As a brava Americana, I live for hyperbole. I love hyperbole. Hyperbole is like the best thing EVER! Having spent enough time out of the glorious United States of America, I realize that a lot of other cultures and peoples do not appreciate exaggerated language/speak as much as us Americans do.
Even so, there are ways to hyperbolize in other languages, and the way to do so in Italian is to add a ‘stra‘ in front of the world you want to emphasize. Not really finding anything on this semi-word on the internets, I have come up with my own [and very probable] explanation:
Stra comes from the Italian word, straordinario, or extraordinary. When you put it in front of an adjective, it becomes super, hyper, uber …
Examples:
‘Il concerto di Venerdì sera è stato strafigo.’ – Friday night’s concert was super awesome.
‘Ho mangiato la pasta, un secondo, un contorno, e un dolce- sono strapiena.’ – I ate a pasta, a main dish, a side dish, and a dessert- I am soooooo full.
