Bedeutung
Acting as if something is true.
Kultureller Hintergrund
'Fare finta di niente' is a sign of high social intelligence in Italy. It allows others to save face (fare bella figura) when they make a mistake. The concept of 'pretending' is a major theme in Italian neorealism and comedy, often used as a survival mechanism against poverty or war. Italian children use 'Facciamo finta che...' to start almost any imaginative game, similar to 'Let's play...' in English. In Italy, a 'finta' is highly admired in sports like soccer. A player who can 'fare una finta' to trick a defender is considered 'furbo' (clever).
The 'Pretendere' Trap
This is the #1 mistake for English speakers. Never use 'pretendere' for 'to pretend'.
Master the 'Niente'
Learn 'fare finta di niente' as a single block. It makes you sound much more native in social situations.
Bedeutung
Acting as if something is true.
The 'Pretendere' Trap
This is the #1 mistake for English speakers. Never use 'pretendere' for 'to pretend'.
Master the 'Niente'
Learn 'fare finta di niente' as a single block. It makes you sound much more native in social situations.
Subjunctive vs Indicative
If you want to sound educated, use the subjunctive after 'che'. If you want to sound like a kid playing, use the indicative.
Teste dich selbst
Fill in the blank with the correct form of 'fare finta'.
I bambini _______ di essere dei supereroi.
The subject is 'I bambini' (they), so we use the third person plural 'fanno'.
Which sentence is grammatically correct?
Choose the correct way to say 'I pretend to study'.
'Pretendo' is a false friend, and 'fare finta' needs 'di' before an infinitive.
Complete the dialogue.
A: Hai visto che Maria è arrabbiata? B: Sì, ma io _______.
'Fare finta di niente' is the standard idiom for 'acting like nothing is wrong'.
Match the situation to the sentence.
You see your teacher at the cinema and you don't want to talk to her.
Pretending not to see someone is the logical response to avoiding them.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Aufgabensammlung
4 AufgabenI bambini _______ di essere dei supereroi.
The subject is 'I bambini' (they), so we use the third person plural 'fanno'.
Choose the correct way to say 'I pretend to study'.
'Pretendo' is a false friend, and 'fare finta' needs 'di' before an infinitive.
A: Hai visto che Maria è arrabbiata? B: Sì, ma io _______.
'Fare finta di niente' is the standard idiom for 'acting like nothing is wrong'.
You see your teacher at the cinema and you don't want to talk to her.
Pretending not to see someone is the logical response to avoiding them.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Häufig gestellte Fragen
10 FragenYes, but it's more about the 'act' than the words. 'Mentire' is specifically for telling a lie.
Use 'di' before a verb (infinitive). Use 'che' before a full sentence (clause).
Not necessarily. In Italy, 'fare finta di niente' is often considered polite to avoid embarrassing others.
'Fare finta' is common and spoken; 'fingere' is formal and written.
Use 'Facciamo finta che...' or 'Facciamo finta di...'.
Yes, for example: 'Non bisogna fare finta di avere competenze che non si hanno.'
If followed by another word, yes (di/che). If used alone as 'Non fare finta!', then no.
Yes, it means 'a feint' or 'a fake move'.
No, 'finta' is a fixed feminine noun in this expression.
Use 'avere': 'Ho fatto finta'.
Verwandte Redewendungen
fingere
synonymTo pretend (verb)
fare finta di niente
specialized formTo act as if nothing happened
simulare
similarTo simulate/fake
mentire
contrastTo lie
mettere in scena
builds onTo stage/orchestrate
