pastiglie per la tosse
The English phrase "cough drops" is translated into Italian as pastiglie per la tosse.
The term refers to small medicated candies used to soothe a sore throat or reduce coughing. While pastiglie per la tosse is the standard term for these medicated items, you may also hear people use caramelle per la tosse to describe cough sweets.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of pastiglie (pastilles or tablets), per (for), la (the) and tosse (cough).
Which one should you use?
pastiglie per la tosse is the standard way to refer to the medicated drops, whereas caramelle per la tosse is a common alternative used specifically to describe them as candies or sweets.
How does it change in a sentence?
The singular form pastiglia per la tosse is used when you are referring to a single cough drop.
Did you know?
- The root of the word tosse comes from the Proto-Indo-European word for 'to push' or 'hit'.
- The Italian word tosse shares an ancient root with the English word 'tussive', which describes medicine that suppresses a cough.
- While caramelle usually refers to sweets, using it in caramelle per la tosse often implies a product with less medication and more sugar than a pastiglia.
Examples in context
- Mi sento un po' raffreddato. Hai qualche pastiglia per la tosse?I'm feeling a bit sick. Do you have any cough drops?
- Devo comprare delle pastiglie per la tosse.I need to buy some cough drops.
- Hai delle pastiglie per la tosse in borsa?Do you have any cough drops in your bag?
- Le pastiglie per la tosse aiutano molto.Cough drops help a lot.
Example conversation
Chiara and Lorenzo are talking at home about Chiara's cold.
- ChiaraHo la gola molto irritata oggi.My throat is very irritated today.
- LorenzoVuoi delle pastiglie per la tosse?Do you want some cough drops?
- ChiaraSì, grazie Lorenzo, mi servirebbero molto.Yes, thanks Lorenzo, I could really use them.
- LorenzoVado subito a prenderle in cucina.I'll go get them from the kitchen right away.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries la, per, tosse, CC BY-SA 4.0.
