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How to Say ‘Oh, thank goodness, I thought it was just me!’ in Italian

Ah, meno male, pensavo fossi solo io!

ah MEH-noh MAH-leh pen-SAH-voh FOHS-see SOH-loh ee-o

[ah MEH-noh MAH-leh pen-SAH-voh FOHS-see SOH-loh ee-o]

Phrase Breakdown

Ah, meno male,

ah MEH-noh MAH-leh

Oh, thank goodness,

'Meno male' expresses relief, literally 'less bad'. Stress: MEH-no MAH-leh.

Example

Meno male che sei arrivato!

Thank goodness you arrived!

Words in this phrase

[ah]

ah / oh

Interjection expressing surprise or interest.

Example

Ah, non lo sapevo!

Oh, I didn't know!

meno

[MEH-noh]

less

Means 'less'; with 'male' forms 'thank goodness'.

Example

Meno male che sei arrivato.

Thank goodness you arrived.

male

[MAH-leh]

Bad

Denotes something poor in quality or unpleasant.

Example

Il rapitore dice che se non si fa come dice lui, le cose andranno male.

The kidnapper says that if things aren't done his way, things will go badly.

pensavo fossi

pen-SAH-voh FOHS-see

I thought it was

Imperfect 'pensavo' plus the subjunctive 'fossi'. Hold the double 's'.

Example

Pensavo fossi stanco.

I thought you were tired.

Words in this phrase

pensavo

[pen-SAH-voh]

I thought

Imperfect tense of 'pensare'; used for what you were thinking.

Example

Per un attimo Pensavo che fosse gol.

For a moment I thought it was a goal.

fossi

[FOHS-see]

you were

Subjunctive of 'essere' for 'tu', used after verbs of thinking.

Example

Pensavo fossi a casa.

I thought you were at home.

solo io!

SOH-loh ee-o

just me!

'Only I'. Pronounce 'io' as 'EE-o'.

Example

Non sono solo io.

It's not just me.

Words in this phrase

solo

[SOH-loh]

only / just

Used to limit the amount or number of something.

Example

Solo mezzo chilo, grazie.

Just half a kilo, thanks.

[ee-o]

Referring to oneself as a subject.

Example

Io voglio migliorare il mio punteggio.

I want to improve my score.

Guides for Italian learners

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