finta

feint

noun FEEN-tah Rare

Also means

pretence

Usage Note

Finta means a feint or fake move in sports or fighting (fare una finta = 'to make a feint'), and also a pretence or act in everyday language (fare finta di = 'to pretend to'). The phrase fare finta di niente ('to pretend nothing happened') is extremely common. Learners should master fare finta di + infinitive early, as it appears constantly in informal Italian. The plural is le finte.

Examples

"Ha fatto una finta e ha saltato il difensore."

Natural Translation

He made a feint and skipped past the defender.

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