A useful idiomatic expression to express something that is absolutely certain or obviously obvious is It didn't rain.
It's not raining!
No doubt about it!
The literal translation of this sentence is It's not raining up thereand rain significance”It's raining” and particles Character significance”on it”. Some possible English equivalents include:
- No doubt about it!
- That's for sure!
- You can say it again!
- Obviously!
It is often expressed as There is no doubt about it—literally “it doesn’t rain up here”—which adds extra emphasis.
Almost all Italians love pizza! – Oh yes, there is no doubt about it!
Almost all Italians love pizza! – Yes, you can say it again!
According to online magazine reports italian americanthe origin of this expression is unclear, but that hasn't stopped linguists from making educated guesses.
One popular theory is that just as rain is unpredictable and uncontrollable, certain things are as stable and unchanging as the absence of rain.
Another theory is that stable and secure structures, such as umbrellas or roofs, provide some protection from the rain, while less stable structures, such as rickety shacks or dilapidated bus stops, do not.
Regardless of its actual origin, this expression is widely used and will make you sound like a native speaker if you use it correctly!
Heather Broster is a graduate with honors in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, fluent in English and Italian, as well as varying degrees of fluency in Japanese, Welsh and French. Originally from Toronto, Heather has lived in several countries, notably Italy for six years. Her main research areas are language acquisition, education and bilingual teaching.
