Po’ is the shortened form of poco.
It is always preceded by the indefinite article un and is used in many expression.
For example in partitive constructions:
- Ho un po’ di amici qui a Londra. (I have a few friends here in London.)
- C’era un po’ di tutto sul tavolo. (There was a bit of everything on the table.)
- Mangia ancora un po’ di torta. (Have some more cake.)
With verbs and verbal phrases:
- Mi ha fatto un po’ piangere. (It made me cry a bit.)
- Mi volevo un po’ divertire alle tue spalle. (I wanted to have some fun behind your back.)
With other adverbs and adverbial phrases:
- Ho un po’ più. (I have a few friends here in London.)
- Mi sa che hai preso questa storia un po’ alla leggera. (I’m afraid you took this thing a bit too lightly.)
- Oggi mi sento un po’ meglio. (Today I feel a bit better.)
Note that when used in sentences containing an order, an invitation or a request un po’ can be used to attenuate the message conveyed, add an encouraging tone or – on the contrary – a menacing shade to the sentence:
Examples:
- Vedi un po’ tu. (Well, you figure it out.)
- Vieni un po’ qua. (Come here, will you?)
- Sentiamo un po’ cosa volevi dirmi. (Come on, let’s hear what you had to tell me.)
Before adjectives:
- È un tipo un po’ strano. (He’s a guy a bit weird.)
- Sei un po’ pallida, ti senti bene? (You look peaky, are you okay?)
To answer questions:
- “Parla italiano?” “Un po’” (“Do you speak Italian?” “A bit.”)
