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Mourinho: 'What does 'Daje Roma' mean?' ask British TV presenters

By: Wanted in Rome

Date:

05 May, 2021

Mourinho's use of Roman dialect sparks confusion in the UK.

José Mourinho will take over as manager of Italian Serie A football team AS Roma next season, succeeding Paulo Fonseca, in a move confirmed by the Rome club yesterday.

The arrival of the former Tottenham boss in the Eternal City was announced on Twitter by AS Roma English in a post that saw Mourinho state his enthusiasm about taking up his new role.

José Mourinho to take over as AS Roma manager

However the conclusion of his message - "Daje Roma!" - baffled British journalists on Sky Sport News who struggled to decipher what the four-letter-word might mean and how to pronounce it.

"I think he says something in Italian there, I presume - 'Day-ja... deja Roma - I don't know what that means in Italian, do you?" a Sky Sports presenter asks her colleague, before spelling it out "D-A-J-E."

The other presenter grimaces and suggests it might mean "something like 'forward' or 'with' Roma," before quickly changing the subject.

Romanesco: A guide to Roman dialect

The exchange has caused hilarity in Rome, where the clip has gone viral, but for those who don't already know, what exactly does Daje mean?

There are multiple nuances to this most Roman of expressions, which generally translates as an emphatic "Come on!"

Daje is sometimes used out of exasperation - such as urging a fellow motorist to get a move on - but more often in the positive sense - when celebrating good news or cheering on a football team, the way Mourinho did.

Just to be clear.

DAJE (word used by José Mourinho in his AS Roma announcement tweet) means “c’mon!!!” in Roman dialect.pic.twitter.com/mLZVj1oCrL— Antonello Guerrera (@antoguerrera) May 5, 2021