Come si dice "Shut up, and get in the cart" as a strict command with the "lei" form, not "tu"?

Question

Come si dice "Shut up, and get in the cart" as a command with the lei form, not tu? I want to convey a strict command to GET IN THE CART, like a parent might do with emphasis, as a last resort, and in a very imperative sense. (But, I want the more formal Lei forms, not the tu form.) I can't find the right verb, they all seem to miss the mark.

I have considered; 1 Zitto e ottenere nel carrello (wrong verb meaning ~ used more to indicate an achievement or goal? 2 Zitto, e si mettersi nel carrello (Put yourself into the cart?) My choice, so far... 3 Zitto, e entra nel carrello. (Too polite, not enough emphasis?)

Answer 1

Let's take it by parts:

a) If one wishes to say "shut up" in the sense that someone is being annoying (by getting to the hole in less strokes, say ;-), the word "taci" is used, as in "Taci e bevi un po' di vino!" which means "Shut up and have a little wine!"

b) The imperative "get in" would be "salga in" as in "Salga in macchina!" which means "Get in the car!"

c) The phrase golf cart is simply used in Italian as it is.

So, Taci e salga in golf cart! would seem to be closest in meaning and intent to Shut up and get in the golf cart!

Answer 2

I'd say Stia zitto e salga sul carrello.

Stia e salga are in the subjunctive, third-person form used in formal phrasing (the corresponding tu-form would be Stai zitto e sali sul carrello, in the imperative mood).

<sup>As for your attempts:
- ottenere means “to get” in such contexts as “I got a great result”;
- si mettersi isn't correct; Zitto e si metta nel carrello would be acceptable;
- Zitto, e entra nel carrello would be acceptable (and quite brusque) for the tu-form; the corresponding lei-form would be Zitto, e entri nel carrello.</sup>

Answer 3

The following four options are literal translations of the given sentence; the differences between them concern the tone of the speech and cover some possible relations between the speaker and the listeners (how friendly/funny/sarcastic you want to be). In brackets there is the corresponding plural version, used if the speech is addressed to more than one listener.

Option 1

Zitto e in macchina! (Zitti e in macchina!)

This is direct and gives emphasis, but if said with a half-smile face, it should be funny. Note that this can be used in both informal and formal speeches, due to the absence of verbs.

Option 2

Stia zitto e salga in macchina. (State zitti e salite in macchina.)

Probably the closest translation to the English sentence. It is as formal and strict as required, but also hides some fun behind it.

Option 3

Faccia silenzio e salga in macchina. (Fate silenzio e salite in macchina.)

The expression "fare silenzio" is a synonym of "stare zitto", but usually it is felt to be less rude. In a standard formal speech, one tries to avoid to say "stare zitto", because it sounds inappropriate.

Option 4

Le impongo di fare silenzio e di salire in macchina. (Vi impongo di fare silenzio e di salire in macchina.)

This version is usually said with sarcasm, imitating (and making fun) of some excessively formal, snooty and full of deference speeches.

Other options

If the translation needs not to be 100% literal, I would suggest also:

• Poche chiacchiere e si sbrighi (Poche chiacchiere e sbrigatevi);
• Chiuda il becco e allunghi il passo (Chiudete il becco e allungate il passo).

Answer 4

Some expressions and jokes can lose all their wittiness and power when ported from a language to another. If the expression is intended to be directed to English speaking people that are familiar with it and the translation is to add another level of fun by saying it in the language of the country you are in, then you can go on and say "Stia zitto e salga sul golf cart", or simply "Stia zitto e salga" like others suggested, your friends would understand the point. But if you try to use that sentence with an Italian person that is not familiar with the English correspondent you would simply end with a case of "lost in translation", so I'm with Tobia Tesan in suggesting to find a sentence Italian golfers use, there might be none. Be careful your meaning is really clear when using sentences like some of the alternatives suggested in other posts, you could sound really rude if the person didn't get the point of it. For example "chiuda il becco" would be like saying "shut your piehole", which isn't the best thing to say to someone in most of the situations. The word cart, as per buggy, in Italian is translated as carrozzino o calesse, more elegant and refined than a carro that would mean a wagon/farm cart to haul materials, we don't use any of these names for a golf cart, we keep the English name. "Get in", with the Lei form, is translated as "salga" o "entri" (where to get in doesn't follow it since that's usually clear from the context).