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Here you can find a collection of italian and english proverbs which have been gathered by the senior group in Vincenza.
An english or italian translation is given with every proverb.
The english proverbs are next to the bottom of this page.

Italian Proverbs / proverbi italiano

1. El pan fora de casa, xe massa salà o desavio
   The bread outside your home has either too much salt or too little



2. Anca el bon pan, a longo andar el stufa
   Even good bread can tire you out in the long run



3. Pan, vin e soca, lassa pur ch'el fioca
   If you have your bread, wine and firewood, it can snow forever



4. Pan, sopressa e compagnia, su nel bosco fa alegria
   Bread, sopressa (local type of salami) and good company make for a good time in the woods



5. Fin che ghe xe pan in convento, i frati no manca
   There will always be monks as long as there is bread in monasteries



6. El pan del paron el gha tre croste
   Masters' bread has three crusts



7. Sotto la neve pane, sotto l'acqua fame
   Under the snow there is bread, under the rain there is hunger



8. Il pane dei popoli
   The peoples' bread



9. El xe on toco de pan
   He is as good as a loaf of bread (= he is as good as gold)



10. Meglio il pane nero qua in vita che il pan d'oro là
    Brown bread in life is better than golden bread in afterlife



11. So l'arca del pan se ciapa el can
    In the bread box you catch the dog



12. Pan e gaban no i xe mai massa
    Loaves of bread and coats are never too many



13. Chi ha pane non ha denti
    Those who have bread haven't got teeth



14. Pane al pane, vino al vino
    To call bread bread and wine wine (= to call a spade a spade)



15. Scambiare pan per focaccia
    To mistake bread for 'focaccia' (a savoury type of bread pie)



16. Se vuoi diventare paffuto e bello, mangia pane cruscatello
    If you want to become plump and beautiful eat brown bread



17. Meglio un pezzo di pane secco e la tranquillità, che una casa dove si fanno banchetti e litigi
    At home it is better to have stale bread and peace than banquets and fights



18. Mettere a pane e acqua, per castigo
    To put somebody on bread and water (for punishment)



19. Guadagnarsi il pane
    To earn one's bread and butter



20. Assicurarsi il pane per la vecchiaia
    To ensure one's daily bread for old age



21. Co se ga fame, el pan sa da carne
    When you are hungry bread tastes like meat



22. Del pan no se se stufa mai
    You never get tired of bread



23. Aqua e pan, vita da can, pan e aqua, vita da gata
    Water and bread: a dog's life; bread and water: a cat's life



24. El vin al saor, el pan al color
    Choose wine according to its taste and bread according to its color



25. Pan che canta, vin che salta
    Bread that sings, wine that dances



26. Pan del dì, vin de un'ano, te cava da ogni afàno!
    Fresh bread and one-year-old wine get rid of your woes



27. Il pane guadagnato con il sudore ha più sapore
    Hard-earned bread has more taste



28. Un pezzo di pane non si nega mai
    You never deny a loaf of bread



29. Titoli e nobiltà sono cose vane, nella vita abbiamo bisogno di pane
    Titles and nobility are vain things. In life we need bread



30. Buttare il pane è un peccato contro chi ha fame
    To throw away bread is a sin against those who are hungry



31. …Dacci oggi il nostro pane quotidiano (Padre Nostro)
    … give us our daily bread



32. Un pane per amor di Dio
    A loaf of bread for God's sake



33. El pan del paron el gha sette croste
    Masters' bread has seven crusts



34. Buono come il pane vecchio
    He is as good as stale bread



35. essere come pan e cacio
    To be as bread and cheese (= to be hand in glove)



36. mangiare pane a tradimento
    To eat unearned bread (to live off someone else)



37. non è pane per i miei denti
    It is not bread for my teeth (= I am not cut out for it)



38. lo comprai per un pezzo di pane
    I bought it for a loaf of bread (= I bought it for a song)



39. spezzare il pane con qualcuno
    To break bread with somebody



40. trovare pane per i propri denti
    To find bread for one's teeth (= to meet one's match)



41. spezzare il pane della scienza
    To share the bread of science (to teach)



42. se non è zuppa è pan bagnato
    If it is not soup it is wet bread (= it's six of one and half a dozen of the other)



43. non si vive di solo pane
    Man cannot live on bread alone



44. pan rubato ha buon sapore
    Stolen bread tastes good (= stolen fruit is sweetest)



45. portar via il pane di bocca a qualcuno
    To take the bread out of somebody's mouth

1. to cast one's bread upon the waters
   gettare il proprio pane in acqua: dare senza attendersi nulla in cambio



2. to eat the bread of idleness /affliction
   mangiare il pane dell'ozio/dolore: vivere nell'ozio/dolore



3. to want one's bread buttered on both sides
   volere il proprio pane imburrato da entrambi i lati



4. half a loaf is better than no bread
   mezza pagnotta è meglio di niente



5. to know on which side your bread is buttered
   sapere da che parte il pane è imburrato: sapere come comportarsi per avere dei vantaggi