pioggia forte
/ˈpjɔd.d͡ʒa ˈfɔr.te/word by word
Heavy rain in Italian is pioggia forte.
The phrase is used to describe rain that falls with great intensity or force. You can also use the related terms pioggia intensa for a more formal context, diluvio to describe a deluge or torrential rain or acquazzone to mean a downpour. If you are referring to a period of heavy rain or a rainstorm, you might use abbondanti piogge.
Which one should you use?
While pioggia forte is the standard way to express the concept, you can also swap the word order to say forte pioggia to mean the same thing. For a heavy shower, use rovescio and for an extremely heavy, torrential rain, use diluvio. If the rain is associated with a heavy sea storm, the term mareggiata is used.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of pioggia forte is /ˈpjɔd.dʒa ˈfɔr.te/. It has 4 syllables, and the stress is on the first syllable.
Did you know?
- In some Italian regions, a heavy rain is colloquially described as piove a catinelle, which means it is raining 'buckets'.
- The word pioggia shares a distant ancestor with the English word 'flood', both tracing back to the Proto-Indo-European root for 'to flow'.
- The word forte in pioggia forte is the same word used to describe a loud volume in music, reflecting its root meaning of 'strong' or 'powerful'.
Examples in context
- Domani ci sarà una pioggia intensa.Tomorrow there will be heavy rain.
- La regione ha subito abbondanti piogge questo mese.The region experienced heavy rains this month.
- Appena sono uscito, è iniziato un diluvio!As soon as I went out, it started pouring!
- I bambini sono rimasti a casa a giocare a carte durante il temporale.The children stayed home playing cards during the heavy rainstorm.
- Non amo la pioggia forte.I do not like heavy rain.
- La pioggia forte ha interrotto la partita.The heavy rain interrupted the match.
Example conversation
Francesco and Martina are looking out the window.
- FrancescoGuarda che pioggia forte!Look at that heavy rain!
- MartinaSì, non possiamo uscire adesso.Yes, we cannot go out now.
- FrancescoPrenderai l'ombrello, Martina?Will you take the umbrella, Martina?
- MartinaSì, serve per questa pioggia forte.Yes, it's needed for this heavy rain.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (pioggia, forte) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries forte, pioggia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
