Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA |
|---|---|
| inzuppare | /in.d͡zupˈpa.re/ /in.t͡supˈpa.re/ |
| intingere | /inˈtin.d͡ʒe.re/ |
| immergere | /imˈmɛr.d͡ʒe.re/ |
The word for 'dip' depends on your intention. Use intingere when you are dipping food into a sauce or liquid, such as bread into oil. If you are describing a dip meant specifically for food, you might use the phrase Salsa da intingere or describe a creamy dip as Salsa cremosa.
Which one should you use?
The three main forms differ based on the action being performed: intingere is used for the specific act of dipping food into a liquid. inzuppare is used when the goal is to soak or drench something thoroughly so that it becomes heavy with liquid. And immergere is used for the more complete or formal action of submerging an object or a body part into a liquid.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
inzuppare is pronounced /in.dzupˈpa.re/. It has 4 syllables, with the stress on the 3rd syllable.
Did you know?
- The word zuppa in inzuppare originally referred to the piece of bread used to soak up liquid, not the liquid broth itself.
- The word intingere shares a root with the English word 'tinge', as both come from the Latin tingere, meaning to dye or color.
- While immergere means to dip or submerge, it is also the standard term used in Italian for the act of 'diving' into a pool.
Examples in context
- Mi scusi, potrebbe portarmi una salsa per le patatine?Excuse me, could you bring me a dip for the chips?
- Passami la salsetta per i bastoncini di verduraPass me the dip for the vegetable sticks
- Fammi assaggiare quella salsina!Let me taste that dip!
- Mi scusi, potrebbe portarmi una salsa per accompagnare il pane?Excuse me, could you bring me a dip to accompany the bread?
- Puoi inzuppare il biscotto nel tè.You can dip the biscuit in the tea.
- Mi piace inzuppare il pane nella salsa.I like to dip the bread in the sauce.
- Non dimenticare di inzuppare il cracker.Don't forget to dip the cracker.
Example conversation
Francesco and Sofia are having breakfast together.
- FrancescoSofia, vuoi inzuppare i biscotti nel caffè?Sofia, do you want to dip the cookies in the coffee?
- SofiaSì, grazie, mi piace molto farlo.Yes, thanks, I really like doing that.
- FrancescoAttenzione a non inzupparli troppo.Be careful not to dip them too much.
- SofiaNon preoccuparti, Francesco, so come fare.Don't worry, Francesco, I know how to do it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dip” translations and entries inzuppare, intingere, immergere, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
