Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Acqua Calda? A language disconnect

by Rita Creel 
As I walked into the apartment courtyard, a young man approached me and introduced himself as my landlady’s son, Simone. Patrizia is visiting Firenze for the week, leaving Simone in charge. Simone asked if there were any problems: “Problema o no problema?”

I responded, “No problema; perfetto!” Simone nodded and then asked if I had water calda. “Si, si, acqua calda!” I replied.

Pointing at Courtney’s apartment, Simone queried, “Acqua calda?”

“Non lo so.” I didn’t know. But Simone nodded his head, pointed again at Courtney’s apartment, and said, “Acqua calda!”

In an attempt to clarify, I pointed at myself and said, “Acqua calda, si,” and then at Courtney’s apartment: “Acqua calda, non lo so.”

“Si, Acqua Calda!” Simone declared with certitude. He was on his way out and I didn’t want to stop him. I decided to ask about the water the next time I saw Courtney. If necessary, I’d track down Simone and be more persistent!

An hour later, I ran into Courtney, who told me her hot water is fine now although it wasn’t working for a while. Ah! Perhaps that’s what Simone was trying to tell me—si, acqua calde—yes, Courtney has hot water, now!

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