98 Comments
Yes, there is a definite probability of a possible question in that tone of voice of hers.
That's what I heard it as and then I entered and got it totally wrong. I guess I'm not insult worthy. XDDD
Can this sentence be used in a figurative meaning? I wonder if italians say to each other they are clowns, as in being silly, or funny, or stupid.
Can you please tell me how you translate your sentence. Does it mean "Do not act like a clown" or "Do not make a clown of yourself" ? Grazie mille
I think that "Do not act like a clown" is better than the second one. "Don't clown around" also works. However, the idea of "Do not make a clown of yourself" is used commonly in English, but is more often expressed "Do not make a fool (out) of yourself." I hope that made sense.
1098
"Clown" was also used in a lot of '60s songs "Gather 'round, all you clowns...) "Ha ha! Said the clown..." "The tears of a clown..." (That one contains a reference to "Paggliacci", the tearful clown of the Leoncavallo opera)
"Goodbye, cruel world, I'm off to join the circus. I'm gonna be a broken-hearted clown."
- 1907
One should listen to Vesti la Giubba from the opera I, Pagliacci.. it is really sad but also so beautiful :-(
I LOVE Duolingo and am very addicted to learning Italian, but I think the woman's voice needs to be redone. For the reason posted below (confusing inflection), among others. I feel like it is hard to differentiate many of the words she says, and sometimes she says the same word in a completely different way. One example is "zoo."
I'm pretty deaf so hearing pronunciation is hard. Can anyopne give me an English phoentic spelling for pagliaccio? Sample: tredici -> TREH-dee-chee
Italian pronunciation is usually pretty straightforward: it's something like pah-LLIAH-cchoh, with the second syllable being stressed (not so evident in the duolingo sound). The Italian "gli" sound isn't common in English though, and isn't pronounced exactly like a double L; this link has a few examples of pronunciations, but only as sounds: http://languagespeedway.com/page/official/italian/pronunciation6gnandgli
Many thanks. The link is useful as I can hear a bit and the audio is very good.
"Buffoon". No, they're not completely interchangeable because you can't be a professional buffoon, it's purely a pejorative term.
- 1952
I would make a suggestion, but this is not for forum for discussing politics. :-P
- 1452
"pagliaccio" is always masculine, but it is used for both male & female clowns.
I am not 100%, I think it is pagliaccia. But I have never seen a woman working as a clown in Italy. :)
Why not sei tu again as in the last one? Is sei, tu sei and sei tu all interchangeable?
As I see it, in affirmative sentences like this one, the verb comes second (tu sei..., tu fai... etc.). In questions, depending on emphasis or meaning, it can be in both orders, like in the conduttore phrase: "Sei tu il conduttore?" vs "Tu sei il conduttore?". Boh are correct, but have a slightly different meaning.
I agree with everyone that thought the intonation indicated a question. Intonation or not, the answer can also be are you a clown
Ho scritto "bad clown" perché una parola con -accio ha una connotazione negativa. perché non accettere la mia risposta ?
As a native English speaker, I would hear and use 'clown' much more often as an insult.....somewhat equivalent (though maybe less harsh) to idiot. To a child being silly I would more likely say something like 'acting like a goof' or maybe 'being a monkey'. Am I understanding correctly that in Italy, this would not be used as an insult?
yes.for example,there are many clowns in the italian parliament!!but you can find them around for the streets too!
few Italian words are close to what we say in our native language. 'pagliaccio' reminds me of pagol/ pagla( mad man) or pagli(mad woman) in our language, though the meaning is not same.
- 1952
I think it's primarily in the literal sense. There's also "un buffone", which I think is used where we in English would say "clown" figuratively.
Sei un pescatore =are you a fisherman Sei un pagliaccio=you are a clown Was marked wrong for putting are you a clown. Logic?!
- 1952
It could be a glitch, but it would be helpful to know how the question was presented to you and how, exactly, you answered.
I love it every time this comes up. I hear Leoncavallo in my head: "Tu sei pagliaccio". Opera really helps us to learn Italian.
Why are we learning wods like clown? There must be more useful professions to consider!
