/il matˈtino a ˈlɔro in ˈbokka/ lit. ‘the morning has gold in its mouth’
Italian idiom, proverb. People who get up or get started early are the ones who get the best chances.
Draft Not yet checked by a native Italian speaker.
How do people use Il mattino ha l’oro in bocca
?
A proverb every Italian knows, said to nudge someone out of bed or to justify a 6 a.m. start. It doesn’t change form, so you quote it whole, often on its own as a reply. Parents use it on sleepy kids, and you’ll hear it said with a wink to someone who has clearly been up too early.
Also said le ore del mattino hanno l’oro in bocca
Il mattino ha l’oro in bocca
in real sentences
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Il mattino ha l’oro in bocca.
The early bird catches the worm.
Tatoeba, sentence by riccioberto, translation by al_ex_an_der, CC BY 2.0 FR
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Le ore del mattino hanno l’oro in bocca.
The early bird catches the worm.
Tatoeba, sentence by Guybrush88, translation by al_ex_an_der, CC BY 2.0 FR
Where does Il mattino ha l’oro in bocca
come from?
The Treccani dictionary lists it among the proverbs under “mattino”, together with the longer “le ore del mattino hanno l’oro in bocca”, and explains it as the hours when work and study pay off best. The gold is easy to read as the value of those early hours, but no source explains the mouth or dates the Italian proverb.
Mistakes learners make with Il mattino ha l’oro in bocca
Swapping in “la mattina”. Both words mean morning, and “la mattina” is the one you use in everyday sentences, but the proverb is fixed with the masculine “il mattino”, so “la mattina ha l’oro in bocca” sounds like a misquote.
Other Italian idioms like Il mattino ha l’oro in bocca
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