# Boh



## Artrella

Ho sentito un amico che dice * boh * quando non conosce qualcosa. Come lo scrivete, "boh" o "bo"?

Cosa significa questa parola?  E giusto un'esclamazione?


Grazie!!
Art


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## lsp

Boh = la risposta per dire ... non ho la minima idea/chi lo sa/non chiedere a me/non posso neanche indovinare...  cose del genere, dipende dal tono di voce.


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## Artrella

*Mille grazie L!!!    *


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## DDT

Please notice that "boh" is very colloquial so that you could find it inside a novel but you cannot use it to express a doubt in formal Italian, which would rather sound as "non so" or "non saprei"

DDT


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## Mousty

Hi all,

I have many friends in italy and my italian is beginning to improve 
Although i have a question, what does "bho" mean? Many of my friends use it when they mean that they dont know but they also use it in other cases so im confused. So to all italians, what is this "bho" all about?

Grazie a tutti


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## DDT

Hi Mousty,
Welcome to WR forums 

The idiom you're after is "boh" and normally corresponds to a quick "I haven't got a clue"

DDT


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## Normandy6644

I've likened it to the English "I'unno" which is a slurred version of "I don't know."


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## DDT

Normandy6644 said:
			
		

> I've likened it to the English "I'unno" which is a slurred version of "I don't know."



Sure, I simply specified the tone...the closest English idiom I can think of is "dunno"

DDT


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## MingRaymond

I think it is similar to 'beats me',right?


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## lsp

MingRaymond said:
			
		

> I think it is similar to 'beats me',right?


That's always been my translation, too.


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## Tede

I always pronounced it as an English "oh" preceeded by a "b", just the way b'oh looks, but I've heard some Italians say it pretty weird, like "bbuuUUUHH??" or "boooooouuu" for example.  I almost burst out laughing when I heard it that way, that would have been slightly embarrasing.


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## Normandy6644

DDT said:
			
		

> Sure, I simply specified the tone...the closest English idiom I can think of is "dunno"
> 
> DDT



Exactly, the tone is nearly identical.


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## lsp

Tede said:
			
		

> I always pronounced it as an English "oh" preceeded by a "b", just the way b'oh looks, but I've heard some Italians say it pretty weird, like "bbuuUUUHH??" or "boooooouuu" for example.  I almost burst out laughing when I heard it that way, that would have been slightly embarrasing.


That particular inflection (the Italian way, of course) is an important part of it, from my perspective!


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## laratri

I wouldn't say that the pronunciatione is like "oh"...... I would say that it is more like "sore", without the final "r".

Lara


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## magari

Saluti!

Questa "parola" mi disturba-alcune milanese mi hanno detto "noi diciamo "boh" in questa regione-ma io non sento  mai "boh" a Venezia, Roma  Firenze e Milano -mi sembra che io senta normalmente "beh" Allora, "beh" /"boh" -c'e una differenza qua? e che cosa?

Grazie in anticipo!


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## IkHouVanPulcino

We have them both. Beh means Well, while Boh means I have no idea, kinda. Hope this helps 

Simona


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## magari

Grazie, Ik!-allora, queste parole (o veramente esclame?) non hanno la stessa conoscenza?


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## vin.dc

No Magari. Ahime' .. sono diverse .. e ce ne sono altre .. c'e' anche "mah", "embeh' (a roma invece di Beh)", o un lungo "moooh" (bari). 

Sono quasi tutti intercalari utilizzati abitualmente nella lingua parlata ma quasi mai riportati in forma scritta.


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## magari

Allora, un po misterioso, vin, grazie!  (sorriso)


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## domangelo

Does anyone have any enlightening things to say about the word "Boh!" which I understand to mean, "I don't know!" in answer to a question. Does it have origins in a particular region, or is it derived from a recognizable word?


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## underhouse

_I don't know_ or _I don't have any idea..._

No other lights...


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## housecameron

Also, _who knows?_
Wikia (not Wiki), the "nonciclopedia"  states this
But it's just a joke.


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## domangelo

housecameron said:


> Also, _who knows?_
> Wikia (not Wiki), the "nonciclopedia"  state this
> But it's just a joke.



Hey, thanks! I still don't know anything about Boh, but the picture of Gianfranco Fini is priceless!


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## housecameron

domangelo said:


> Hey, thanks! I still don't know anything about Boh, but the picture of Gianfranco Fini is priceless!


 
Just look at him. He's the best Boh's testimonial


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## blingbang

Tede said:


> I always pronounced it as an English "oh" preceeded by a "b", just the way b'oh looks, but I've heard some Italians say it pretty weird, like "bbuuUUUHH??" or "boooooouuu" for example.  I almost burst out laughing when I heard it that way, that would have been slightly embarrasing.




Si usa dire sia "buh" che "boh" non cambia niente 
Forse è solo una mia impressione ma al sud dove vivo io.. "boh" non lo so sento quasi mai.. a me viene più naturale dire "buh".

Ciao.


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## moro_of_venice

Boh e bah jera fradej......(erano fratelli) entrambi esprimono dubbio e/o perplessità


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## Pasquale Gatto

Ciao a tutti,

A friend of mine just returned from touring southern Italy.  She traveled from Sicily, to Calibria, to the Amalfi Coast, and to Rome.  In all of these places she heard what sounded to her as "bul".  This expression was always said with a shrug of the shoulders by the speakers.  She understood it to mean "I don't know."  Is anyone familiar with this term?

PG


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## Necsus

Pasquale Gatto said:


> Ciao a tutti,
> 
> A friend of mine just returned from touring southern Italy. She traveled from Sicily, to Calabria, to the Amalfi Coast, and to Rome. In all of these places she heard what sounded to her as "bul". This expression was always said with a shrug of the shoulders by the speakers. She understood it to mean "I don't know." Is anyone familiar with this term?
> 
> PG


The right word is 'boh' (see here).


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## Pasquale Gatto

Necsus,

    As always, thank you my friend!

PG


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## Necsus

It's a pleasure to be of help..!


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## cfareddollas

Ciao tutti!
I know this is a very old post but I'm hoping to extend it a bit! Can somebody (perhaps a native) give an explanation of "boh" when used as "boooooooooh!" Surely it can't just mean "dunno". Is there any way to translate it?
Thank you!


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## voidinchains

Well, it's just a different way of saying it. And, as somebody already said, the inflection is very very important. I use _boh_ a lot! But I wouldn't say _boooooh_ when I'm not talking to a friend, it's even more informal than _boh_.

So, it still means _dunno_ and I think you have different inflections, too. Am I wrong?
When you say it, you can be surprised or bored or angry.. and who you're  talking to can understand - or should - how you feel just hearing your _boh/dunno! _


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## cfareddollas

Thanks!  I think it's just one of those words that is used differently in Italian to English and it's hard to find an exact translation. I mean, we wouldn't  say "dunooooooo". It just wouldn't make sense! Perhaps the closest thing would be "noooooo idea" but even that's a bit weird. I suppose to translate it we would just emphasise it by saying something like "Absolutely no idea".
It's an interesting one! Thanks for your comment.


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## Allanon

cfareddollas said:


> Ciao tutti!
> Can somebody (perhaps a native) give an explanation of "boh" when used as "boooooooooh!" Surely it can't just mean "dunno". *Is there any way to translate it?*



*Booooooooooh !!!!!*   ahhahahaha

It  intensify the "boh"...

Another translation of booooooooooh might be : _Non  ne ho la più pallida idea.._


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## cfareddollas

Thanks Allanon.
I think the best way to put it into English would be "I haven't the faintest idea".


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## Re della Strada

cfareddollas said:


> Ciao tutti!
> I know this is a very old post but I'm hoping to extend it a bit! Can somebody (perhaps a native) give an explanation of "boh" when used as "boooooooooh!" Surely it can't just mean "dunno". Is there any way to translate it?
> Thank you!



A: «Che ore sono?»
B: «Boh, non ho l'orologio»

A: «Come si chiama quella ragazza?»
B: «Boh, non la conosco»

A: «Quanti secondi ci mette la Terra a compiere 7/15 della sua orbita attorno al Sole?»
B: «Boooooh! Che vuoi che ne sappia io?»

A: «Quanti granelli di sabbia ci sono su questa spiaggia?»
B: «Booooh!»

Più chiaro adesso?
Non è una regola fissa, varia da persona a persona, da regione a regione, da situazione a situazione.
Un mio amico, all'esame di Storia della Filosofia Medievale, alla domanda: «Mi parli di Sigieri di Brabante», ha risposto «Boooh, e chi è?» XD
...ovviamente è stato bocciato.


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