This video is aimed at non-native learners of Italian. If you've studied or learned Italian as a foreign language, you are in the right place!
In this video I'm going to explain nine informal expressions and idioms that aren't typically taught in the Italian language classroom.
If you wish to speak Italian naturally, this video is for you!
But let's not waste time and let's get straight to the first idiomatic phrase!

1.
An example sentence could be this: "Please do be careful, he shouldn't know that. If he finds out, apriti cielo!"
As you can see from this example sentence, the phrase "apriti cielo" is an exclamation that could be rephrased this way: there'll be terrible consequences.
Why do people say "apriti cielo"? The reference is to the sky which "opens up" to let a divine punishment fall down.
But let's see the next idiom!

2.
The first example sentence could be this: "Alberto has made money stealing, but his company went bankrupt. Ben gli sta!"
As you can see from this example, "ben gli sta" is an exclamation that could be rephrased as follows: it serves him right, he deserved this, let this be a lesson to him. In other words, someone has behaved badly, they suffer negative consequences for their behavior, and someone else, to comment on that, may say "Ben gli sta!" That is, in other words, he indeed deserves what has happened to him. I hope he has learned his lesson.
But let's see the next idiom! Which, by the way, is not an idiom, but a verb. Anyway, let's see the next verb!

3.
An example sentence could be this: "Ho sentito una canzone che spacca di brutto".
As you can see, the verb "spaccare" can be used to express approval. If I say that a song, or band, "spacca", I mean that it's something out of this world.
Right! Let's move on to the next expression!

4.
An example could be this: "My new colleague works with excessive pedantry and is always looking for flaws in everything. He will often focus on irrelevant details just to start an argument. In breve, spacca il capello in quattro".
As you can see from this example sentence, the idiomatic expression "spaccare il capello in quattro" means being too pedantic or fussy.
I don't know if you know the adjective "pignolo". If someone's "pignolo/a", it means they're overly concerned with detail. So "pignolo" means meticulous, but in a negative sense.
I'd say that the idiom "spaccare il capello in quattro" is typically used to indicate the fact that a given individual is always looking for flaws, albeit minimal, just to start an argument.
But let's see the next expression!

5.
An example sentence with this expression could be: "There is no set term for the negotiations. Le trattative andranno avanti a oltranza".
As you can see, the expression "a oltranza" means until the end.
But let's see the next expression!

6.
An example sentence could be: "I wouldn't attend a course for learning Italian in an easy and funny way. Se proprio, seguirei un corso per imparare bene l'italiano".
Personally, as a native speaker of Italian, I understand the expression "se proprio" in the following way: if you really have to do this.
But let's see the next expression!

7.
An example sentence could be this: "Il mio collega ha messo gli occhi addosso a quella posizione and they will do anything to get it".
As you can see from this example, "mettere gli occhi addosso" a qualcosa oppure a qualcuno means to set one's sight on something or someone, and hence, in the figurative sense, strongly desiring this thing or person.
But let's see the next idiom!

8.
An example could be: "In this field you must work well. Le voci corrono. If the rumor spreads, that you work badly, nobody will ever call you again".
As you've probably guessed, "le voci corrono" is a phrase that's used to place emphasis on the fact that hearsay and word-of-mouth spread very quickly.
But let's see the next expression!

9.
An example sentence with this expression could be this: "We didn't talk about anything specific. Abbiamo giusto scambiato due parole".
I think that this idiom doesn't need to be explained. "Scambiare due parole" means talking briefly, usually informally. You can say either "scambiare due parole" or "scambiare quattro parole".

I hope you've liked these informal idioms!

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