Mad for it! Italian travellers offered phrasebook for Manchester sayings by Monarch Airlines

By Claire Holden

When taking a trip to a foreign country, the more astute traveller may take the time to learn a few helpful phrases.

One may practice greetings, brush up on how to order their favourite food and drinks, or prep themselves on how to ask directions.

Manchester, dialectally speaking, is an entity unto itself and many foreigners fail to understand the conversations they try and start up with a broad Mancunian.

Monarch Airlines have found a solution by decoding Manchester’s famous phraseology for Italian tourists heading to the rainy city.

Italian passengers on board flights between Italy and Manchester are being offered a crib sheet by to help tourists blend in with the rich Mancunain dialect.

The sheets provide translations of phrases commonly used by Mancunians such as ‘mad for it!’ and ‘you alright, our kid?’ (‘mi fa impazzire’ and ‘tutto bene, bello?’ respectively, in case you were wondering).

Managing director of Monarch Airlines, Kevin George said: “We thought that it would be really helpful for people coming to England to be aware of some phrases they may routinely hear on the streets of Manchester.”

The crib sheets have been put together in celebration of Monarch’s new flight paths between Manchester and Italy.

Manchester’s dialect is known all over the world thanks in part to Mancunain singers (Oasis and Morrissey), sports stars (Ricky Hatton) and film, TV and soap stars (Dominic Monaghan of Lost as well as the casts of Coronation Street and Shameless).

For Mancunians travelling to Italy, the sheets can also be used to help them break the ice with locals by using well known Manchester phrases that include topical football-speak.

Manchester’s residents would not doubt be ‘soddisfatto’ (‘well chuffed’) to be approached by an Italian speaking Mancunian.

However, would a Mancunian reciprocate the gesture, or simply be told that they are ‘non ci stai con la testa!’ (That’s ‘off your head!’ to you and me).

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