"If my grandfather had wheels...": The Italian art of answering absurd hypotheses

Have you ever argued with someone who keeps making impossible assumptions about the past? "If I had done this...", "If I had left earlier...". In Italy, we have a highly original, ironic, and slightly bizarre way to cut these conversations short: bringing up grandparents... and wheels!

In this episode of Italiano ON-Air, Katia and Alessio take inspiration from a very recent, viral press conference by Carlo Ancelotti at the 2026 World Cup to take a lighthearted journey through Italy's funniest regional proverbs and everyday grammar.

What will you learn in this episode?

By listening to this episode, you will level up your Italian skills in several ways:

Cultural Idioms & Proverbs: You will discover the meaning and usage of "Se mio nonno avesse le ruote, sarebbe un carretto" (If my grandfather had wheels, he’d be a cart) and its formal counterpart "Del senno di poi son piene le fosse" (Hindsight is 20/20).
A Journey Through Regional Dialects: Italian changes from North to South! You’ll learn how this proverb transforms depending on the region:
- In Tuscany, they use barroccio (a traditional two-wheeled cart).
- In Milan, the grandfather becomes a tramvai (tram) with a pertegheta (the trolley pole connecting to electric wires).
- In Rome, the version gets more colorful and pop, turning the grandfather into a flipper (pinball machine).
B2 Grammar – The Hypothetical Clause (Textbook vs. Real Life): Alessio breaks down a crucial difference between formal grammar and daily speech:
- Standard Form (Formal/Written): Using Past Subjunctive + Conditional ("Se avesse... sarebbe...").
- Colloquial Form (Informal Spoken Italian): The highly popular use of the double Imperfect Indicative ("Se aveva... era..."). You'll learn why native speakers use it and how to recognize it!

💬 What about your language? Is there a similar idiom to tell someone to stop with the "ifs" and "buts"? Let us know in the comments!

🎧 Listen to the episode now, and join us at the Scuola Leonardo da Vinci schools in Florence, Milan, Rome, Turin, and Viareggio to experience the Italian language firsthand!Our contacts
📧 podcast@scuolaleonardo.com
🎤 podcast.scuolaleonardo.com (puoi lasciarci un messaggio vocale)
📲 Facebook - Instagram - TikTok - Youtube