How do you say it in Italian?
Cosa diavolo…?
| Words you should know | Cosa (what) + diavolo (devil) |
| When NOT to use this | With strangers, in formal settings |
Cosa diavolo…?
What the hell?
For example, you can say…
Il cassetto ha un doppio fondo. Cosa diavolo…?
The drawer has a double bottom. What in the world…?
Cosa diavolo…? Paolo, che stai facendo?
What in the world…? Paolo, what are you doing?
Cosa diavolo sta succedendo?
What the hell is going on?
You can also say che diavolo…?. These two expressions are completely interchangeable.
Che diavolo…?
What the hell?
For example, you can say…
Che diavolo vuoi da me?
What the hell do you want from me?
Cosa diavolo vuoi da me?
What the hell do you want from me?
Ma che diavolo!
If you want to translate what the hell in Italian as an exclamation because you are shocked about something, you can also say ma che diavolo!, where ma means but and che is another translation for the English word what, as we’ve seen in the paragraph above.
Ma che diavolo!
What the hell?
Literally: But what devil!
For example, you can say…
Non ti sei ancora alzato? Ma che diavolo!
Aren’t you awake yet? What the hell!
Ma che diavolo succede qui? Ragazzi, cos’è questo casino?
What the hell is going on here? Guys, what is this mess?
Ma che cavolo!
| Words you should know | Cavolo (cabbage) |
| When NOT to use this | With strangers, in formal settings |
Ma che cavolo! is similar to ma che diavolo!. It’s a little less rude because cavolo, cabbage, is an innocent word.
Ma che cavolo!
What the hell?
Literally: But what cabbage!
For example, you can say…
Hai detto a Lisa che sono a casa? Ma che cavolo! Ti avevo detto di non farlo!
You told Lisa that I’m home? What the hell! I told you not to do that!
Cosa/che cavolo…?
You can also say cosa/che cavolo…?, especially if you’re confused about something.
Cosa cavolo…?
What the hell…?
For example, you can say…
Non so che cavolo stia facendo mio fratello.
I don’t know what on earth my brother is doing.
Cosa cavolo stai dicendo, Matteo?
Matteo, what the hell are you talking about?
What the f…?
Che cazzo…? is what you say to translate what the hell in Italian when you want to drop an F-bomb. It’s basically the Italian version of what the f…?.
It’s very rude, though, so don’t use it unless you really mean it.
Che cazzo…?
What the f…?
For example, you can say…
Che cazzo hai fatto, Stefano?
Stefano, what the f… did you do?
Cosa cazzo devo fare per accendere la luce?
What the f… do I have to do to turn on the light?
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