An idiom is an expression that can not be translated litteraly from English to Italian or vice versa. For example the expression "faccio il biglietto" litteraly translated from Italian to English would read: "I do the ticket". However, what the person is really trying to say is: I am buying a ticket. I Do the ticket makes no sense in English!

Below are some common idioms with the verb "fare" which means to do or make.

fare i compiti to do one's homework

fare il biglietto to purchase a ticket

fare la fila/la coda stand on line/wait on line

fare la spesa to go grocery shopping

fare le spese to go shopping

fare forca to play hooky

fare vedere to show someone something

fare una domanda to ask a question

fare una fotografia to take a picture

fare una passeggiata to take a walk

fare colazione to have breakfast

fare un viaggio to take a trip

fare un capello in quattro to split hairs

farsi la barba to shave

farsi coraggio to take heart

fare castelli in aria to daydream

fare fingere to pretend, make believe

fare male to be painful, to ache

farsi in la to step to one side

fare di tutto to do everything possible

fare del proprio meglio to do one's best

farsi degli amici to make friends

fare alla romana to split the check

fare il pieno to fill up the gas tank

fare passare to let through

Now, once you know these expressions, all you have to do is conjugate the verb "fare" and then write the rest of the expression and now you have an idiom!

Here is the conjugation of "fare"

Faccio = I make
Fai = You (singular) make
Fa = He/She makes
Facciamo = We make
Fate = You (plural) make
Fanno = They make

So let's say I wanted to express the following in Italian: "we wait in line"
I find my expression "to wait in line" which is "fare la fila." Now I go to the "we" form of fare which is "facciamo." Then I add the rest of the phrase which is "la fila". You put it together and get" Facciamo la fila = We wait in line.

Now you try:

I do my homework =

We pretend =

They take a trip =

You (singular) have breakfast =

He goes shopping =

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Dimmi con chi vai e ti dirò chi sei.

fare is also used in colloquial Italian as
Mi faccio
like
Mi faccio un panino - I am going to prepare for me a sandwich
Mi faccio una frittata - I am going to prepare for me a frittata ( omelett )
Mi faccio la Porsche - I am going to buy myself a Porsche.
Or in roman dialect Mi faccio Maria...well that has quite a different meaning !

Yes, in that case the verb is reflexive because the subject (io) and the direct object (mi) are the same person. I can do a post on reflexive verbs too Paolo if you would like.

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Dimmi con chi vai e ti dirò chi sei.

[QUOTE=Giacomo;28278]An idiom is an expression that can not be translated litteraly from English to Italian or vice versa. For example the expression "faccio il biglietto" litteraly translated from Italian to English would read: "I do the ticket". However, what the person is really trying to say is: I am buying a ticket. I Do the ticket makes no sense in English!

Complimenti Giacomo. Te felicito con todo el corazon.

This is a very good lesson.

The first Italian class I ever took had this lesson with fare il biglietto. It threw people off when they heard it. They said it should be comprare il biglietto e cosi via. I still have that Italian book. It has these picture ilustrations you look at while you ask and answer questions. It says it this case Vedi la figura a pagina 134. On page 134 it has a drawing of this lady in the train station looking for a porter and buying a train ticket at the ticket window. Then you look at the drawings as you ask and answer these questions:

1. Che cosa fa quella signora? What is that lady doing?
Cerca un faccchino. She's looking for a porter. (CHAIR-kah un fakh-KEY-no.)

2. Trova il facchino? Does she find the porter?
Si, ecco il facchino. Yes, here's the porter.

3. Che cosa fa il facchino? What does the porter do?
Porta le valigie della signora al deposito bagagli. PORE-tah lay vah-LEE-jah DELL-la seen-NORH-ah owl dee-POH-see-toe bah-GAH-yee. He carries the the ladies' suitcases to the baggage room.(baggage check in place)

4. Che cosa fa intanto la signora? What does the lady do then?
Va alla biglietteria. She goes to the ticket counter. (Vah owl-LAH bee-yeah-teh-REE-ah,)

5. Perche va alla biglietteria? Why does she go to the ticket counter?
Per fare il biglietto Genova-Pisa. To buy a ticket for Genova-Pisa.

6. Che cos'altro fa la signora? What esle does the lady do? Kay cause-OWL-troh fah lah seen-NORH-rah?
Prenota un posto di seconda classe. She reserves a second class seat.

A lovely book using cute pictures and stories with activities An interesting, dynamic and fun method of teaching Italian using SR ... Lo dico in Italiano secondo libro. $32.95. $19.95. Lo dica in Italiano terzo libro ... Wonderful textbook for beginners with lots of exercises and examples. ...
www.languagecentre.iinet.com.au/Italian.htm - Cached - Similar

"Mi faccio Maria" is used as here at north XD
There's also "fatto" and " fattone"

Che significa "Mi faccio Maria"?

In che città vivi Bio?

I was wondering the same thing!

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Dimmi con chi vai e ti dirò chi sei.

I fuck Maria XD

That's what I thought, but was afraid to say it.

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Dimmi con chi vai e ti dirò chi sei.