# Secondo me



## Alxmrphi

I have seen and ignored this for way too long, I want to know what it means now, I thought it was "I second that" for a while and then it really didn't make sense in some sentences that I read (wow! I nearly automatically wrote something in Italian then! That's never happened before!!) ...Comunque..

Che cosa vuol dire?


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## Parergon

In my eyes.
In my view.
For me.


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## Alxmrphi

like "mi sembra" / "in my opinion" ?


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## pinturicchio07

According to me, or in my opinion...


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## pangelo

Alex_Murphy said:


> like "mi sembra" / "in my opinion" ?


Yes, like in my opinion.
"Mi sembra" means "it seems to me".
Ciao,
Pier Angelo


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## Parergon

Alex_Murphy said:


> "in my opinion" ?


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## Isapaola

Are you sure, Pinturicchio, you can say _according to me?_
I would prefer to use it when "I" am not involved personally. I think I can say _according to him_, _according to Leibniz_, but I cannot be considerd as the person who gives rules.
_In my opinion_ sounds much better, in my opinion


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## Brian P

Alex_Murphy said:


> I have seen and ignored this for way too long, I want to know what it means now, I thought it was "I second that" for a while and then it really didn't make sense in some sentences that I read (wow! I nearly automatically wrote something in Italian then! That's never happened before!!) ...Comunque..
> 
> Che cosa vuol dire?


 
Alex, from the other responses you have probably gathered that "secondo" can mean both "second" and "according to" for example, "secondo il dizionario" means "according to the dictionary".


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## pinturicchio07

Brian P said:


> Alex, from the other responses you have probably gathered that "secondo" can mean both "second" and "according to" for example, "secondo il dizionario" means "according to the dictionary".


 
Isapaola -

I agree with how Brian P just explained it.


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## Alxmrphi

Brian P said:


> Alex, from the other responses you have probably gathered that "secondo" can mean both "second" and "according to" for example, "secondo il dizionario" means "according to the dictionary".



I hadn't gathered that it also meant "according", thanks for pointing that out!


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## Nate in California

Alex, it means "in my opinion," not "according to me." Why? Because "according to me" makes no sense in English.



> I hadn't gathered that it also meant "according", thanks for pointing that out!



according TO


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## shamblesuk

Secondo me = In my opinion
Secondo Lei = In your opinion/According to you
Secondo lui/lei = In his/her opinion/According to him/her

ecc...

'According to me' non ha senso in inglese.



Alex_Murphy said:


> I hadn't gathered that it also meant "according", thanks for pointing that out!


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## Alxmrphi

shamblesuk said:


> Secondo me = In my opinion
> Secondo Lei = In your opinion/According to you
> Secondo lui/lei = In his/her opinion/According to him/her
> 
> ecc...
> 
> 'According to me' non ha senso in inglese.



Come on shambles, you know it does!
According to me I think you just haven't heard it in a while and maybe forgotton it, just kidding. ha molto molto senso in inglese


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## Bookmom

Secondo me

I'd also use it to translate:
I think
As I see it
If you ask me

If you ask me, it's too expensive.  Secondo me, e' troppo cara.


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## Nate in California

> According to me...ha molto molto senso in inglese


 
Must be a British English thing. It makes absolutely no sense in AE.


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## pinturicchio07

Nate in California said:


> Must be a British English thing. It makes absolutely no sense in AE.


 
Really, Nate? I actually use and hear "According to me" all the time!  

Must be a "west coast" thing?  

Lorenzo


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## Nate in California

> Really, Nate? I actually use and hear "According to me" all the time!  Must be a "west coast" thing?



I don't mean to be stubborn, but I may have to start a separate thread on this because to me it really sounds like something a non-native English speaker would say.


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## Nate in California

I've got two native English speakers -- one Brit and one E.Coast American -- telling me that "according to me" is an acceptable way to translate "secondo me" (which as far as I'm concerned is "in my opinion." Punto e basta). I too am a native English speaker and to me it sounds like something a non-native would say. I'm curious to hear what other English speakers think.


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## TrentinaNE

Perhaps it's generational as well.  

For what it's worth, Google-fight tips heavily in favor of "in my opinion" over "according to me." Many of Google's hits for according to me seem a bit stylized.

Elisabetta


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## pinturicchio07

Nate in California said:


> I've got two native English speakers -- one Brit and one E.Coast American -- telling me that "acording to me" is an acceptable way to translate "secondo me" (which as far as I'm concerned is "in my opinion." Punto e basta). I too am a native English speaker and to me it sounds like something a non-native would say. I'm curious to hear what other English speakers think.


 
Ok Nate, you got me thinking. So, I went to Google and searched the phrase "According to me" which returned 816,000 hits. Now, I guess here's where the confusion is coming from:

"According to me" is a phrase that is used facetiously. And for the sake of the non-English speakers or those who are trying to learn English correctly they should learn that the proper meaning of "Secondo me" should be "In my opinion" not "according to me" due to its facetious context. 

I should have stated how I use the phrase "according to me" which is often in this way: "Well, according to ME...." That is to say that the use of the phrase as giving emphasis on your personal view. 

I think this might bring closure to the argument, I hope? So all in all, we should think of secondo me as in my opinion or any of the other acceptable forms just as a means of clarity, no? 

Lorenzo


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## Moogey

shamblesuk said:


> Secondo me = In my opinion
> Secondo Lei = In your opinion/According to you
> Secondo lui/lei = In his/her opinion/According to him/her
> 
> ecc...
> 
> 'According to me' non ha senso in inglese.



Add to that:

Secondo DeMauro = According to DeMauro, since DeMauro can't really have an opinion but it can represent one or many 

-M


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## shamblesuk

Assolutamente. Intendevo che tu, Lei, voi, loro ecc (cioé tutti salve 'me') vanno bene. Non concordo affatto che 'According to me' si dice in inglese (a parte del modo in cui l'ha spiegato pinturicchio07).



Moogey said:


> Add to that:
> 
> Secondo DeMauro = According to DeMauro, since DeMauro can't really have an opinion but it can represent one or many
> 
> -M


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## Bookmom

I agree that you won't find "according to me" in the _Manual of Style _but it does have a place, especially if used emphatically in the negative i.e. "Your friends may have thought the food at that restaurant was authentic Italian but not according to _*me*_!"   Applicable all too often unfortunately!


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## Parergon

Bookmom said:


> I agree that you won't find "according to me" in the _Manual of Style _but it does have a place, especially if used emphatically in the negative i.e. "Your friends may have thought the food at that restaurant was authentic Italian but not according to _*me*_!"   Applicable all too often unfortunately!




May I say that? How does it sound to you?
"Your friends may have thought the food at that restaurant was authentic Italian but they're not in _*accordance* with me_!"


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## Snowman75

pinturicchio07 said:


> Ok Nate, you got me thinking. So, I went to Google and searched the phrase "According to me" which returned 816,000 hits. Now, I guess here's where the confusion is coming from:
> 
> "According to me" is a phrase that is used facetiously. And for the sake of the non-English speakers or those who are trying to learn English correctly they should learn that the proper meaning of "Secondo me" should be "In my opinion" not "according to me" due to its facetious context.
> 
> I should have stated how I use the phrase "according to me" which is often in this way: "Well, according to ME...." That is to say that the use of the phrase as giving emphasis on your personal view.
> 
> I think this might bring closure to the argument, I hope? So all in all, we should think of secondo me as in my opinion or any of the other acceptable forms just as a means of clarity, no?
> 
> Lorenzo


I agree with this. "According to me" is acceptable, but best used for stress or contrast. "According to him I don't have a chance. According to me he's an idiot".


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## Alxmrphi

I never realised how much as a unity of English speakers, how we can differ sometimes, wow.


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## Isapaola

Carissimi tutti,
Ostinatamento confermo quanto detto nel mio post 7 che according to me, anche se grammaticamente non è un controsenso, è inaccettabile. Fa a pugni con il famoso understatement inglese per cui è impensabile sostenere una tesi facendo riferimento a se stessi.
_According to me_ è semplicemente ridicolo. E' ovvio che uno è d'accordo con se stesso, che diamine!



Michael Swan_  Practical English Usage_ Oxford pag. 4 par. 8
According to X means "If what X says is true" 
We do not usually give our own opinion with_  according to._ In my opinion, she is sick (not _*According to me*_.....)


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## Snowman75

Isapaola said:


> Carissimi tutti,
> Ostinatamento confermo quanto detto nel mio post 7 che according to me, anche se grammaticamente non è un controsenso, è inaccettabile. Fa a pugni con il famoso understatement inglese per cui è impensabile sostenere una tesi facendo riferimento a se stessi.
> _According to me_ è semplicemente ridicolo. E' ovvio che uno è d'accordo con se stesso, che diamine!


But by this logic, "in my opinion" is just as ridiculous. Every statement I make represents my opinion, so why say it?


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## Bookmom

Che sarebbe la differenza tra "according to me" e "in my opinion". If according to me seems ridiculous non e' lo stesso superfluo dire "in my opinion" ?


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## [ITA]Shank

Isapaola said:


> Carissimi tutti,
> Ostinatamento confermoTorno a ripetere quanto detto nel mio post 7, e cioé che according to me, anche se grammaticalmente non è un controsenso, è comunque inaccettabile (o "rimane comunque inaccettabile"). Fa a pugni con il famoso understatement inglese per cui è impensabile sostenere una tesi facendo riferimento a se stessi.
> _According to me_ è semplicemente ridicolo. E' ovvio che uno è d'accordo con se stesso, che diamine!
> 
> 
> 
> Michael Swan_  Practical English Usage_ Oxford pag. 4 par. 8
> According to X means "If what X says is true"
> We do not usually give our own opinion with_  according to._ In my opinion, she is sick (not _*According to me*_.....)



Mi sono permesso di farti qualche correzione.

Per come la vedo io comunque "secondo me" é semplicemente una forma idiomatica. Se proviamo a tradurre "according to me" in maniera letterale, viene fuori "in accordo con me stesso" e sorvolando sul fatto che suona male semplicemente perché non é usato, anche in italiano sarebbe un controsenso dirlo.


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## Isapaola

Snowman75 said:


> But by this logic, "in my opinion" is just as ridiculous. Every statement I make represents my opinion, so why say it?


Every statement represents my opinion. That is true. That's why you can say _in my opinion._
_According to me_ *does not* represents an opinion. It stresses the importance of what has been said making reference to the value of the person who said that. 
And the person can't be *me.* So I can say "according to Snowman" but I can't say _according to me__._ Moreover, I can say _according to Michael Swan!_


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## TrentinaNE

Arguing the logical merits of evolving idiomatic expessions is beyond the scope of this thread. I think the discussion of how to translate "secondo me" has run its course. 

Elisabetta (exercising her first ruthless act of thread closing )


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## tomzenith

Ciao tutti!

Un anno fa, ho avuto alcune lezioni Italiane (not that it's done me any good..), e' la mia insegnante mi ha detto che se si usa 'secondo me', il verbo prossimo dobbia essere nel condizionale. Eg. secondo me, sarebbe meglio..

E' vero? Perche' l'ho visto con l'indacativo spesso.

Grazie mille..


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## effeundici

Secondo me HAI ragione te!

I think it's like in English.

In my opinion you are right!
In my opinion you should go!

It depends on the context.



tomzenith said:


> Ciao tutti!
> 
> Un anno fa, ho avuto alcune lezioni Italiane (not that it's done me any good..), e' la mia insegnante mi ha detto che se si usa 'secondo me', il verbo prossimo dobbia essere nel condizionale. Eg. secondo me, sarebbe meglio..
> 
> E' vero? Perche' l'ho visto con l'indacativo spesso.
> 
> Grazie mille..


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## effeundici

tomzenith said:


> Ciao tutti!
> 
> Un anno fa, ho avuto alcune lezioni Italianedi italiano (not that it's done me any good..), e'e la mia insegnante mi ha detto che se si usa 'secondo me', il verbo prossimo successivo dobbia  dovrebbe essere nel  al condizionale. Eg. secondo me, sarebbe meglio..
> 
> E' vero? Perche' l'ho visto spesso con l'indacativo all'indicativo spesso.
> 
> Grazie mille..


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## Intairnet

Ciao Tom,

nei miei anni in Italia ho sentito sempre "Secondo me devi...", "Secondo me è andato...", "Secondo loro ha bevuto...".
Se fai una proposta, se c'è un'insicurezza, dovresti magari usare il condizionale.

Se è grammaticalmente corretto oppure scorretto, non te lo so dire, ma nel linguaggio corrente non si usa x forza il condizionale.


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## tomzenith

Thanks as always effeundici! I hope you don't mind..

ED: And to you too, Intairnet!


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