When learning a foreign language, one of the hardest things to master is how to use idioms or non-literal ways of expressing yourself. Besides gesticulation, Italians frequently use idiomatic expressions. That's why Italian learners should know at least a few of them. Idiomatic expressions are phrases whose meaning cannot be derived from the literal meaning of the words that compose them. For example, such expressions in Bulgarian are: at a rate of one spoonful per hour = little by little; I give the green light = I approve of it; I spit on my heels = I disappear quickly. The meaning of these expressions has nothing to do with the meaning of the individual words that make them up. If you're not a local, there's no way you'd know what they mean when you hear them in conversation. You can only learn them through experience.
Let's look at some useful Italian idiomatic expressions. Throw an eye at both the literal meanings of the words:
amore a prima vista = love at first sight (literally: love at first sight);
un bel niente = nothing, zero (literally: one beautiful nothing);
fuori di testa = crazy, mad (literally: out of one's mind);
portare male [or bene] gli anni = to age badly [or well]; (literally: to carry [your] years badly [or well]);
roba da matti = that's madness, or off the wall (literally: crazy stuff);
prendere in giro = to become a laughingstock, to be made a fool of (literally: to take a tour);
valere la pena = to be worth the trouble, to be worth it (literally: to be worth the punishment) Non ne vale la pena = It's not worth it!
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