# le buone regole mi vorrebbero quieto a prendere il sole



## Tertiary

*le buone regole mi vorrebbero quieto a prendere il sole

*In this sentence, I am particularly stumped by the proper translation of "mi vorrebbero"

My undoubtedly poor translation attempt would be "good manners would require me to take in the sun quietly"

Thanks!


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## Tegs

Please give us the *context *of this sentence (and if this isn't the full sentence, provide the rest of it too).


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## Tertiary

The entire sentence is very, very long, almost a full page, but here's some more:

direi che ora basta visto che ho ormai superato la sessantina e quasi cinquant’anni di lavoro, tanto che riscuoto persino una decorosa pensione, e che quindi le buone regole mi vorrebbero quieto a prendere il sole in una poltrona nel mio giardino


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## Tegs

Ok, I'm surprised to hear the original sentence is almost a page long - the author clearly has a bit of a problem with punctuation!  However, please give us the *context *as well - what is the text about exactly? Is it part of an article, a book, an informal email etc etc.


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## Tertiary

It's part of the preface to a book. The author is reflecting back on his earlier years. Here's the text from the beginning of the preface through the spot in question:

Nell’ormai lontano 1968, nel mio peregrinare di magione in magione — oltre venti nella vita di cui ben dieci solo in Firenze — e direi che ora basta visto che ho ormai superato la sessantina e quasi cinquant’anni di lavoro, tanto che riscuoto persino una decorosa pensione, e che quindi le buone regole mi vorrebbero quieto a prendere il sole in una poltrona nel mio giardino


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## Gianfry

It's not a good piece of Italian, and "le buone regole" sounds a bit odd to me. There's also something missing between "Firenze" and "e direi"...
Anyway, the point is, there's no obligation, but a general expectation of how a retired man is supposed to spend his time.
I would translate along the lines of "therefore I would be expected to be taking in the sun quietly".


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## Tegs

Ok, given all that, I would go with something like:
I'm expected to quietly soak up the sun in a lounger...

"I'm expected to" sort of means "society expects me to" which I reckon encapsulates the "buone regole" - but let's wait for some Italians to reply


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## Miroku_87

"Would require me to" is a good translation of "mi vorrebbero"
Also "would want me to" is a good one.

Tegs translation is good, also the part of "society expects me to"
I would translate the whole in 
"I'm expected to be quite and take a sunbath"


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## Tegs

Miroku_87 said:


> I would translate the whole in
> "I'm expected to be quite and take a sunbath"



I think you meant _quiet_, not_ quite_(=abbastanza/piuttosto). The word sunbath doesn't exist in English...


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## Miroku_87

Oops, yes I meant "quiet"


Tegs said:


> The word sunbath doesn't exist in English...



Does it? Really?
What about this? 
http://www dot wordreference dot com/enit/sunbath


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## Tegs

Your link doesn't work  

I must change my last comment -the word sunbath does exist (as per the WR dictionary), but I'd never heard it before  "Take a sunbath" is a very strange construction to me.


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## Italianforever

Tegs said:


> Your link doesn't work
> 
> I must change my last comment -the word sunbath does exist (as per the WR dictionary), but I'd never heard it before  "Take a sunbath" is a very strange construction to me.



I think *Miroku_87* meant "sunbathe" and that word does exist in English. Basically, it means to bask in the sun, laying out in the sun getting a tan. In English, one can say " I am sun-bathing."

Okay, so I think, I have figured out what part of the sentence means *" I would like to sunbathe quietly in a chair in my garden." *"...quindi le buone regole mi vorrebbero quieto a prendere il sole in una poltrona nel mio giardino." It's like I was saying, the author wants to sunbathe in his garden, soaking up some sun


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## Gianfry

Italianforever said:


> I think *Miroku_87* meant "sunbathe" and that word does exist in English. Basically, it means to bask in the sun, laying out in the sun getting a tan. In English, one can say " I am sun-bathing."


It has been proved that the word "sunbath" (the noun, along with the verb "sunbathe") exists in English, too. By the way, search engines seem to prove that "take a sunbath" is a widely used expression...



Italianforever said:


> Okay, so I think, I have figured out what part of the sentence means *" I would like to sunbathe quietly in a chair in my garden." *"...quindi le buone regole mi vorrebbero quieto a prendere il sole in una poltrona nel mio giardino." It's like I was saying, the author wants to sunbathe in his garden, soaking up some sun


As I said in post #6, the meaning is that people would expect him to do that, but probably (we don't know more form the chunk of text provided) he's up to completely different activities


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## london calling

Tegs said:


> "I'm expected to" sort of means "society expects me to" which I reckon encapsulates the "buone regole" - but let's wait for some Italians to reply


That's how I read it too, Tegs.  I think we could also say: _People expect me to_.....

PS. I'd never use _sunbath_ either. I'd normally "get some sun".


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## elfa

london calling said:


> I think we could also say: _People expect me to_.....



Good one 



london calling said:


> PS. I'd never use _sunbath_ either. I'd normally "get some sun".



Same here 

I agree with Gianfry that we don't know for sure, but the text suggests that, far from leading a quiet life, the author will be doing *anything but* sitting quietly in the sun...


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## Italianforever

Gianfry said:


> It has been proved that the word "sunbath" (the noun, along with the verb "sunbathe") exists in English, too. By the way, search engines seem to prove that "take a sunbath" is a widely used expression...
> 
> 
> As I said in post #6, the meaning is that people would expect him to do that, but probably (we don't know more form the chunk of text provided) he's up to completely different activities



Buongiorno *Gianfry!* Mi dispiace, despite being a native speaker in English, I have never really heard "sunbath" that often in English. As you pointed it out, the word does exist, but I rarely hear it used in that way. I hear "sunbathe" more often. Di nuovo, non ho capito che si stava discutendo quello che stava realmente facendo. Ho pensato che la gente non capiva che cosa "sunbathe" significava. e sì, hai ragione, ho guardato la frase e sembra che lui sta facendo altre cose, ma subathing.



london calling said:


> That's how I read it too, Tegs.  I think we could also say: _People expect me to_.....
> 
> PS. I'd never use _sunbath_ either. I'd normally "get some sun".



Buongiorno *London Calling*. I agree with you there. I don't sunbathe at all at the beach. But keep in mind also that if you are going " to get some sun" that also implies that you are going outside for a few mintues ( not really laying down in the sun).


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## Tegs

Gianfry said:


> It has been proved that the word "sunbath" (the noun, along with the verb "sunbathe") exists in English, too. By the way, search engines seem to prove that "take a sunbath" is a widely used expression...
> 
> 
> As I said in post #6, the meaning is that people would expect him to do that, but probably (we don't know more form the chunk of text provided) he's up to completely different activities



Oops, Gianfry I didn't see your post #6, I think we cross-posted! Anyway, thanks for the information about 'buone regole'. Since you say this isn't a great Italian expression, could you tell us what would be a more idiomatic way of saying this? It might come in handy  

As for the word sunbath we can all safely say that it does indeed exist, but the native speakers seem unanimous that it is never used by us  Go for the more idiomatic take in/soak up the sun/some rays, get some sun, or just 'sunbathe'


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## london calling

Italianforever said:


> Buongiorno *London Calling*. I agree with you there. I don't sunbathe at all at the beach. But keep in mind also that if you are going " to get some sun" that also implies that you are going outside for a few mintues ( not really laying down in the sun).


This is another AE/BE difference! I certainly sunbathe at the beach and to _get some sun_ doesn't necessarily mean to go outside for a few minutes only : it could mean lying in the sun for hours. Today for example I got some sun at the beach.


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## Gianfry

Hi italianforever and tegs. Of course I was not questioning your authority as natives, I was just giving some information about what I had found looking up for "take a sunbath" 
As to "buone regole", I would rather say: "di regola dovrei starmene quieto...", but I'm sure someone will chime in with a better try...


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## Tegs

Gianfry said:


> Hi italianforever and tegs. Of course I was not questioning your authority as natives, I was just giving some information about what I had found looking up for "take a sunbath"
> As to "buone regole", I would rather say: "di regola dovrei starmene quieto...", but I'm sure someone will chime in with a better try...



Ah, not to worry - I didn't think you were questioning us, I simply thought maybe you were a little too trusting of google hit results  Sometimes what's in google isn't necessarily what is used in real life  Cheers for the Italian phrase


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## Gianfry

Tegs said:


> I simply thought maybe you were a little too trusting of google hit results


To me, it was just (junk?) food for thought


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## Italianforever

london calling said:


> This is another AE/BE difference! I certainly sunbathe at the beach and to _get some sun_ doesn't necessarily mean to go outside for a few minutes only : it could mean lying in the sun for hours. Today for example I got some sun at the beach.



Ciao, *London Calling*. Yes, it is certainly another difference in the English langauge!


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## You little ripper!

'Sunbath' is used in English, but is very old-fashioned. It's the sort of expression you'd expect to see in a classic novel.


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## Italianforever

Gianfry said:


> Hi italianforever and tegs. Of course I was not questioning your authority as natives, I was just giving some information about what I had found looking up for "take a sunbath"
> As to "buone regole", I would rather say: "di regola dovrei starmene quieto...", but I'm sure someone will chime in with a better try...



Ciao,* Gianfry*! No, I didnt take any offense and you're welcome to your input just as much as anyone else. Even as a native, I don't quite understand English at times!


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## velisarius

"Take it easy sunning myself in an armchair" would work better, because sunbathing usually involves stripping off and lying down. Never heard of sunbath either.


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## Italianforever

You little ripper! said:


> 'Sunbath' is used in English, but is very old-fashioned. It's the sort of expression you'd expect to see in a classic novel.



Ciao *YLR!* Really? You have actually seen "sunbath" in classic novels? I never knew that. I'm accustomed to seeing "sunbathe" or "sunbathing".


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## You little ripper!

Italianforever said:


> Ciao *YLR!* Really? You have actually seen "sunbath" in classic novels? I never knew that. I'm accustomed to seeing "sunbathe" or "sunbathing".


I have indeed, Italianforever. The protagonist of quite a few of the  nineteenth-century novels I've read were known to 'take a sunbath'  (fully clothed in the case of the women characters).


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## Tegs

velisarius said:


> "Take it easy sunning myself in an armchair" would work better, because sunbathing usually involves stripping off and lying down. Never heard of sunbath either.



That's a good point - sunbathing is done in swimsuits/bikinis/in the buff, depending on the person  It ain't something you do in a deck chair.


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## Italianforever

velisarius said:


> "Take it easy sunning myself in an armchair" would work better, because sunbathing usually involves stripping off and lying down. Never heard of sunbath either.



 Ciao *velisarius,* maybe *Tertiary* was reading an old novel and hence "sunbath" means there to sit in a chair, fully clothed, of course and taking in some sun? I think you've nailed it! oh and is there a word for "sunning" in Italian?


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## Tegs

Italianforever said:


> Ciao *velisarius,* maybe *Tertiary* was reading an old novel and hence "sunbath" means there to sit in a chair, fully clothed, of course and taking in some sun? I think you've nailed it! oh and is there a word for "sunning" in Italian?



Tertiary'r first post is about a translation _from Italian_ into English, taken from a book set in modern times, so  it's definitely not coming from an old English novel  The word "sunbath" was first suggested in Miroku's post and Miroku is not a native speaker of English, so I'm guessing he found it by looking up the Italian "bagno di sole" in the WR dictionary... 'Take a sunbath' is best avoided as a translation of 'prendere il sole' unless the context is archaic, as Ripper mentioned


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