Phrase in 30 Seconds
Use this phrase when someone is excluded from an activity or unable to participate due to circumstances.
- Means: To be unable to participate, act, or influence a situation.
- Used in: Sports, business meetings, or when someone is sick/injured.
- Don't confuse: With 'essere fuori di testa' which means to be crazy.
Erklärung auf deinem Niveau:
Bedeutung
Unable to participate or act.
Kultureller Hintergrund
The obsession with 'il fuorigioco' in soccer means that even grandmothers who don't watch sports know this phrase. It's a national metaphor for fairness and exclusion. In Italian offices, being 'fuori gioco' is often a sign of losing political power within the company. It's a subtle way to say someone is no longer influential. Italians are very social. Being 'fuori gioco' from a group dinner or 'aperitivo' is considered a significant bummer, often met with 'Che peccato!' (What a shame!). In some parts of Italy, especially the North, you might hear 'essere fuori dai giochi' to specifically refer to financial or political deals.
Use it for Illness
Instead of the boring 'Sto male', use 'Sono fuori gioco' to sound more like a native speaker when you have a cold.
Singular Only
Never say 'fuori giochi'. Even if ten people are out, they are all 'fuori gioco'.
Use it for Illness
Instead of the boring 'Sto male', use 'Sono fuori gioco' to sound more like a native speaker when you have a cold.
Singular Only
Never say 'fuori giochi'. Even if ten people are out, they are all 'fuori gioco'.
Mettere vs Essere
Use 'mettere' when you want to blame something or someone for your situation (e.g., 'Il traffico mi ha messo fuori gioco').
Soccer Talk
If you use this in a sports bar, you'll immediately gain respect from the locals.
Teste dich selbst
Conjugate the verb 'essere' correctly in the present tense.
Noi non possiamo venire alla riunione, ________ fuori gioco.
The subject is 'Noi' (we), so the correct conjugation of 'essere' is 'siamo'.
Choose the best meaning for the sentence.
L'infortunio ha messo il tennista fuori gioco.
In this context, 'mettere fuori gioco' means to prevent someone from participating due to an injury.
Match the sentence to the correct context.
Match: 'Senza il mio computer sono fuori gioco.'
The mention of a 'computer' makes this a technology-related context.
Complete the dialogue with the correct phrase.
A: Vuoi partecipare al torneo di scacchi? B: No, non conosco le regole, ________.
Since the speaker doesn't know the rules, they cannot participate, making them 'fuori gioco'.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
When to use 'Fuori Gioco'
Health
- • Flu
- • Injury
- • Exhaustion
Work
- • Missed meeting
- • Old tech
- • Bankruptcy
Social
- • Out of the loop
- • No invite
- • New topic
Aufgabensammlung
5 AufgabenNoi non possiamo venire alla riunione, ________ fuori gioco.
The subject is 'Noi' (we), so the correct conjugation of 'essere' is 'siamo'.
L'infortunio ha messo il tennista fuori gioco.
In this context, 'mettere fuori gioco' means to prevent someone from participating due to an injury.
Match: 'Senza il mio computer sono fuori gioco.'
The mention of a 'computer' makes this a technology-related context.
A: Vuoi partecipare al torneo di scacchi? B: No, non conosco le regole, ________.
Since the speaker doesn't know the rules, they cannot participate, making them 'fuori gioco'.
🎉 Ergebnis: /5
Häufig gestellte Fragen
14 FragenYes! 'La mia macchina è fuori gioco' is a great way to say your car is broken and you can't use it.
It's neutral. In a professional email to a colleague, it's fine. In a formal letter to a judge, use 'impossibilitato'.
The opposite is 'essere in gioco' or 'essere in lizza' (to be in the running).
No. 'Gioco' is a noun here, not an adjective, so it never changes gender.
As an idiom, it's two: 'fuori gioco'. As a noun (offside), it's often one: 'fuorigioco'.
No, that sounds very unnatural. Stick to 'fuori gioco'.
Use 'mettere fuori gioco qualcuno'.
Yes, it is universally understood from Milan to Sicily.
Yes, it's perfect for that. 'Mi sento fuori gioco' means 'I feel out of the loop'.
No, it's strictly from field sports like soccer and rugby.
Yes, 'Stasera sono fuori gioco' means you are too tired to do anything.
'Tagliato fuori' implies someone intentionally excluded you. 'Fuori gioco' can be accidental or rule-based.
Use 'essere' as the auxiliary: 'Sono stato fuori gioco'.
'Essere fuori dai giochi' is slightly more informal and often used in political gossip.
Verwandte Redewendungen
mettere fuori gioco
specialized formTo actively sideline someone.
essere fuori di testa
contrastTo be crazy or out of one's mind.
tagliare fuori
synonymTo cut someone out.
essere in gioco
contrastTo be at stake or to be involved.
rientrare in gioco
builds onTo get back into the game.
Wo du es verwendest
At the Office
Colleague A: Hai sentito del nuovo progetto di marketing?
Colleague B: No, non mi hanno detto nulla. Sono completamente fuori gioco.
Sports Injury
Coach: Puoi giocare domenica?
Player: No, il ginocchio mi fa ancora male. Sono fuori gioco per almeno due settimane.
Social Gathering
Friend A: Vieni alla festa stasera?
Friend B: Magari! Ma devo finire questo lavoro, sono fuori gioco per stasera.
Business Competition
CEO: I nostri prezzi sono troppo alti.
Manager: Esatto. Se non li abbassiamo, saremo fuori gioco entro l'anno.
Broken Technology
Gamer 1: Perché non rispondi su Discord?
Gamer 2: Il mio PC si è rotto. Sono fuori gioco finché non lo riparo.
Dating/Romance
Person A: Hai chiesto a Giulia di uscire?
Person B: No, ho saputo che è tornata con il suo ex. Sono fuori gioco.
Einprägen
Eselsbrücke
Think of a soccer player standing behind the defense, looking at the ball but unable to touch it. He is 'fuori' (outside) the 'gioco' (game).
Visuelle Assoziation
Imagine a bright red 'X' over a soccer player standing alone on a field while everyone else is playing far away. He is physically there, but functionally absent.
Rhyme
Se sei fuori gioco, conti poco. (If you are out of the game, you count for little.)
Story
Imagine you are at a big Italian dinner. Everyone is talking about a movie you haven't seen. You want to speak, but you can't join in. You are 'fuori gioco'. Then, the waiter trips and spills wine on your shirt—now you are physically 'fuori gioco' because you have to go change!
In Other Languages
In English, we say 'sidelined' or 'out of the running'. In Spanish, it's 'fuera de juego', which is identical in both literal and figurative senses.
Word Web
Herausforderung
Try to use 'essere fuori gioco' in a sentence today to describe why you can't do something (e.g., 'I can't go to the gym, my back is fuori gioco').
Review this phrase 1 day, 3 days, and 7 days after learning. Focus on the difference between 'essere' (to be) and 'mettere' (to put).
Aussprache
Stress on the first 'e'.
The 'uo' is a diphthong, sounds like 'wo'.
The 'gi' is soft like the 'j' in 'job'.
Formalitätsspektrum
L'ente non risulta più competitivo nel settore di riferimento. (Business analysis)
L'azienda è ormai fuori gioco. (Business analysis)
La ditta è andata a rotoli, sono fuori gioco. (Business analysis)
Quelli sono finiti, sono fuori dai giochi. (Business analysis)
The phrase is a calque (loan translation) of the English sports term 'offside'. It entered the Italian language in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as football (calcio) was imported from England.
Wusstest du?
The Italian word for soccer, 'calcio', actually means 'kick'. Most other languages use a variation of 'football', but Italy kept its own word, yet adopted the English 'offside' logic for this idiom!
Kulturelle Hinweise
The obsession with 'il fuorigioco' in soccer means that even grandmothers who don't watch sports know this phrase. It's a national metaphor for fairness and exclusion.
“In TV, gli esperti passano ore a discutere se un giocatore fosse fuori gioco o no.”
In Italian offices, being 'fuori gioco' is often a sign of losing political power within the company. It's a subtle way to say someone is no longer influential.
“Dopo il cambio di manager, molti vecchi dipendenti si sono trovati fuori gioco.”
Italians are very social. Being 'fuori gioco' from a group dinner or 'aperitivo' is considered a significant bummer, often met with 'Che peccato!' (What a shame!).
“Non venire stasera? Ma dai, non restare fuori gioco!”
In some parts of Italy, especially the North, you might hear 'essere fuori dai giochi' to specifically refer to financial or political deals.
“Per l'appalto della nuova strada, la nostra ditta è fuori dai giochi.”
Gesprächseinstiege
Ti sei mai sentito fuori gioco durante una conversazione in italiano?
Quale infortunio può mettere fuori gioco un atleta per molto tempo?
Pensi che l'intelligenza artificiale metterà fuori gioco molti lavoratori?
Häufige Fehler
Sono fuori del gioco.
Sono fuori gioco.
L1 Interference
Siamo fuori giochi.
Siamo fuori gioco.
L1 Interference
Sono fuori di gioco.
Sono fuori gioco.
L1 Interference
Lui è fuori gioco di testa.
Lui è fuori di testa.
L1 Interference
Sto fuori gioco.
Sono fuori gioco.
L1 Interference
In Other Languages
Estar fuera de juego
Spanish often uses it to mean 'confused' or 'caught off guard' more frequently than Italian.
Être hors-jeu
French also uses 'être hors de combat' for physical incapacity more often than Italian uses 'fuori gioco'.
Abseits stehen
German often uses it to describe a social outsider rather than someone who is physically unable to act.
蚊帳の外 (Kaya no soto)
It focuses on social exclusion/isolation rather than the 'rules of the game' or physical injury.
خارج اللعبة (Kharij al-lu'ba)
Less commonly used for physical illness than the Italian version.
出局 (Chūjú)
It sounds more definitive, like being 'eliminated' rather than just 'sidelined'.
열외 (Yeol-oe)
Has a stronger nuance of being 'exempt' or 'excluded' from a duty.
Fora de jogo
In Brazil, 'estar por fora' is more common for 'being out of the loop'.
Spotted in the Real World
“L'attaccante della Juventus è fuori gioco per tre settimane.”
A headline about a player's injury.
“Se continui così, sei fuori gioco!”
The director threatening a crew member on a chaotic film set.
“Sempre lì, lì nel mezzo... finché ce n'hai, stai fuori gioco.”
A song about the hard work of a midfielder in soccer and life.
“Il mio Wi-Fi è morto. Sono fuori gioco. Addio mondo.”
A tweet about internet connection issues.
“Mi sentivo fuori gioco rispetto alla loro nuova vita a Napoli.”
The narrator describing her feeling of exclusion from her friends' social changes.
Leicht verwechselbar
Learners think it just means being outside.
In slang, 'essere fuori' means to be high or crazy. Always add 'gioco' if you mean sidelined.
Both involve 'fuori' and a noun.
'Fuori tempo' means out of time or out of rhythm (music).
Häufig gestellte Fragen (14)
Yes! 'La mia macchina è fuori gioco' is a great way to say your car is broken and you can't use it.
usage contextsIt's neutral. In a professional email to a colleague, it's fine. In a formal letter to a judge, use 'impossibilitato'.
practical tipsThe opposite is 'essere in gioco' or 'essere in lizza' (to be in the running).
basic understandingNo. 'Gioco' is a noun here, not an adjective, so it never changes gender.
grammar mechanicsAs an idiom, it's two: 'fuori gioco'. As a noun (offside), it's often one: 'fuorigioco'.
grammar mechanicsNo, that sounds very unnatural. Stick to 'fuori gioco'.
common mistakesUse 'mettere fuori gioco qualcuno'.
grammar mechanicsYes, it is universally understood from Milan to Sicily.
cultural usageYes, it's perfect for that. 'Mi sento fuori gioco' means 'I feel out of the loop'.
usage contextsNo, it's strictly from field sports like soccer and rugby.
basic understandingYes, 'Stasera sono fuori gioco' means you are too tired to do anything.
usage contexts'Tagliato fuori' implies someone intentionally excluded you. 'Fuori gioco' can be accidental or rule-based.
comparisonsUse 'essere' as the auxiliary: 'Sono stato fuori gioco'.
grammar mechanics'Essere fuori dai giochi' is slightly more informal and often used in political gossip.
practical tips
