{"id":11331,"date":"2016-03-31T12:45:59","date_gmt":"2016-03-31T10:45:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/?p=11331"},"modified":"2016-03-31T12:45:59","modified_gmt":"2016-03-31T10:45:59","slug":"le-conte-italiane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/le-conte-italiane\/","title":{"rendered":"Le Conte Italiane"},"content":{"rendered":"

As promised in yesterday\u2019s blog<\/a><\/span>, here is a small collection of conte<\/strong> (counting games) that I\u2019ve selected from many many examples. Most of these conte<\/strong> contain the idiomatic expression toccare a qualcuno<\/strong> (to be somebody\u2019s turn). For an explanation of le conte<\/strong> see here<\/a><\/span>. I’ve also included translations for the two baffling barzellette<\/strong> (jokes) from yesterday’s blog.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"N.B.<\/a>

N.B. In order to get this joke you need to know that, in Italian, CD is pronounced ‘chee dee’. Translation: The inventor of the CD is dead … We are sorry!! (‘chee dee’ spiace = ci dispiace!!).<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Conta conta tamburino
\nche il nemico \u00e8 qui vicino,
\nse giochiamo in compagnia
\nil nemico scappa via
\nFafof\u00ec, fifof\u00e0, a chi tocca non si sa
\nFafof\u00e0, fifof\u00ec, chi comanda eccolo qui!<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Count count drummer boy
\nbecause the enemy is nearby
\nif we play with others
\nthe enemy will run away.
\nFafof\u00ec, fifof\u00e0, whose turn it is no one knows
\nFafof\u00e0, fafof\u00ec, here\u2019s the one who\u2019s in charge!<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Conta dieci, conta venti,
\nleva tutti e quattro i denti,
\npoco male ti far\u00e0<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>
\nse nel cielo voler\u00e0.
\nVola vola, canta canta,
\nscrivi sulla carta bianca.
\nIo ti scrivo e ti rispondo,
\nho girato tutto il mondo
\nfino al giorno ventitr\u00e8:
\na star sotto tocca a te!<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Count ten, count twenty
\nremove all four teeth
\nit won\u2019t hurt you much
\nif you fly into the sky (heaven)
\nFly fly, sing sing
\nwrite on white paper
\nI write to you and reply to you
\nI’ve travelled the whole world
\nuntil the twenty-third day
\nit\u2019s your turn to be it!<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"battute-squallide\"<\/a>

This is a complicated play on words. In Italian, Hindu is written Ind\u00f9<\/strong> (remember the silent Italian h<\/em>). But Ind\u00f9<\/strong> also sounds like Italian dialect for ‘in due<\/strong>‘ (two of them<\/em>). Therefore, in tr\u00ec<\/strong> is a dialectal version of in tre<\/strong> (three of them<\/em>).<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Il rinoceronte che passa sul ponte
\nche sta sull’attenti,
\nche fa i complimenti,
\nche dice buongiorno
\ngirandosi attorno.
\nGira e rigira, la testa mi gira,
\nnon ne posso pi\u00f9
\ne puff cade gi\u00f9:
\na star fuori sei proprio tu!<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The rhinoceros who goes over the bridge
\nwho stands to attention
\nwho pays compliments
\nwho says good day
\nlooking around.
\nTurn and turn again, my head spins
\nI can\u2019t do it any-more
\nand puff fall down:
\nit\u2019s your turn to be out! <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I tre saggi di Baviera
\nhanno per barca una zuppiera
\nche se a galla fosse stata
\nla conta sarebbe continuata
\nanche fino a centoventitr\u00e8:
\ntoccherebbe pre-ci-sa-men-te a te!<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The three wise men of Bavaria
\nhave a tureen for a boat
\nthat if it had been floating
\nthe count would have continued
\neven up to one hundred and twenty three:
\nit would be exactly your turn!<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Mariolino birichino
\ntutti i giorni va a Portofino
\ne va pure in Portogallo,
\nse si sveglia al canto del gallo.
\nCerte volte si sveglia alle tre:
\na giocare tocca a te!<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Mariolino, mischievous little boy
\ngoes to Portofino every day
\nand even goes to Portugal
\nif he wakes with the cock\u2019s crow.
\nSometimes he wakes at three:
\nit\u2019s your turn to play!<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Tre gattini tre gattini
\nse ne van per i camini
\ni gattini sono tre
\na star sotto tocca a te!<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Three little cats three little cats
\ngo off amongst the chimney stacks
\nthere are three little cats
\nit\u2019s your turn to be it!<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"68-palestra-bolle\"<\/a>

Here’s a nice easy one for you: Government Health Warning NEVER SWALLOW CHEWING GUM!!!<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Sette, quattordici, ventuno, ventotto
\nquesto \u00e8 il gioco di Paperotto
\nPaperotto \u00e8 in medicina
\nfuori tu che sei regina
\nla regina \u00e8 andata a Roma
\na comprare la corona
\nla corona \u00e8 gi\u00e0 venduta
\nla regina \u00e8 svenuta
\n\u00e8 svenuto pure il re
\na star fuori tocca a te!<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Seven, fourteen, twenty-one, twenty-eight
\nthis is the game of Paperotto
\nPaperotto is in medicine
\nget out you who are the queen
\nthe queen went to Rome
\nto buy the crown
\nthe crown was already sold
\nthe queen fainted
\nthe king fainted as well
\nit\u2019s your turn to be it!<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Now, off you go and have fun playing in the park, but don\u2019t stay out too late or the lupo cattivo<\/strong> will eat you all up!<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

As promised in yesterday\u2019s blog, here is a small collection of conte (counting games) that I\u2019ve selected from many many examples. Most of these conte contain the idiomatic expression toccare a qualcuno (to be somebody\u2019s turn). For an explanation of le conte see here. I’ve also included translations for the two baffling barzellette (jokes) from…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":90,"featured_media":11340,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3,619],"tags":[229248],"class_list":["post-11331","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-italian-language","tag-italian-childrens-rhymes"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t