Bedeutung
Doing things when free.
Kultureller Hintergrund
The concept of 'a tempo perso' is linked to the Italian pride in being a 'tuttologo' (someone who knows a bit of everything). Having a hobby you do 'a tempo perso' is seen as a sign of intelligence and curiosity. In the South, 'a tempo perso' can also refer to small, informal jobs done to help the community, often rewarded with food or small favors rather than money. In Ticino, the phrase is used similarly but might be applied more strictly to structured volunteer work compared to the more fluid usage in Italy. Italian immigrants often used 'a tempo perso' to describe the gardens they kept or the wine they made while working hard in factories abroad, keeping their culture alive.
Sound like a local
Use this phrase when someone compliments your skill in something that isn't your job. It sounds humble and very Italian.
Preposition Alert
Never say 'in tempo perso'. It's a dead giveaway that you're translating from English.
Bedeutung
Doing things when free.
Sound like a local
Use this phrase when someone compliments your skill in something that isn't your job. It sounds humble and very Italian.
Preposition Alert
Never say 'in tempo perso'. It's a dead giveaway that you're translating from English.
The 'Hustle' Contrast
While English speakers might say 'side hustle,' 'a tempo perso' is much more relaxed. It's about passion, not necessarily profit.
Teste dich selbst
Complete the sentence with the correct preposition.
Studio il giapponese ___ tempo perso.
The idiom always uses the preposition 'a'.
Which sentence means 'I paint as a hobby'?
Scegli la frase corretta:
Option B is the correct idiom. Option A and D imply you are wasting time.
Match the response to the situation.
Qualcuno ti chiede: 'Sei un fotografo professionista?'
This is the most natural way to clarify that it's just a hobby.
🎉 Ergebnis: /3
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Activities done 'a tempo perso'
Creative
- • Dipingere
- • Scrivere
- • Suonare
Manual
- • Riparare
- • Giardinaggio
- • Cucinare
Learning
- • Lingue
- • Storia
- • Codice
Aufgabensammlung
3 AufgabenStudio il giapponese ___ tempo perso.
The idiom always uses the preposition 'a'.
Scegli la frase corretta:
Option B is the correct idiom. Option A and D imply you are wasting time.
Qualcuno ti chiede: 'Sei un fotografo professionista?'
This is the most natural way to clarify that it's just a hobby.
🎉 Ergebnis: /3
Häufig gestellte Fragen
14 FragenNo, it's generally neutral or positive. It implies you are using your free time for something you enjoy.
No, that would imply you don't take your job seriously. Use 'a tempo pieno' for your main job.
'Tempo libero' is the time itself; 'a tempo perso' describes how you do an activity within that time.
Yes, but it sounds like you're in a 19th-century novel. Stick to 'perso' for daily life.
Yes, in a casual or semi-formal email to a colleague or friend.
Not necessarily, but it does imply you are an amateur, not a professional.
Use the verb 'perdere tempo'. For example: 'Smettila di perdere tempo!'
Yes, it is a standard idiom recognized from Milan to Sicily.
Yes, 'Gioco a tennis a tempo perso' is perfectly natural.
You can still use it, but 'lavoretto' (little job) might be more specific.
No, the phrase is invariable.
Almost any verb that describes a voluntary activity (studiare, dipingere, riparare, etc.).
In spoken Italian, 'a tempo perso' feels more authentic and traditional.
You can say someone is a 'pittore a tempo perso' (a painter in his spare time).
Verwandte Redewendungen
Nei ritagli di tempo
synonymIn the scraps of time
Nel tempo libero
similarIn free time
Per hobby
similarAs a hobby
A tempo pieno
contrastFull-time
Perdere tempo
contrastTo waste time
