How to Say ‘Keep an eye on’ in Italian
Tengo d'occhio
TEN-goh d OK-kyoh
[TEN-goh d OK-kyoh]
💬 Usage Tip: [Tengo d'occhio] only makes full sense with the little [d'] in the middle: it's part of the fixed expression [tenere d'occhio]. You can swap the object around it: [ti tengo d'occhio], [lo tengo d'occhio].
Phrase Breakdown
Tengo
[TEN-goh]
I keep; I watch
From tenere; in this phrase it suggests keeping watch on someone, often in a playful way.
Tengo d'occhio chi fa il simpatico con me.
I keep an eye on whoever gets cheeky with me.
d'
[d]
of
Elided form of di used before a vowel, forming part of the expression d'occhio.
In Tengo d'occhio, d' fa parte dell'espressione fissa.
In Tengo d'occhio, d' is part of the fixed expression.
occhio
[OK-kyoh]
eye
Literal meaning eye; with tenere it forms an idiom meaning to keep an eye on.
Sei tranquillo solo in apparenza: lo capisco dall'occhio.
You’re calm only on the surface: I can tell from your eye.
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