Have you ever heard an Italian sigh “Mi tocca…” and wondered what they were talking about? Toccare means “to touch,” but in everyday Italian it has two other very common meanings: “I have to” (reluctantly) and “it’s my turn”.
In short
- Toccare + object = to touch: Non toccare il gatto!
- Mi tocca + infinitive = I have to, I’m stuck doing it (I’d rather not!): Mi tocca lavorare sabato.
- Tocca a me = it’s my turn: A chi tocca?
- In the past: mi è toccato (with essere): Mi è toccato aspettare due ore.
Toccare: to touch
With a direct object, toccare simply means “to touch”:
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Non toccare il gatto! | Don’t touch the cat! |
| Non toccare niente nel museo. | Don’t touch anything in the museum. |
Mi tocca + infinitive: I have to (and I’d rather not)
With an indirect object pronoun (mi, ti, gli, le, ci, vi) and an infinitive, toccare means “to have to.” It always suggests that you’re not happy about it: circumstances force you to do it. It works like piacere: the verb stays in the third person (tocca).
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Mi tocca studiare tutto il weekend. | I have to study all weekend (there’s an exam). |
| Mi tocca pulire casa: arrivano i miei genitori. | I have to clean the house: my parents are coming. |
| Ti tocca rifare il passaporto. | You’ll have to renew your passport. |
| Gli tocca lavorare anche a Natale. | He has to work on Christmas too. |
| Person | Mi tocca… |
|---|---|
| io | mi tocca |
| tu | ti tocca |
| lui / lei | gli tocca / le tocca |
| noi | ci tocca |
| voi | vi tocca |
| loro | gli tocca |
Devo or mi tocca? Devo studiare is neutral. Mi tocca studiare adds a sigh: I have no choice, and I’d rather do something else. See also dovere, servire, avere bisogno.
Tocca a me: it’s my turn
With a + a person, toccare means “to be someone’s turn.” You’ll hear it at the doctor’s, at the bakery, in games:
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| A chi tocca? | Whose turn is it? |
| Tocca a me! | It’s my turn! |
| Adesso tocca a te. | Now it’s your turn. |
| Stasera tocca a Marco cucinare. | Tonight it’s Marco’s turn to cook. |
In the past: mi è toccato
In the passato prossimo, toccare in these meanings takes essere:
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Mi è toccato aspettare due ore dal medico. | I had to wait two hours at the doctor’s. |
| Ci è toccato tornare a piedi. | We had to walk back. |
A bit of Italian culture: toccare ferro
When Italians say something that might bring bad luck, they toccano ferro (touch iron), the Italian version of “knock on wood”: Finora è andato tutto bene… tocchiamo ferro! (So far so good… knock on wood!)
Exercise: mi tocca, tocca a or toccare?
- Domani ______ alzarmi alle cinque. (io, reluctantly)
- Ho giocato io, adesso ______ te!
- Non ______ il forno, è caldo!
- Ieri ______ lavorare fino a tardi. (io, past)
- ______ chi?
Show the answers
- mi tocca
- tocca a
- toccare
- mi è toccato
- Tocca a
Frequently asked questions
What does “mi tocca” mean in Italian?
Mi tocca + infinitive means “I have to,” with the idea that you’re forced by circumstances and not happy about it: mi tocca lavorare sabato.
What does “tocca a me” mean?
It means “it’s my turn.” A chi tocca? = Whose turn is it?
What is the difference between devo and mi tocca?
Devo is a neutral “I have to.” Mi tocca adds reluctance: I have no choice and I’d rather not.
What does “toccare ferro” mean?
It’s the Italian way to say “knock on wood”: Italians touch iron to avoid bad luck.
Practice with my stories
My characters are always stuck doing things they’d rather not do! Here are three stories to hear expressions like mi tocca in context:
Due Amiche e un Album di Fotografie
Level A1
Two friends, an old photo album and a trip through southern Italy.
Gioielli, Caffè e Firenze
Level B1+
Marie moves to Florence, where jewelry making leads to a new life.
Dive deeper: dovere, servire, avere bisogno · indirect object pronouns · Italian slang
