scherzo vs barzelletta

abenr

abenr

Senior Member
Scottsdale, AZ, USA
English, USA
What is the word used in Italian for the jokes people pass to each other on the Internet. Is it scherzo, barzelletto, or some third word I'm unaware of? Thanks so much for your assistance.

Cheers,
Abenr
 
    • Hi Abenr,
    Joke in Italian is "barzelletta", as in "There were 3 Paddys...";
    "scherzo" means practical joke or trick you play on someone. Then you've also got "battuta" which just means smart or funny line/answer/comment you make as a reaction to something someone has said or done.

    Hope that helps!
    x

    Forgt to say that "sto scherzando" is "Im just joking"...
     
    Last edited:
    nussy75 said:
    Hi Abenr,
    Joke in Italian is "barzelletta", as in "There were 3 Paddys...";
    "scherzo" means practical joke or trick you play on someone. Then you've also got "battuta" which just means smart or funny line/answer/comment you make as a reaction to something someone has said or done.

    Hope that helps!
    x

    Forgt to say that "sto scherzando" is "Im just joking"...
    Click to expand...

    Thank you very much. Which word, however, would you use in translating the sentence "He uses E-mail to send jokes to friends"?
     
    Apart the proper tranlsation of "joke", which is "Barzelletta or Scherzo";I would translate the word "joke" as "gioco". I think this word contains, more or less, all the meanings you need. "Gioco" can be seen as a "barzelletta,burla,scherzo" and so on.

    Here is my attempt :
    He uses E-mail to send jokes to friends= (Lui) usa le E-mail per mandare giochi ai suoi amici.

    Last thing: Have you noticed also that the English word "joke" sound like the Italian word "gioco" and vice versa?
    "Gi" has almost the sound of "j" and "c" that one of "k".
    To me, if you pronounce these to words, they sound quasi similar.

    Greetings,
    Lupen The Third :)
     
    Other good translations of "barzellette" in English might be "quips" or the slightly more general "witticisms."
     
    Lupen The Third said:
    Apart the proper tranlsation of "joke", which is "Barzelletta or Scherzo";I would translate the word "joke" as "gioco". I think this word contains, more or less, all the meanings you need. "Gioco" can be seen as a "barzelletta,burla,scherzo" and so on.

    Here is my attempt :
    He uses E-mail to send jokes to friends= (Lui) usa le E-mail per mandare giochi ai suoi amici.
    Click to expand...


    I don't doubt that "gioco" can have all those meanings, but if somebody said he was e-mailing me 'giochi' or that he had 'giochi' on his computer, my first thought would be games, not jokes.

    When we describe il calcio as 'un bellissimo gioco' does that mean it's 'a beautiful joke' ? :) (*1)
    And that business in Beijing two years ago, I don't remember hearing about the 'Olympic Jokes'.


    (*1) Però, dopo quello che hanno fatto Gli Azzurri in Sud Africa, forse 'barzeletta' é una parola ben' precisa.) :mad:
    .
     
    One liners - also a possibility!

    From what I understand barzellete are short - this should be confirmed by the natives though!!!
     
    Here's a "barzelleta":

    Due amiche si incontrano.
    <Come va con Antonio?> chiede una.
    <L'ho lasciato> risponde l'altra.
    <E come mai?>
    <Divergenze di vedute.>
    <Cioè?>
    <Cioè, io mi vedevo solo con lui e invece, lui si vedeva anche con molte altre.>
    :D

    Here's a "battuta".
    Disgraziata! Vai subito sopra chiuditi dentro e portami la chiave!!! - Totó:thumbsup:

    A "scherzo" or "sto scherzando" is a bit more general and can even include pulling the chair out from under someone - "physical comedy".

    Let's see what others might say...seriously.
     
    You must log in or register to reply here.
    Back
    Top