# I couldn't care less



## Potter John

Please can you help?

Is there a similar phrase in italian which indicates that you are totally unconcerned about an issue?

Thanks in anticipation

John


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## Tommaso Gastaldi

Potter John said:
			
		

> Please can you help?
> 
> Is there a similar phrase in italian which indicates that you are totally unconcerned about an issue?
> 
> Thanks in anticipation
> 
> John


 
Non me ne potrebbe importare di meno
Non mi interessa
Non mi interessa nulla
Non ho proprio alcun interesse

Roman:
Num me ne po frega' de meno  
[non me ne puo' fregare di meno]

http://www.wordreference.com/iten/fregare


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## Alfry

also 
la cosa non mi sfiora nemmeno da lontano
non mi sfiora minimamente..
and I'm sure there are more


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## ElaineG

ho sentito "non mi frega un ca...." qualche volta, but I think this must be very rude (more like "I don't give a f..." in English).


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## Alfry

I think so, Elaine.

it is rude indeed

less rude:
non mi importa un fico secco


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## Tommaso Gastaldi

Hi Elaine, never say that: in bocca ad una ragazza è una cosa veramente sconcertante.

I think I have read somewhere "I don't give a damn". Is this also villain? or could be used, for instance, by an enterprise manager?



			
				Alfry said:
			
		

> I think so, Elaine.
> 
> it is rude indeed
> 
> less rude:
> non mi importa un fico secco


 
Edit: I think I picked up the wrong word( "villain"), perhaps it should have used "gross"


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## Alfry

don't think so, Tommaso


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## valy822

"Chi se ne frega!"... too colloquial??


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## ElaineG

> I think I have read somewhere "I don't give a damn". Is this also vulgar/rude? or could it be used, for instance, by an enterprise manager?


 
"I don't give a damn" is very common, and was used most famously by  Rhett Butler when he said to Scarlett ("Rosella" in the Italian version) O'Hara, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."  (Which, if I remember correctly, was translated as "francamente me ne infischio" in "Via Col Vento").

I don't give a damn _is_ cursing, but as you can see from the fact that it was used in a film in 1939, it is a rather mild epithet as things go, and only the most formal (or possibly religious) people will object to "damn".  However, "I don't give a damn" expresses a rather rude and angry sentiment  -- so it should be used with caution for that reason more than for the "parolaccia" damn.


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## Tommaso Gastaldi

Thank you Elaine,
it's very nice to know that!  

See also this nice discussion about it:
http://www.rateitall.com/i-60629-frankly-my-dear-i-dont-give-a-damn-rhett-butler-gone-with-the-wind--1939.aspx


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## TimeHP

_ho sentito "non mi frega un ca...."_ 

Sì, è un'espressione un pò forte, sia che parli un uomo, sia che parli una donna (scusa Tommaso, ma non farei distinzioni tra i sessi... ). 
Si usa di solito quando si è molto arrabbiati.
Ma tra i giovani è usato molto liberamente.
Direi che la frase che traduce meglio è: _Non me ne può fregare di meno_, come ha già suggerito Tommaso. 
Ciao.


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## You little ripper!

What about "Non me ne frega niente" without all the swear words. Not that I am averse to the occasional swear word. Sometimes it's only a swear word that gets the point across.


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## sweet_cate

Tommaso Gastaldi said:
			
		

> Roman:
> *Num me ne po frega' de meno*
> [non me ne puo' fregare di meno]


 

Approved.  

(anche se non sono di Roma.. come viene detta bene questa frase con il vostro accento.. non viene bene in italiano questa esclamazione..  ..)

Anzi.. bisognerebbe dirlo senza nemmeno staccare le parole.. il suono generale dovrebbe essere più o meno così.. 

_*Nummenepòffregaddemeno*_... 

eh?


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## sweet_cate

Charles Costante said:
			
		

> What about "Non me ne frega niente" without all the swear words. Not that I am averse to the occasional swear word. Sometimes it's only a swear word that gets the point across.


 
Sono assolutamente d'accordo con te.
 Io le parolacce  ogni tanto le dico. Non spesso, ma se proprio ce vò.. ce vò..  

(ci vuole..  ci vuole..)


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## AlxGrim

Sweet_Cate, I love you! 
I'd just stress some accents, like *nummenepòffregàddeméno*!


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## sweet_cate

AlxGrim said:
			
		

> Sweet_Cate, I love you!
> I'd just stress some accents, like *nummenepòffregàddeméno*!


 


Approved definitely.


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## Tommaso Gastaldi

I think it could be: nummenepò fregà ddeméno

 I am glad that the roman expression has your consensus, however take into account that the corresponing English, both "I couldn't care less" or even "I don't give a damn, "do not sound as low level as the roman expression. I wouldn't even imagine someone of the class of C. Gable to say that. Especially to a woman. In this regard, perhaps "me ne infischio", as Elaine suggested, fits better. Or also "non mi importa un fico secco" as Alfry is suggesting.


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## sweet_cate

Tommaso Gastaldi said:
			
		

> I think it could be: nummenepò fregà ddeméno
> 
> I am glad that the roman expression has your consensus, however take into account that the corresponing English, both "I couldn't care less" or even "I don't give a damn, "do not sound as low level as the roman expression. I wouldn't even imagine someone of the class of C. Gable to say that. Especially to a woman. In this regard, perhaps "me ne infischio", as Elaine suggested, fits better. Or also "non mi importa un fico secco" as Alfry is suggesting.


 
Hai ragione.. 

"i could't care less" è sicuramente più leggero e meno "primitivo".. della traduzione che abbiamo fatto noi in italiano-romanesco..
ma nello stesso tempo, la versione inglese mi sembra decisamente più tagliente, fredda e cinica rispetto alla versione.. "romanesca"..

Che poi certe cose dette con freddezza, durezza  o con distacco siano meno cattive, crudeli,  incisive e distruttive di quelle dette in maniera più "grezza, popolare  e caciarona".... pur intendendo lo stesso significato..


beh...

è tutto da vedere.


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## AlxGrim

Tommaso, you're right, of course. There's no "high level situation" where any Roman expression can fit. After all, this is part of the city character: the typical Roman is relaxed, definitely informal, somehow lazy yet ready to fight, but most of all slightly vulgar in his wit, and shares his wisdom pills (like "nun me ne pò ffregà dde méno") with anyone who dares asking....


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## You little ripper!

AlxGrim said:
			
		

> Tommaso, you're right, of course. There's no "high level situation" where any Roman expression can fit. After all, this is part of the city character: the typical Roman is relaxed, definitely informal, somewhat lazy yet ready to fight, but most of all slightly vulgar in his wit, and shares his wisdom pills (like "nun me ne pò ffregà dde méno") with anyone who dares ask...



Hi AlxGrim,

Just a few corrections to make your excellent English even more perfect. 

Charles


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## Tommaso Gastaldi

More than typical, I would say caricatural [is that the right word?]



			
				AlxGrim said:
			
		

> Tommaso, you're right, of course. There's no "high level situation" where any Roman expression can fit. After all, this is part of the city character: the *typical* Roman is relaxed, definitely informal, somehow lazy yet ready to fight, but most of all slightly vulgar in his wit, and shares his wisdom pills (like "nun me ne pò ffregà dde méno") with anyone who dares asking....


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## ElaineG

> More than typical, I would say stereotypical


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## DAH

Charles Costante said:
			
		

> Just a few corrections to make your excellent English even more perfect.
> 
> Charles


ditto charles, ancora sto ridendo!


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## Angel.Aura

I posted in this old thread because I stumbled across this expression:

"So what? F*** you. *I could care less.*" 
This is in the affirmative. 
I bet the meaning is the same  but can anybody confirm, please?

Thank you


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## merse0

Are you sure it isn't "I couldn't care less"?

I've never heard it as "I could care less"...


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## TimLA

Yeah, it's one of the "sloppy" sentences in AE that means the same as "I couldn't care less".


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## Alan7075

Also, I could care less but I am not such a ass... bastard 

Ciao Ciao


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## Angel.Aura

Grazie mille, amici. 
Siete sempre preziosissimi!


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## Janey UK

There is a thread about _I could care less_ vs _I couldn't care less_ here on the English Only forum.

_I could care less_ is one of those Americanisms that really gets some English people hot under the collar, because of its innately ungrammatical construction!


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## Angel.Aura

Thank you Janey!
Actually I found the expression in a note by an american English speaker.
This really solves the problem!


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## sylvio dante

OK. So I read these posts but am still not sure how to make the phrase "I don't care", etc. work. When you use this phrase in AE you could say it many ways--"I don't care", ""I could(n't) care less"(you hear 'I could care less' usually here in the US), "I really don't care", etc. In Italy could you simply say "Non me ne frega" to mean "I don't care" without worrying about being rude? In other words is this an impolite way to say it? I know enough not to 'cazzo' to ANY phrase! Non mi voglio un pugno nel naso!


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## Angel.Aura

I'll give it a try:

I don't care = Non mi importa / non mi interessa / non me ne curo / ...
I could(n't) care less = Non me ne importa un tubo / non me ne potrebbe importare di meno / non mi interessa niente / ...
I really don't care = Non mi importa affatto / non mi interessa proprio / non me ne curo proprio / ...


			
				sylvio dante said:
			
		

> In Italy could you simply say "Non me ne frega" to mean "I don't care" without worrying about being rude? *No! You should worry. It is rude, actually. *
> In other words is this an impolite way to say it? *Exactly. It's very informal*.


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## sylvio dante

Angel.Aura said:


> I'll give it a try:
> 
> I don't care = Non mi importa / non mi interessa / non me ne curo / ...
> I could(n't) care less = Non me ne importa un tubo / non me ne potrebbe importare di meno / non mi interessa niente / ...
> I really don't care = Non mi importa affatto / non mi interessa proprio / non me ne curo proprio / ...


 Grazie molto per la tua risposta. Probabilmente mi hai salvato la vita. Un' altra domanda, per favore. Si direbbe correttamente "Non m'importa"? Senza pronunciare gli 'I' nel mi? Grazie di nuovo e prego, corregimi i sbagli grammatici.


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## Angel.Aura

Ciao sylvio,


sylvio dante said:


> Si direbbe correttamente "Non m'importa"? Senza pronunciare gli 'I' nel mi?  Certamente  Grazie di nuovo e prego, corre*g*gimi *gl*i sbagli grammatic*al*i.



Laura


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## steevie

sylvio dante said:


> Si direbbe correttamente "Non m'importa"? Senza pronunciare gli le 'I' nel mi?


Yes, "non m'importa" (cutting an i) is pronounced correctly.


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