |
| salvarsi in corner (to have a narrow escape, to save oneself at the last moment) | Si è salvato in corner grazie all’arrivo dei soccorsi. (He had a narrow escape thanks to the arrival of help.) |
G. Quantity and degree
These express extent, intensity, or degree.
| Phrase | Example |
| in gran conto (highly regarded) | Lo tengono in gran conto. (They hold him in high regard.) |
| farsi in quattro (to bend over backwards, to go out of one’s way) | Si è fatto in quattro per aiutarci. (He bent over backwards to help us.) |
| avere l’acquolina in bocca (to have one’s mouth watering) | Solo a pensarci, ho l’acquolina in bocca. (Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.) |
| centrare in pieno (to hit the bull’s eye, to get it exactly right) | La tua osservazione centra in pieno il problema. (Your observation hits the problem exactly.) |
H. Temporal expressions
These describe time relationships.
| Phrase | Example |
| passare una notte in bianco (to have a sleepless night) | Ho passato una notte in bianco a studiare. (I spent a sleepless night studying.) |
| lasciare in bianco (to leave blank) | Ha lasciato in bianco la risposta. (He left the answer blank.) |
| entrare in vigore (to come into effect) | La nuova legge entrerà in vigore a gennaio. (The new law will come into effect in January.) |
I. Interpersonal relations
These describe how people relate to each other.
| Phrase | Example |
| essere in contatto (to be in touch) | Siamo in contatto via email. (We’re in touch by email.) |
| trovarsi in disaccordo (to disagree) | Mi trovo in disaccordo con te. (I disagree with you.) |
| avere voce in capitolo (to have a say) | Nella riunione, tutti avevano voce in capitolo. (In the meeting, everyone had a say.) |
J. Betrayal and deception
These involve treachery, deceit, or abandonment.
| Phrase | Example |
| allevare una serpe in seno (to nurture a viper in one’s bosom, to harbor a traitor) | Non si fidava di nessuno, aveva paura di allevare una serpe in seno. (He trusted no one, afraid of harboring a traitor.) |
| lasciare/piantare in asso (to leave in the lurch, to abandon) | Il mio amico mi ha piantato in asso. (My friend left me in the lurch.) |
K. Marriage and ceremony
These describe weddings and formal occasions.
| Phrase | Example |
| sposarsi in bianco (to get married in a simple ceremony / to have a white wedding) | Si sono sposati in bianco. (They had a simple wedding.) |
L. Problems and difficulties
These describe troubles, obstacles, and solutions.
| Phrase | Example |
| affogare in un bicchier d’acqua (to get worked up over nothing, to make a mountain out of a molehill) | Non affogare in un bicchier d’acqua! (Don’t make such a big deal out of nothing!) |
| essere in panne (to be broken down, stalled) | La macchina è in panne. (The car has broken down.) |
| trovarsi in cattive acque (to be in trouble) | L’azienda si trova in cattive acque. (The company is in trouble.) |
| essere in alto mare (to be far from solution) | Le trattative sono in alto mare. (The negotiations are far from concluded.) |
M. Plans and projects
These involve intentions, schedules, and planning.
| Phrase | Example |
| avere in programma (to have planned) | Che cosa hai in programma per domani? (What do you have planned for tomorrow?) |
| assumere in pianta stabile (to hire permanently) | L’hanno assunto in pianta stabile. (They hired him permanently.) |
| lasciare in deposito (to leave for safekeeping) | Ho lasciato in deposito i bagagli. (I left my luggage in storage.) |
N. Impossibility and absurdity
These describe illogical or impossible situations.
| Phrase | Example |
| costruire/fare castelli in aria (to build castles in the air, to daydream) | Smetti di fare castelli in aria e torna con i piedi per terra. (Stop building castles in the air and come back down to earth.) |
| non stare né in cielo né in terra (to have no sense, to be absurd) | Quello che dici non sta né in cielo né in terra. (What you’re saying makes no sense.) |
O. Miscellaneous fixed expressions
| Phrase | Example |
| di punto in bianco (suddenly, out of the blue) | Di punto in bianco, ha deciso di partire. (Suddenly, out of the blue, he decided to leave.) |
| passare in cavalleria (to be written off, to be considered lost) | Quei soldi sono passati in cavalleria. (That money is gone for good.) |
| in un batter d’occhio (in the blink of an eye) | Il tempo è passato in un batter d’occhio. (Time passed in the blink of an eye.) |
Next lesson:
La preposizione semplice (Da) / The simple preposition (Da).