How to Say ‘Goodness!’ in Italian
Mamma mia!
MAHM-mah MEE-ah
[MAHM-mah MEE-ah]
💬 Usage Tip: Used for surprise, stress, joy, or disbelief. Tone changes the meaning.
🇮🇹 In Italy: Very Italian and very football-friendly: a miss, a save, or an unbelievable goal can all trigger Mamma mia!
Phrase Breakdown
Mamma
[MAHM-mah]
goodness
In this expression, mamma helps form a very common exclamation of shock or amazement.
Mamma mia! Che parata incredibile.
My goodness! What an incredible save.
mia
[MEE-ah]
my
Part of the fixed phrase mamma mia!, an emotional exclamation like oh my gosh.
Mamma mia! La mia voce è andata via per quanto ho urlato.
My goodness! I lost my voice from how much I shouted.
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