المعنى
To misperceive reality.
خلفية ثقافية
Italians often use this phrase with a hand gesture—pointing to the eyes or circling the temple—to emphasize that someone is 'seeing things'. The term appears in the works of great authors like Alessandro Manzoni, showing its deep roots in the Italian language. In Italian dubbing of movies, 'You're seeing things' is almost always translated as 'Hai le traveggole'. While 'traveggole' is standard, in Tuscany you might hear 'travecole', but 'traveggole' remains the most recognized form nationwide.
Use for emphasis
Add 'proprio' (really) to sound more natural: 'Hai proprio le traveggole!'
Don't use with 'vedere'
While 'vedere le traveggole' is occasionally heard, 'avere le traveggole' is the standard idiomatic form.
المعنى
To misperceive reality.
Use for emphasis
Add 'proprio' (really) to sound more natural: 'Hai proprio le traveggole!'
Don't use with 'vedere'
While 'vedere le traveggole' is occasionally heard, 'avere le traveggole' is the standard idiomatic form.
The 'Are you crazy?' alternative
It's a gentler, more specific way to say 'Are you crazy?' when the craziness is about a specific observation.
اختبر نفسك
Choose the correct form of the idiom.
Se pensi che io sia un robot, tu ___ le traveggole.
The idiom always uses the verb 'avere'.
Fill in the missing word (remember it's always plural!).
Non ho visto nessun mostro, avevi solo le ______.
The noun is 'traveggole'.
Match the situation to the response.
Situation: Your friend thinks they saw a penguin in the middle of Rome.
Seeing a penguin in Rome is a clear case of misperception.
Complete the dialogue.
A: 'Ho visto un'ombra in cucina!' B: 'Ma no, ______ le traveggole, era solo il gatto.'
The present tense 'hai' is most natural here.
🎉 النتيجة: /4
وسائل تعلم بصرية
بنك التمارين
4 تمارينSe pensi che io sia un robot, tu ___ le traveggole.
The idiom always uses the verb 'avere'.
Non ho visto nessun mostro, avevi solo le ______.
The noun is 'traveggole'.
Situation: Your friend thinks they saw a penguin in the middle of Rome.
Seeing a penguin in Rome is a clear case of misperception.
A: 'Ho visto un'ombra in cucina!' B: 'Ma no, ______ le traveggole, era solo il gatto.'
The present tense 'hai' is most natural here.
🎉 النتيجة: /4
الأسئلة الشائعة
10 أسئلةNot really. In modern Italian, it only exists within this idiom. You won't find it used in other contexts.
No, it is always plural: 'le traveggole'.
No, but it is informal. It's like saying 'You're seeing things' in English. Use it with friends, not your boss.
'Traveggole' is often about a quick visual mistake, while 'lucciole per lanterne' implies a bigger error in judgment.
Technically no, it's for vision. For hearing, you'd say 'mi è sembrato di sentire' or 'ho le allucinazioni uditive'.
You could say 'essere vittima di un'illusione ottica' (to be a victim of an optical illusion).
Yes, etymologically it's linked to the idea of seeing through beams that distort the view.
Yes: 'Avevo le traveggole' (I was seeing things).
Yes, it is a standard Italian idiom understood from North to South.
Yes, it's a very 'clean' and common idiom for all ages.
عبارات ذات صلة
prendere lucciole per lanterne
similarTo mistake fireflies for lanterns.
prendere un granchio
similarTo make a blunder.
vedere i fantasmi
similarTo see ghosts.
prendere un abbaglio
synonymTo be dazzled/mistaken.
