bicarbonato di sodio
/bi.kar.boˈna.to di ˈsɔ.djo/word by word
The English phrase 'bicarbonate of soda' is translated into Italian as bicarbonato di sodio.
In everyday conversation or when shopping, Italians often shorten the phrase to just bicarbonato.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a literal translation of 'bicarbonate of sodium', where di means 'of' and sodio means 'sodium'.
Did you know?
- The word sodio likely traces its roots back to the Arabic word ṣudāʕ, meaning 'headache'. This is because the substance was historically used to treat headaches.
- Unlike English, which uses 'soda' to refer to both the powder and the carbonated drink, bicarbonato is strictly for the powder and is never used to describe a soft drink.
- While bicarbonato di sodio is the chemical name, you will often find it sold in Italian pharmacies as a health supplement rather than just in the baking aisle of a supermarket.
Examples in context
- Salve, avete del bicarbonato di sodio?Hello, do you have any bicarbonate of soda?
- Hai del bicarbonato?Do you have any bicarbonate of soda?
- Serve un po' di bicarbonato di sodio.A little bit of bicarbonate of soda is needed.
- Ho comprato il bicarbonato di sodio per pulire.I bought bicarbonate of soda to clean.
Example conversation
Giulia and Matteo are in the kitchen preparing a recipe.
- GiuliaMatteo, hai preso il bicarbonato di sodio?Matteo, did you get the bicarbonate of soda?
- MatteoSì, è proprio qui sul tavolo.Yes, it is right here on the table.
- GiuliaOttimo, iniziamo subito a preparare l'impasto.Great, let's start preparing the dough right away.
- MatteoVa bene, controllo subito la ricetta.Okay, I'll check the recipe immediately.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry bicarbonato di sodio, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (bicarbonato, di, sodio) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bicarbonato, di, sodio, CC BY-SA 4.0.
