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Italian · Behind the Wheel

L'hai presa alla lotteria la patente?!

lye PRAY-zah AHL-lah lot-teh-REE-ah lah pah-TEN-tay · /lai ˈpre.za ˈal.la lotteˈri.a la paˈtɛn.te/

Where'd you get your license, a cereal box?!

2/5 Bar-safe

coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances

Literally

"Did you win your license in the lottery?"

Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.

How to use it

The signature jab at an incompetent driver — the accusation that they never actually earned the licence. Variants: "patente comprata!" (bought license), "chi te l'ha data la patente?" (who gave you a licence?). Sarcastic, coarse-ish, deeply satisfying. All bark.

Heard in the wild

Ma la patente l'hai presa alla lotteria?!

Did you get your license out of a cracker jack box?!

Where it lands

Universal across Italy

Quick answers

What does "L'hai presa alla lotteria la patente?!" mean?
In Italian, "L'hai presa alla lotteria la patente?!" means "Where'd you get your license, a cereal box?!". Literally it's "Did you win your license in the lottery?". The signature jab at an incompetent driver — the accusation that they never actually earned the licence. Variants: "patente comprata!" (bought license), "chi te l'ha data la patente?" (who gave you a licence?). Sarcastic, coarse-ish, deeply satisfying. All bark.
Is "L'hai presa alla lotteria la patente?!" offensive?
It's on the mild end — 2/5 (Bar-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances.
How do you pronounce "L'hai presa alla lotteria la patente?!"?
Say it "lye PRAY-zah AHL-lah lot-teh-REE-ah lah pah-TEN-tay" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: lai ˈpre.za ˈal.la lotteˈri.a la paˈtɛn.te.

Related in Italian

Pirla! PEER-lah Idiot / dumbass (Milanese) Ma dove vai?! mah DOH-vay VYE Where the hell do you think you're going?! Leva 'sto culo! LEH-vah sto KOO-lo Move your ass! / Get out of the way! Metti la freccia! MET-tee lah FRET-chah Use your blinker! Ma vai a piedi! mah VYE ah PYEH-dee You should be walking, not driving! Ma smettila di strombazzare! mah ZMET-tee-lah dee strom-baht-TSAH-ray Quit leaning on your horn!

The same idea, elsewhere

Via concepts like "Road rage".

how to say "Road rage" →how to say "You idiot" →

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