Originally posted by jhdflyer: Puzzeling over "fallo e basta" meaning "just do it!" Is it a construction from "fare--fa+lo?" or as my dictionay says, "fallo--error, mistake?"
"Basta" I understand to mean "enough or stop"-as in "dimi basta--say when." when I say "basta" to the guy slicing the cheese or prosciutto he stops.
Fallo, as Giulia points is a shortenized version of "Fai quello" FAi queLLO so DO! FAI is the imperative of FARE verb.
E BAsta is a metaphorical word in this contest.
E BASTA in this sense is a shortened version of DO IT AND STOP THINKING ABOUT IT.
The trouble with translation is that you shouldn't translate literally word by word, but get a sense of what is said and translate accordingly.
So Just do it should be translated LITERALLY with Appena fai, but that means nothing and sound as it has been translated from Babelfish or altavista translation. It is a slang phrase, and it is translated like a colloquial phrase, fallo e basta.
Fallo in the sense you use is different.
The "fallo" you mention is a noun, my way is a verb. Fallo actually means mistake, difect -but also the male "specification"!! - basta in the way you use it is more correct, it means actually enough, stop but in a wider phrase that has been shortened.
Yes, for those who are interested in dissecting this phrase: I think it is useful to think about what is meant in English when people say ‘just do it’ – it means something like ‘stop messing around/stop making a fuss and do what I asked you’
Fa/fai is the familiar imperative singular of fare. When combined with pronouns, they are placed after it and joined on. After single syllable imperatives the first consonant of the first pronoun is doubled (except for the indirect pronoun gli) eg Fallo – do it! Fammelo – do it for me! Dammelo – give it to me! Daglielo – give it to him/her
Etc
So, fallo e basta means something like ‘do it and make an end of it’, ’do it and that’s that’, ‘forget everything else and do it’
Another similar example of this use of ‘basta’ is in the phrase ‘punto e basta’ which means literally ‘full stop and no more/nothing else’ or more freely translated as 'that's the end of it' or that's it and nothing more'. I think it is also a good way to translate the modern English colloquial phrase ‘end of’ which is short for ‘end of story’, used by people when they want to bring something which has already gone on too long, to an end.
It is always important to think what the words mean. In english the word 'just' has several meanings depending on the context. In 'just do it' it means forget everything else and do it. In the phrase 'just arrived' it means recently/in the last few seconds and in this case you WOULD use 'appena' eg appena arrivato/a. Another example would be 'appena letto' - just/recently read.
So Just do it should be translated LITERALLY with Appena fai, but that means nothing and sound as it has been translated from Babelfish or altavista translation.
I'm busted!
Thanks to all for the terrific explanations--it has helped immensely.
The trouble with translation is that you shouldn't translate literally word by word, but get a sense of what is said and translate accordingly.
When you try to communicate in another language, this advice from Alessandra is the best. The worst language students translate word by word. The best translate the idea, the concept.
Posts: 653 | Location: Palmyra, NJ, USA | Registered: 29 July 2003
Thanks Vasco--found it in my grammar: Imperative, very irregular forms: stare,andare, dare, dire, fare. As in my misspelling above, Dimmi basta--say when; Fammi vedere-Let me see; Falle vedere--let her see. But, Fagli vedere--let him see.
Originally posted by jhdflyer: Thanks Vasco--found it in my grammar: Imperative, very irregular forms: stare,andare, dare, dire, fare. As in my misspelling above, Dimmi basta--say when; Fammi vedere-Let me see; Falle vedere--let her see. But, Fagli vedere--let him see.
I'm sorry jhdflye but I'm afraid to not have really understood your post. My fault, but "imperative" it isn't so irregular but just a conjugation of mostly italian verbs. Then "Dimmi basta" (that seems a bit without sense) may be translated in: "Tell me to Stop (to do something)" and "let me + infinitive verb" is translated in "lasciami + invinitive verb".
In my opinion the imperative "Falle" or "Fammi" or "Fagli" may be translated in: "Make her", "Make me", "Make him"
Topic Closed
Fallo actually means mistake, difect -but also the male "specification"!! 
- basta in the way you use it is more correct, it means actually enough, stop but in a wider phrase that has been shortened.
