I really don't understand
I lived in Italy for a year on a student exchange program. I just started learning the language when I was having a conversation in half English half Italian with a boy at school. During the conversation he asked me hai capito? I asked him what this means and he answered 'Do you understand?' I obviously didn't understand so I kept asking 'No I don't understand, what does hai capito? mean? This went for quite some time until the boy gave up and excused himself. Later I realised that hai capito? actually means DO YOU UNDERSTAND!
Sent by: April
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doesnt hai capito mean "did you understand" since do you understand is present tense and would be tu capisci or capisce (formal)?
Editor's note: 'Hai capito?' is indeed past tense, and in the present it would be 'capisci?' or 'capisce?'. However,'hai capito?' can translate as'do you understand?' or 'do you see what I mean?'.
Yes! You are right... sometimes understanding a language is simpler than we might expect.
Visiting the family of a male friend, when asked how I felt about their son, I said 'ci vogliamo bene', thinking it just meant literally 'we wish each other well' Turned out the father started making plans for our wedding and his son had to explain my mistake, gently.
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