# Been there, done that



## antraf

Hello,

Come si traduce in italiano la seguente espressione:
*Been there, done that.*

**


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## nexus

Ciao antraf,

che te ne pare di "detto fatto"?


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## Jamila

I've found this:

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/59900.html


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## antraf

Non saprei....ma penso che tu abbia ragione.
Anche se non so se l'autore dell'articolo dove ho trovato tale espressione (Economist, Truth in advertising - lo trovi sul sito economist.com) intendesse dire proprio "detto fatto".

Comunque thanks


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## stella_maris_74

Hum, as far as I know, "Been there, done that" is an expression to say "I'm not going to do the same mistake again", or "I have already had this experience, and I won't again".

Example:
*man*: c'mon, sweethart, she meant nothing to me, please take me back!
*wise (ex)girlfriend*: *Been there, done that*. I know you would do it again sooner or later, so forget it and get the hell out of here!

But I'm afraid the italian translation would depend on context.
 Can you provide some, antraf?

ciao,

dani

Edit: Oops, sorry for crossing, guys


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## Evito

nexus said:


> Ciao antraf,
> 
> che te ne pare di "detto fatto"?




Mi sembra che "detto fatto" voglia dire "come ho detto, così ho fatto". "been there, done that" vuole dire qualcos'altro. non so come dire bene in italiano ma potrebbe essere una risposta a una cosa antica, una cosa che è gia fatta e poi è diventata noiosa per chi parla.


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## antraf

L'articolo dove ho trovato l'espressione "been there, done that" è on line sul sito delle economist.com........Il titolo dell'articolo è Truth in advertising.........


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## Istrice 2111

Evito said:


> Mi sembra che "detto fatto" voglia dire "come ho detto, così ho fatto". "been there, done that" vuole dire qualcos'altro. non so come dire bene in italiano ma potrebbe essere una risposta a una cosa antica, una cosa che è gia fatta e poi è diventata noiosa per chi parla.



Sorry but Detto fatto means subito (immediately)


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## Siberia

E' un' espressione che vuol dire che quell' esperienza l'hai già avuta.
Può essere intesa come dice Stella sopra o semplicemente - un espressione di noia, non ripetiamo le cose che abbiamo fatto/detto/visto ecc. Tipo un turista mordi e fuggi che vede l'Europa in 5 giorni facendo tappa in 20 città diverse per farsi fotografare accanto ad un monumento tipico della città e poter vantarsi di essere stato lì.

Sib


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## Girino

Lo abbiamo già fatto?
Lo abbiamo fatto prima?


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## pescara

Since _been there/done that_ means that I've had an experience I don't want to have again, how about _mai piu_?


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## stella_maris_74

Che ne dite di:
"Tutto già visto. Tutto già fatto"
Anche solo "Tutto già visto", oppure "Un copione già visto": nel contesto dell'articolo mi pare vada bene.

ciao,

dani


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## Evito

Istrice 2111 said:


> Sorry but Detto fatto means subito (immediately)



Interesting...
In the DUtch language there is an expression which translated in English with "So said, so done" or "Così detto, così fatto" and a while ago I needed this phrase for a text I was writing so I looked it up in the dictionary and it said "detto fatto". The teacher didn't say anything about it. I did place a comma in between though.

My teachers do always say that dictionaries are really bad so we should never trust them.


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## lsp

Evito said:


> Interesting...
> In the DUtch language there is an expression which translated in English with "So said, so done" or "Così detto, così fatto" and a while ago I needed this phrase for a text I was writing so I looked it up in the dictionary and it said "detto fatto". The teacher didn't say anything about it. I did place a comma in between though.
> 
> My teachers do always say that dictionaries are really bad so we should never trust them.


"Been there, done that" means "nothing is new, I've seen, heard or done all that before." That's different from "so said, so done," meaning something "was carried out exactly as discussed."


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## Jamila

stella_maris_74 said:


> Che ne dite di:
> "Tutto già visto. Tutto già fatto"
> Anche solo "Tutto già visto", oppure "Un copione già visto": nel contesto dell'articolo mi pare vada bene.
> 
> ciao,
> 
> dani


 

O anche "musica già sentita" ...


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## _forumuser_

Let's distinguish three usages:

1. I've had/done my share already, I've been through it already:

Niente di nuovo
Ho gia' dato. (This slang phrase is quickly taking hold)
Ci sono gia' passato.

2. Nothing new, same old story:

la solita storia
la solita minestra
vecchia storia
film gia' visto
musica gia' sentita
la solita solfa
ecc.

3. To criticize somebody who acts as if they've done it all already:

So tutto io (I know everything)
guarda quanto sono fico 
atteggiamento saccente/supponente

These last three are quite free. Let's add more!


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## vetusta

_forumuser_ said:


> Let's distinguish three usages:
> 
> 1. I've had/done my share already, I've been through it already:
> 
> Niente di nuovo
> Ho gia' dato. (This slang phrase is quickly taking hold)
> Ci sono gia' passato.
> 
> 2. Nothing new, same old story:
> 
> la solita storia
> la solita minestra
> vecchia storia
> film gia' visto
> musica gia' sentita
> la solita solfa
> ecc.
> 
> 3. To criticize somebody who acts as if they've done it all already:
> 
> So tutto io (I know everything)
> guarda quanto sono fico
> atteggiamento saccente/supponente
> 
> These last three are quite free. Let's add more!



Potrebbe anche essere "cosa fatta capo a"?


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## stella_maris_74

vetusta said:


> Potrebbe anche essere "cosa fatta capo ha"?



(Occhio allo spelling )

Non credo. Il significato di questo detto italiano è



> http://www.proverbi-italiani.com/cerca-187-C.html
> 
> Il detto oggi vuole significare che bisogna prendere decisioni rapide e definitive.


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## JoanTaber

Ciao Antraf,
Perhaps this expression has other meanings in other parts of the English-speaking world, but in the US, this is a trendy expression meaning "Eh, già l'ho fatto"; and, yes, Siberia is right, there is an element of slight boredom, and the reference is always to a single event or experience.


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## cercolumi

Ciao a tutti! 
Sperando di non essere troppo O.T., avrei una curiosità da togliermi. 
Ho sentito usare anche "*been through*" per esprimere lo stesso identico concetto e l'avevo sempre tradotto con un letterale "ci sono già passato (attraverso)".
Avendo trovato questo thread direi che sono nel giusto.
Volevo solo la conferma che posso usare _been through, done that or been there_ alternativamente.
Un grazie in anticipo.


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## rrose17

Ciao
Sure the meaning is almost identical only _been there, done that_ is such a stock and often used phrase that if you were to say _been through, done that _with, say an Italian accent, I imagine you'd get a smile. It would sound in your case that you've made a charming mistake. It would bring attention to the different-ness of it.


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## cercolumi

Got it rrose, thanks. 
Out of curiosity, do you use "_been there, done that"_ always as a stock phrase or you may use _been there_ or _done that_ separately?
Example:
_A: My girfriend always wants me to take her to shopping.
B: Been there/Done that/Been through buddy.
_


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## AlabamaBoy

cercolumi said:


> _A: My girfriend always wants me to take her to shopping.
> B: Been there, done that. /Been through buddy.
> _



I have only heard it exactly this one way.


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## cercolumi

AlabamaBoy said:


> I have only heard it exactly this one way.


Perfect AB, thanks a lot.


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## curiosone

cercolumi said:


> Ciao a tutti!
> Sperando di non essere troppo O.T., avrei una curiosità da togliermi.
> Ho sentito usare anche "*been through*" per esprimere lo stesso identico concetto e l'avevo sempre tradotto con un letterale "ci sono già passato (attraverso)".
> Avendo trovato questo thread direi che sono nel giusto.
> Volevo solo la conferma che posso usare _been through, done that or been there_ alternativamente.
> Un grazie in anticipo.



The phrases are very similar, but I make the following distinctions:

"been through" implies having had an experience  (either negative such as a divorce or bad relationshi, or sad, as in the loss of a loved one) one wouldn't wish to repeat, but that can help one understand how another person may feel, in a similar situation;

"been there" is very similar, but isn't necessarily negative.  Again it implies having had a similar experience, and a sense of understanding (or sympathizing with) someone having a similar experience.

"been there, done that" is idiomatic (not just "done that" with "done" simply the past participle of "to do"), and it doesn't imply a negative experience, but simply one that one doesn't feel the need to repeat.


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## cercolumi

Hai reso il tutto davvero chiarissimo curiosone. Grazie infinite


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## curiosone

You're welcome, CL.


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## simpic

Ma per questa frase le regole grammaticali dove sono?
Oppure soggetto e ausiliare sono sottintesi?


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## curiosone

simpic said:


> Ma per questa frase le regole grammaticali dove sono?
> Oppure soggetto e ausiliare sono sottintesi?



"Been there, done that" is used as a reply to something someone else has said, and reflects what the other person said.  "I've been been there and done that, too" is understood, but in the context of a reply it isn't necessary (grammatically) to specify "I've".  Also as an idiomatic phrase (and a reply) a full sentence wouldn't be expected.  

E.g.: If I say "I like ice cream" it wouldn't be necessary to reply "I like ice cream, too."  The usual reply would be "Me too."  The full sentence is possible, but would be used only when greater emphasis is desired.  

And (in the example of "been there, done that") using a full sentence would change the meaning.  In fact you'd lose the nuance of not wishing (or seeing no need) to repeat an experience (provided by the idiomatic phrase).


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## Teerex51

curiosone said:


> .....  Also as an idiomatic phrase (and a reply) a full sentence wouldn't be expected.


I agree with Curio.  And—by the way—the same applies to Italian. 

Earlier on this thread, an _incorrect_ translation was offered for "been there, done that" _(detto fatto)_, which however provides a good example of a similar _absolute past participle_. Making the Italian idiom into a "regular" sentence would simply kill it _(non appena ciò è stato detto è stato fatto)._

Curiously, no one on this thread has yet mentioned a common variation on this English idiom:_ Been There, Done That, Got the T-Shirt _

A: The day after his graduation, my son asked me to buy him a car.
B: _Yup. Been there, done that, got the T-Shirt_


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## chipulukusu

I suspect that the ungrammaticality of _Been There, Done That_ could also be justified by the use of a _pay-per-word like_ language, like in the case of the famous _Have Time, Will Travel._


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## Teerex51

chipulukusu said:


> I suspect that the ungrammaticality of _Been There, Done That_ (...)



Hi Chip, _Been There, Done That_ is not ungrammatical, in my opinion—not any more than _Got it!_ for _I have got it!_


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## chipulukusu

You are right T-Rex ! Unfortunately I was taught enough English at school in Italy to believe that the _explicitation of the subject _was a dogma in English . I should at least have said "the _apparent _ungrammaticality"...


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## Cafonauta

Thread interessante.

Se non vado errato _Been There, Done That è idiomatica quindi se cerchiamo una possibile corrispondenza in italiano potrebbe essere "ho già dato".
Signigica che ci sono già passato, che probabilmente stiamo parlando di una esperienza non necessariamente negativa ma che non ha ottenuto i risultati sperati o comunque non ha risolto nulla._


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## AlabamaBoy

I have been there, I have done that.

Ci sono stato, l'ho già fatto.

I think it could easily have been a positive experience meaning you don't need to tell me the details, I already know them. Conversely it could mean I have already had that negative experience and I know what you are going through (dealing with) and I feel [sad] for you. I haven't heard it used to describe a repeat of the speaker's prior experience but only as a comment on someone else's new experience.

Edit: At least these are the ways I have personally heard the expression used, mostly in the Southwest USA. I think the expression is rude because it minimizes/trivializes the other person's experience. See the example in post 30. (TRex)


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## MStraf

"Been there, done that" has usually a negative connotation. I would never use it to describe a good memory.
What about "Non commetto lo stesso sbaglio due volte" or "una volta e' sufficiente"


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## AlabamaBoy

If you said "I had a wonderful vacation in Hawaii" I could easily say "Been there, done that" even though I think it would be rude.


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## rrose17

Ciao, I think when you say "been there, done that" the implication is that once (or how many times you did it) was enough. So in AB's example it would sound like "I've been to Hawaii and have no intention of going back." Not that positive.


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## curiosone

Still not negative, tho'.  If not always rude, it's certainly a way to cut short what another  person might have wanted to say. 

However I can imagine using it talking to myself (or with another person) without any rudeness or negativity, when planning trips (or activities). As much as I may have enjoyed doing something (or going somewhere), I may simply prefer to go someplace (or do something) new.  In this case I consider it to be a sort of checking something off my mental list (of places I want to see, or things I want to do).


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## MStraf

AlabamaBoy said:


> If you said "I had a wonderful vacation in Hawaii" I could easily say "Been there, done that" even though I think it would be rude.


Yes, I would consider that a rude comment.


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## You little ripper!

I will also often use _been there, done that_ to mean I really don't want to go down this road and hear every detail of your experience of the same thing.


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## AlabamaBoy

Exactly. But it is still rude. You should be patient and let them talk about their experience even though it's old hat to you.


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## sorry66

Just a reminder of the meaning (link post #3):
*Been there, done that*
To have experienced the topic under discussion, to the point of boredom or complacency.

So it's definitely rude, unless you're talking about the 'been there, done that' attitude of someone else.


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## danalto

Per quanto mi riguarda, la traduzione più calzante e abbastanza duttile rimane *Ci sono già passato.*


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## MR1492

I've seen "*stato qui, fatto questo" *suggested in Linguee.  Would that work?

Phil


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## curiosone

If we're looking for an idiomatic phrase that isn't a literal translation, but can express a similar dismissiveness, I might go with "Ho già dato". I've heard this said ironically, to shut someone up.


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## danalto

MR1492 said:


> I've seen "*stato qui, fatto questo" *suggested in Linguee.  Would that work?
> 
> Phil


That is not really Italian, Phil...I'm sorry!



curiosone said:


> If we're looking for an idiomatic phrase that isn't a literal translation, but can express a similar dismissiveness, I might go with "Ho già dato". I've heard this said ironically, to shut someone up.


Right!
Dani


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## AlabamaBoy

curiosone said:


> If we're looking for an idiomatic phrase that isn't a literal translation, but can express a similar dismissiveness, I might go with "Ho già dato". I've heard this said ironically, to shut someone up.


To be fair, this was suggested in post 34, and I inadvertently ignored it. Chiedo scusa, Cafonauta.


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## MStraf

danalto said:


> Per quanto mi riguarda, la traduzione più calzante e abbastanza duttile rimane *Ci sono già passato. *


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## curiosone

AlabamaBoy said:


> To be fair, this was suggested in post 34, and I inadvertently ignored it. Chiedo scusa, Cafonauta.



Chiedo scusa anch'io, Cafonauta, per il doppione.  Però mi è rimasto un dubbio, e vorrei capire (se possibile) l'origine della frase "ho già dato".  Continua a venirmi in mente frasi tipo "Ho già dato all'ingresso" come per dire "Ho già pagato il ticket" o "Ho già dato, grazie".  Qualche native può chiarire/spiegare l'originie?

Ad ogni modo, facendo qualche ricerca sulla frase, ho trovato questo bellissimo esempio di "ho già dato" (in senso molto drammatico, ma chiaro): pensieri e parole: Ho già dato, grazie


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## Pietruzzo

curiosone said:


> Qualche native può chiarire/spiegare l'originie?


Abbiamo già dato... link


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