Coprire le spalle in Italian
| Literal translation | To cover the shoulders |
| Meaning | To protect someone else from harm |
| IPA pronunciation | /koˈpriːre le ˈspalle/ |
Coprire le spalle
To have someone’s back, to protect
Where does this come from? Suppose you are surrounded by a pack of wolves (branco di lupi). If you face the wolves alone, you can’t tell what the wolves behind you are doing because your eyes don’t have 360-degree vision. However, if a friend comes to your aid and literally “covers your shoulders”, the two of you will be able to see what all the wolves are doing and no animal will be able to ambush you from behind.
For example, you can say…
Vai a chiedere aiuto. Ti coprirò io le spalle!
Go get help. I’ll have your back!
Sto per entrare nel magazzino abbandonato. Coprimi le spalle.
I am about to enter the abandoned warehouse. Get my back.
➡️ Related lessons
- Coprire (to cover)
- Spalla (shoulder)
- Definite articles
- All Italian expressions
More free Italian resources
You might want to keep learning Italian online with these free Italian resources:
Aiuta Lingookies con un 👍!
❤️ If you liked this lesson on the Italian expression coprire le spalle, share it with your friends!