Italian · Frustration
Che rottura di coglioni!
kay rot-TOO-rah dee kol-YO-nee · /ke rotˈtu.ra di koʎˈʎo.ni/
What a massive pain in the ass!
3/5 Watch your audience
genuinely rude; friends only, never at work
Literally
"What a breaking of testicles"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
The full-strength version of "che palle" — a genuine ball-ache of a task, person, or bureaucracy. Softened to "che rottura di scatole" (breaking of boxes) for polite company. "Mi stai rompendo i coglioni" = you're really getting on my nerves, and it's a warning.
Heard in the wild
Rifare i documenti è una rottura di coglioni.
Redoing the paperwork is a massive pain in the ass.
Where it lands
Universal across Italy
Quick answers
- What does "Che rottura di coglioni!" mean?
- In Italian, "Che rottura di coglioni!" means "What a massive pain in the ass!". Literally it's "What a breaking of testicles". The full-strength version of "che palle" — a genuine ball-ache of a task, person, or bureaucracy. Softened to "che rottura di scatole" (breaking of boxes) for polite company. "Mi stai rompendo i coglioni" = you're really getting on my nerves, and it's a warning.
- Is "Che rottura di coglioni!" offensive?
- It's genuinely rude — a 3/5 (Watch your audience) on the Punch-o-Meter. Fine among friends, never at work or with people you've just met.
- How do you pronounce "Che rottura di coglioni!"?
- Say it "kay rot-TOO-rah dee kol-YO-nee" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ke rotˈtu.ra di koʎˈʎo.ni.
Related in Italian
Cazzo! KAHT-tso Fuck! / Damn! / The all-purpose Italian curse. Che palle! kay PAHL-lay What a pain in the ass! / So annoying! Che cazzo?! kay KAHT-tso What the fuck?! Vaffanculo! vah-fahn-KOO-lo Fuck off! / Go to hell! Rompiscatole! rom-pee-SKAH-to-lay Pain in the neck / nuisance Mannaggia! mahn-NAH-jah Damn it! / Curse it!
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