prosciugare
To dry up in Italian is to prosciugare.
Prosciugare means to become dry or to drain something completely. It is often used metaphorically to describe the act of draining or depleting resources, such as a supply or a bank account.
Meaning: to become dry (verb)
Which one should you use?
While prosciugare implies drying up or draining something entirely, asciugare is the more common verb used for the simple act of drying something, such as a surface or a person, typically using a cloth or an asciugamano (towel).
How does it change in a sentence?
Prosciugare is a regular -are verb. The past participle of prosciugare is prosciugato.
Did you know?
- The verb prosciugare shares a root with the word succo, meaning 'juice'. To 'dry up' something in Italian is literally to remove the 'juice' or essence from it.
- Unlike the English phrasal verb 'dry up', which can be an imperative to stop talking, prosciugare is never used to tell someone to be quiet.
- While prosciugare is used for draining entire lakes or accounts, using it for a small spilled drink would sound strangely dramatic to an Italian ear.
Examples in context
- Ti prego di asciugare i piatti puliti.Please dry up the clean dishes.
- Il sole può prosciugare il terreno.The sun can dry up the ground.
- Spero che il calore non faccia prosciugare il fiume.I hope the heat doesn't make the river dry up.
Example conversation
Lorenzo and Giulia are cleaning a spill in the kitchen.
- LorenzoGiulia, guarda quanta acqua c'è per terra!Giulia, look how much water is on the floor!
- GiuliaPrendo subito uno straccio per prosciugare tutto.I'll get a cloth right away to dry it all up.
- LorenzoGrazie, così non scivoliamo.Thanks, that way we won't slip.
- GiuliaEcco fatto, ora è tutto asciutto.There we go, now it's all dry.
