Sam: “Andiamo al mare domani?”
Marco: “Toppissimo!”
Language is developing rapidly and in fascinating ways. In Italian, it has become common to adopt words originally from other languages—mainly English—and adapt them into daily speech. Italian sounds simpler than it used to: the barrier between formal and informal language is dissolving (especially among younger generations), and certain complex tenses are fading from daily use.
Whether you love or hate this phenomenon—which is shaping languages worldwide—a new way of communicating is taking form.
If you studied Italian at school or through a textbook, you likely learned that the standard way to ask how someone is doing is "Come stai?" or "Come sta?". Both are correct and represent standard usage. However, Gen Z (those born after 1996) frequently uses expressions like "Bro, com’è?" or "Fra, come va?".
"Bro" and "Fra" have entered common usage as linguistic loans. The former is taken directly from English, while the latter is a shortened form of the Italian word fratello (brother).
English influence on Italian isn't brand-new; it began in the 1940s. Initially, Italians resisted foreign words to protect their cultural and linguistic heritage. However, the economic boom of the 1960s, the arrival of global rock music in the 1980s, and the rise of globalization—alongside the internet, social media, and Anglo-American media—opened the door to overseas terminology.
Over the last 25 years, this evolution has accelerated significantly, giving rise to what many call "Itanglish."
One of the most common shifts is how Italians adapt English verbs. By taking an English root and adding the Italian first-conjugation ending -are, words like skippare, droppare, cringiare, flexare, shippare, and rizzare are created. If you are a native English speaker, understanding them is straightforward. These adapted verbs follow standard Italian conjugation: for skippare, the present tense is io skippo, the past (passato prossimo) is io ho skippato, and the future is io skipperò.
Here is a quick reference guide to essential Italian Gen Z slang and its English equivalents:
Bro / Fra: Bro / Man / Dude
Amo (short for amore): Babe / Bestie (used non-romantically among friends)
Che ansia: That gives me anxiety / So nerve-wracking
Skippare: To skip (a track, class, or event)
Ghostare: To ghost someone
Blastare: To publicly destroy or roast someone in an argument
Craccare: To crack a software (IT field)
Doxxare: To doxx someone
Whatsappare: To text someone on WhatsApp
Cringe / Che cringe! / Cringissimo: Cringe / How embarrassing / Super cringe
Rizzare: To show rizz / To flirt successfully
Flexare: To flex / To show off
Troppo noi! / Troppissimo noi!: That’s so us!
Shippare: To ship two people romantically
Tvb (abbreviation for ti voglio bene): LY / Love you
Cmq (abbreviation for comunque): BTW / Anyway
You might notice the suffix -issimo in some of these terms. In Italian, this absolute superlative suffix intensifies the meaning of a word. For instance, while top! means "great!" or "perfect!", toppissimo! means "super-duper great!". The -issimo suffix attaches to adjectives or adverbs rather than verbs—saying flexissimo is grammatically incorrect, but cringissimo or troppissimo work seamlessly in slang.
Despite its popularity, this youth slang is rarely understood by older generations and is inappropriate for formal settings. It remains strictly informal: best reserved for casual conversations, texting, and social media comments.
Understanding these language shifts offers valuable insight into modern Italian culture. While traditionalists might argue that loanwords weaken the purity of the language, slang dynamic expands how people connect. Language evolution doesn't destroy learning—it enriches it. As always, how we choose to use it is up to us.
