If you've ever walked down an Italian street, you’ve seen this sign a thousand times: passo carrabile. But have you ever actually stopped to think about what it really means? Passo is pretty clear; it has to do with "passage." Note: The noun passo has multiple meanings, and it's also the first-person singular conjugation of the verb passare.
Mi state bloccando il passo.
You are blocking my way.
Caption 1, Caravaggio EP 2 - Part 18
Play Caption
But what does carrabile mean? It’s not a word we learn in standard language apps, and we don't really need to know what it means, literally. We just need to know we can't block that passageway.
The question that led to this lesson was, upon looking at the passo carrabile sign up close: Does carrabile have anything to do with carreggiata (a word you learn at the scuola guida)? The answer is yes.
But if we unlock the root of these words, lots of other words will come into focus, and we'll even see a connection between ancient Rome and modern Italian life.
As English speakers, we could easily find a hidden cognate-type word in carreggiata: carriage or chariot (by way of French). These words all go back to the same word ancient Romans adopted from the Celtic word for a wheeled wagon: "carrus." The Latin word "carrus" became carro in Italian, the word for "cart," as well as "chariot."
E si vede un'incredibile scena di corsa di carri,
And you see an incredible chariot race scene,
Caption 9, Meraviglie EP. 4 - Part 12
Play Caption
The following example is part of a description of the flooding of the Po River in 1951.
Ma quando il Po si gonfiava e usciva dagli argini rimaneva poco da fare. Caricare sui carri le poche cose e aiutarsi l'un l'altro.
But when the Po would swell and rise above its banks, there was little left to do. Load one's few possessions onto carts and help each other.
Captions 25-26, L'arte della cucina Terre d'Acqua - Part 3
Play Caption
Carro is used today for the floats you see in parades or processions.
Come vedi c'è il carro di Santa Rosalia...
As you can see, there's the Saint Rosalia [patron saint of Palermo] float...
Caption 25, Dottor Pitrè e le sue storie - Part 2
Play Caption
It's also used when talking about funerals. It carries the coffin.
Sarà mica un carro funebre?
It wouldn't be a hearse, would it?
Caption 64, Provaci ancora prof! S1E2 - Un amore pericoloso - Part 12
Play Caption
In Italy, when you do the grocery shopping, you frequently use un carrello.
Se devi acquistare poche cose, non c'è bisogno di prendere il carrello della spesa, ma è meglio utilizzare un cestino.
If you have to buy just a few things, there is no need to get a shopping cart, but it is better to use a basket.
Captions 29-31, Vocaboliamo Supermercato - Part 2
Play Caption
If you do any gardening, you probably use una carriola (a wheelbarrow).
Carreggiata: La carreggiata might not be a word you need to know, unless you are studying to get an Italian driver's license (la patente di guida), but it is useful for understanding what carrabile means.
Do you see the suffix -ata in carreggiata? In Italian, that often means a collection or the space made by something. Historically, la carreggiata was the specific 'wagon track'—the part of the road wide enough for heavy carts. Today, it means the structural roadbed meant only for cars.
Le luci dei lampioni che vede sfilare sul bordo della carreggiata gli sembrano degli oggetti volanti non identificati.
The lights of the street lamps that he sees going past along the edge of the roadway look like unidentified flying objects to him.
Captions 2-3, Fulvio Benelli Crimine Infinito, romanzo - Part 3
Play Caption
Un passo carrabile is a passageway accessible to vehicles. In order to claim that space, you need to have authorization from the town.
If you park in a passo carrabile, you might get a ticket or you might get your car towed away by un carro attrezzi.
Ho capito la situazione, ma non... Chiama il carro attrezzi, il soccorso stradale, qualcosa.
I understand the situation, but I can't... Call the tow truck, the roadside assistance, anything.
Captions 38-39, Provaci ancora prof! S2E5 Vita da cani - Part 4
Play Caption
You might see this as two words: carro attrezzi, but it is common to see it as one word: carroattrezzi. It's also called il soccorso stradale (roadside assistance).
Carrozza: The translation is "carriage," and it's the way people traveled before there were trains or cars (horseless carriages). The cart became a carriage. The humble carro became the more elegant carrozza. It was bigger, enclosed, and more complex than a cart and was designed for people. Nowadays, the word is used for an individual carriage, coach, or car of a train. On your ticket, you might see the word carrozza and a number. For example, carrozza 04, posto 41 finestrino (car 4, seat number 41, window seat).
There are plenty of words related to carrozza.
The carrozziere fixes up the body of the car.
Va bene, allora parlo un attimo col carrozziere.
All right. So I'll have a quick word with the body shop guy.
Caption 16, Provaci ancora prof! S1E3 - Una piccola bestia ferita - Part 14
Play Caption
The carrozzeria is the body of the car, the outside, as well as the body shop.
Ah, e c'erano anche dei graffi sulla carrozzeria.
Oh, and there were some scratches on the body.
Caption 21, Francesca alla guida - Part 1
Play Caption
Carrozzella is one of the words for wheelchair, and also means "horse-drawn buggy."
Qua, tolto il figlio con la madre in carrozzella non s'è visto nessuno.
Here, apart from the son with his mother in a wheelchair, I didn't see anyone.
Caption 15, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP3 I giardini della memoria - Part 15
Play Caption
When you go to buy or rent una sedia a rotelle (a wheelchair), it is commonly called una carrozzina.
Come operatore socio sanitario, il mio lavoro consiste nel [sic: nello] stare vicino ai pazienti, nel lavarli, nel vestirli, nel portarli in carrozzina...
As a public healthcare worker, my job involves being there for patients, in washing them, dressing them, in taking them around in a wheelchair...
Captions 22-26, COVID-19 1) Il contagio
Play Caption
La carrellata is a term used in cinema for dolly or tracking shots.
Un bacio al piccolo Robertino e il film motoristico di Rossellini si conclude con una carrellata verso il focolare domestico.
A kiss for the little Robertino and Rossellini's car film concludes with a tracking shot towards the home fires.
Captions 50-51, La Mille Miglia del passato per vivere quella di oggi - Part 2
Play Caption
Even the verb caricare (to load, to charge) comes from that same root, "carrus." Originally, it was "to load up a cart or wagon."
E abbiamo... l'abbiamo caricato nel bagagliaio dell'auto.
And we... we loaded it into the trunk of the car.
Captions 9-10, Provaci ancora prof! S2E6 La strana ossessione - Part 22
Play Caption
Look at all the words from just one root: carro, carrello, carriola, carrabile, carreggiata, carrozza, carrozziere, carrozzeria, carrellata, caricare. Rather than thinking of the English word, try visualizing what they are or what they do.
We close this collection of related words with an Italian saying: mettere il carro davanti ai buoi (to put the cart before the oxen), which is also popular in English, but with horses in place of oxen — Il risultato non cambia (the result is the same).
Thanks for reading. You can write to us at [email protected]. We love to hear from you.
When you buy something in a shop in Italy, one question you might get is whether you would like a bag. But if you think the only word for bag is un sacchetto (the diminutive of un sacco), you're mistaken. Of course, people will understand you if you ask for un sacchetto, but you might hear other words, as well. These can vary according to region or personal preference. So let's take a look.
First of all, let's look at sacco and sacchetto.
Ma che stai comprando un sacco di patate?
But what, are you buying a sack of potatoes?
Caption 47, Un Figlio a tutti i costi film - Part 12
Play Caption
It's good to know that while un sacco can mean a literal sack — containing something like potatoes, potting soil, animal feed, charcoal, kindling, etc., the noun un sacco is commonly used in a figurative sense to mean "a whole lot." It's used for things as well as situations or feelings.
Ti ho appena fatto riparare e ho anche speso un sacco di soldi.
I just had you repaired and I even spent a bunch of money.
Captions 50-51, Provaci ancora prof! S3EP2 Doppio imprevisto - Part 3
Play Caption
Io mi sto divertendo un sacco.
I'm having a lot of fun.
Caption 35, Provaci ancora prof! S3EP2 Doppio imprevisto - Part 22
Play Caption
Ciao, scusami, io ho visto un sacco di gente.
Hi, excuse me, I've seen a whole lot of people.
Caption 1, Passeggiando per Roma per Roma - Part 2
Play Caption
And now we come to sacchetto.
Ho pulito la pistola dalle impronte, l'ho messa in un sacchetto di plastica insieme al proiettile
I cleaned the handgun of fingerprints, I put it in a plastic bag together with the bullet,
Captions 22-23, Provaci ancora prof! S2E5 Vita da cani - Part 9
Play Caption
In certain parts of Italy, such as Emilia-Romagna, un sacchetto is a paper bag, but una sportina is a plastic bag. And nowadays, bags are not free in supermarkets and many shops.
Here is another word for "bag," the kind of bag you will get in a shop or supermarket. It generally refers to a rather small bag.
Vuole una busta?
Do you want a bag?
Caption 16, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone S2 EP1 Cuccioli - Part 7
Play Caption
Busta is an interesting word because busta is also "envelope." But it also refers to a bag, either plastic or paper. If the bag is small, it might be referred to as una bustina. But bustina can also refer to a packet, such as for dried yeast, or tea bags: una bustina di tè.
Duecentocinquanta grammi di farina, io vi consiglio di usare lo zero, una bustina di lievito per dolci,
Two hundred and fifty grams of flour, I advise you to use "zero," one packet of baking powder for desserts,
Captions 1-3, La linea verticale EP8 - Part 7
Play Caption
The noun borsa has various meanings, including handbag, bag, stock exchange (with a capital B), and scholarship (borsa di studio).
Dammi la mia borsa, subito. Non è tua, è di mamma.
Give me my bag, right now. It's not yours, it's Mom's.
Captions 50-51, Com'è umano lui Film - Part 29
Play Caption
Instead of saying either valigia or bagaglio, it's common to use le borse, similarly to English.
Datemi le borse così me le porto in albergo. -Ah, sì, sì e il casco.
Give me your bags, that way I will take them to the hotel. -Ah, yes, yes, and the helmet.
Caption 69, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP4 Maltempo - Part 9
Play Caption
Le borse can also mean, generally, all the shopping bags you bring home from the supermarket.
A man, instead of carrying a handbag, might carry un borsello. It's usually a tracolla (with a shoulder strap).
Se hai smarrito un borsello, l'abbiamo trovato noi, ma è vuoto. Se lo vuoi, te lo vieni a riprendere, sennò lo buttiamo.
If you lost a shoulder bag, we found it, but it's empty. If you want it, come and get it, otherwise, we'll throw it out.
Captions 42-43, Ma che ci faccio qui! Un film di Francesco Amato - Part 6
Play Caption
When you do sports or go to the gym, you might have un borsone for your change of clothes.
Solo Massimo, l'autore del gol, se ne sta davanti alla sua macchina nel parcheggio a cercare nel borsone il caricabatterie.
Only Massimo, the author of the goal, is standing in front of his car in the parking lot, looking in his duffel bag for his battery charger.
Captions 63-65, Fulvio Benelli Crimine Infinito, romanzo - Part 3
Play Caption
The closest cognate to "baggage" is bagaglio, so it's easy to remember.
Ma tutto qui il tuo bagaglio? No, no, no, il resto arriverà.
But is this all your luggage? No, no, no, the rest will come.
Captions 18-19, Il Commissario Manara S1EP1 - Un delitto perfetto - Part 3
Play Caption
Some English speakers use the French word "valise" for "suitcase." "Valise" is a cognate of valigia.
Aiutami a chiudere 'sta [questa] valigia, va'.
Help me shut this suitcase, come on.
Caption 47, Volare - La grande storia di Domenico Modugno Ep. 1 - Part 4
Play Caption
Una valigetta could be a small suitcase, but it commonly refers to a briefcase.
Sei riuscita a vedere che c'è nella valigetta? Un mucchio di soldi. Dobbiamo agire al più presto, OK?
Did you manage to see what's in the briefcase? A bunch of money. We have to act as soon as possible, OK?
Captions 40-41, La Ladra EP. 8 - Il momento giusto - Part 6
Play Caption
Thanks for reading. Perhaps we've given you more than you wanted or needed to know about bags, but you can pick the words you think you might need. If you search a word on the videos page and look at the list of instances of it, you'll get a feel for how these words are used in Italian. Write to us at [email protected].
Just as we have two separate words in English for when we use our ears — "to listen" and "to hear" — we have them in Italian, too. There are a few things to know about the two verbs we use: ascoltare and sentire. On a very basic level, ascoltare (to listen) is more active than sentire (to hear).
E Lei non si è messa dietro la porta ad ascoltare?
And you didn't get behind the door to listen in?
Caption 39, Il Commissario Manara S2EP6 - Sotto tiro - Part 5
Play Caption
Ama sentire il rumore dei suoi passi nei corridoi semideserti,
He loves to hear the noise of his steps in the semi-deserted corridors,
Caption 59, Fulvio Benelli Crimine Infinito, romanzo - Part 3
Play Caption
Signore e signori, è con grande piacere che ascoltiamo la prossima canzone.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great pleasure that we will listen to the next song.
Caption 1, Volare - La grande storia di Domenico Modugno Ep. 2 - Part 23
Play Caption
We can just say ascolta (listen)! or ascoltate (listen [pl])! But we often use an object pronoun, too, as in the following example. Note that we sometimes attach the object pronoun and end up with one word. This can happen with the informal version of the imperative. As you will see, the polite form is different.
Allora, ascoltami bene. Tu non c'hai la mamma, stai qua a fare la cameriera a tutti, qualcuno te le dà pure...
Then, listen to me carefully. You don't have a mother, you're here being a maid to everyone, someone even beats you up...
Captions 5-7, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP2 Come piante fra sassi - Part 4
Play Caption
If I answer that command, to say, for example, "I am listening to you," then I put the object pronoun first, and it's separate.
Ti ascolto.
I'm listening [to you].
Caption 31, Il Commissario Manara S1EP3 - Rapsodia in Blu - Part 9
Play Caption
When we use the polite form of address, we can't attach the personal pronoun to the verb.
Manara, mi ascolti bene.
Manara, listen to me carefully.
Caption 23, Il Commissario Manara S1EP1 - Un delitto perfetto - Part 8
Play Caption
We can listen to a person, but we can also listen to sounds, to music, to the radio.
Era mattina presto e ascoltavo la radio.
It was early morning, and I was listening to the radio.
Caption 3, Volare - La grande storia di Domenico Modugno Ep. 2 - Part 4
Play Caption
We also have the noun form, l'ascolto. We use it with verbs such as dare (to give) or prestare (to lend).
Mamma non mi vuole mandare al concerto. -Non se lo merita. Papà, non le dare ascolto.
Mom doesn't want to let me go to the concert. -She doesn't deserve it. Daddy, don't listen to her.
Captions 3-4, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP2 Come piante fra sassi - Part 5
Play Caption
Colleghi e cittadini... -Attenzione, attenzione, prestatemi ascolto.
Colleagues and citizens... -Hear ye, hear ye, lend me your ear.
Captions 62-63, Volare - La grande storia di Domenico Modugno Ep. 1 - Part 15
Play Caption
We have already mentioned that sentire is more of a passive verb than ascoltare. It corresponds to the verb "to hear." But that's not all! Sentire has to do with the senses, and the sense of hearing — l'udito — is one of them. But sentire is also used for the sense of smell, the sense of touch, and even the sense of taste sometimes.
Sentire can be used to get someone's attention, for example, in a restaurant when you want to call the waiter or waitress. Although literally, it's "Hear [me]," it's a very common way to say, "Excuse me."
Senta, mi sa dire che ore sono adesso?
Excuse me, can you tell me what time it is now?
Caption 11, Barzellette L'asino che dà l'ora
Play Caption
In the first instance of the man wanting to know the time in the video, he uses mi scusi (excuse me).
Mi scusi, buon uomo. Mi sa dire l'ora, per favore?
Pardon me, my good man. Can you tell me the time, please?
Captions 1-2, Barzellette L'asino che dà l'ora
Play Caption
Senta is a different way of saying the same thing, even though it really means "to hear."
In the following example, on the other hand, it's clear we're talking about hearing.
Come dici? No, no, non ti sento.
What are you saying? No, no, I can't hear you.
Caption 57, Il Commissario Manara S1EP2 - Vendemmia tardiva - Part 5
Play Caption
In the following example, we have translated sentire with "to hear," but, come to think of it, Eva might have been talking about not smelling the potatoes frying. Il risultato non cambia (the result is the same)!
Ferruccio, non sento friggere le patate.
Ferruccio, I don't hear any potatoes frying.
Caption 65, La Ladra EP. 6 - Nero di rabbia - Part 9
Play Caption
So sentire presents problems that ascoltare does not. Another issue is that we use sentire very often in its reflexive form, sentirsi. In this case, it means "to feel."
Vi prego, mi sento male!
Please, I'm feeling ill.
Caption 17, La Ladra EP. 7 - Il piccolo ladro - Part 13
Play Caption
There's a common expression with sentirsi plus some particles. It's used when you don't feel up to something, and more often than not is used in the negative.
Sì, lo so, ma io ancora non me la sento di affrontare questo argomento.
Yes, I know, but I don't feel up to facing this subject just yet.
Caption 7, La Ladra EP. 8 - Il momento giusto - Part 2
Play Caption
Or it can be used in a question: Can you do this? Are you up to it?
Te la senti? and in the polite form: Se la sente?
We have talked about both ascoltare and sentire in a previous lesson, with a different slant, so feel free to check it out!
Spanish
French
German
Chinese
English
English 
Español
Français
Deutsch
Italiano
