I've changed my mind. Ho camiato la mia mente? Or Ho cambiato idea? - Italian Online community

Villa · #1 11-27-2008, 09:19 PM

Ho cambiato idea. Non voglio piu andare al cinema.
I've changed my mind. I don't want to go to the movies anymore.

In English we say: I've changed my mind which is of course an idiomatic expression. If you say in Italian Ho cambiato
la mia mente it's like saying I changed my mind literalmente.

So "I changed my mind" is translated in Italian as "Ho cambiato idea." And not "Ho cambiato la mia mente."

How about anche(also) "Ho cambiato di opinione." for "I've changed my mind." "I've changed my opinion." (Would depend on what you were talking about.)
Esempio: Ho cambiato di opinione. Non voglio piu votare per lui. Suppongo che this would no longer being an idiom cosi. Vero?

English speakers make the same mistake with Spanish. Spanish speakers have no trouble with this in Italian, a proposito. Quasi come sempre.

People who speak Italian or whatever other language, use idioms in their everyday conversations.

What is an idomatic expression or idiom?

An idiom is an expression, that is a term or phrase whose meaning cannot be deduced from the literal definitions
and the arrangement of its parts, but refers instead to a figurative meaning that is known only through common use.

A group of words that have a specific meaning different from the translation of each individual word making up the expression.

Idiom: an expression whose meanings cannot be inferred from the meanings of the words that make it up.

Mi piace molto molto Figurative Language.

Italian like anyother language is full of Figurative language.

So what is Figurative language?

Whenever you describe something by comparing it with something else, you are using figurative language.
Any language that goes beyond the literal meaning of words in order to furnish new effects or fresh insights
into an idea or a subject. The most common figures of speech are simile, metaphor, and alliteration.

Imagery

Language that appeals to the senses. Descriptions of people or objects stated in terms of our senses.

Simile
A figure of speech which involves a direct comparison between two unlike things, usually with the words
like or as. Example: The muscles on his brawny arms are strong as iron bands.

Metaphor
A figure of speech which involves an implied comparison between two relatively unlike things using a form of be.
The comparison is not announced by like or as. Example: The road was a ribbon of moonlight.

Alliteration
Repeated consonant sounds occurring at the beginning of words or within words. Alliteration is used to create melody,
establish mood, call attention to important words, and point out similarities and contrasts.
Example: wide-eyed and wondering while we wait for others to waken.

Personification
A figure of speech which gives the qualities of a person to an animal, an object, or an idea. It is a
comparison which the author uses to show something in an entirely new light, to communicate a certain
feeling or attitude towards it and to control the way a reader perceives it. Example: a brave handsome
brute fell with a creaking rending cry--the author is giving a tree human qualities.

Onomatopoeia
The use of words that mimic sounds. They appeal to our sense of hearing and they help bring a description
to life. A string of syllables the author has made up to represent the way a sound really sounds. Example: Caarackle!

Hyperbole
An exaggerated statement used to heighten effect. It is not used to mislead the reader, but to emphasize a point.
Example: She’s said so on several million occasions

Idioms