How to Say “Hide” in Italian

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nascondere
/nasˈkon.de.re/
To hide in Italian is nascondere.
The primary way to express the action of putting oneself in a place where one is harder to find is through the verb nascondere. Related terms include nascondiglio for a hiding place, luogo appartato for a hideaway and Nascondino for the game of hide and seek. To describe someone avoiding reality or problems, the idiom mettere la testa sotto la sabbia is used, which literally means putting one's head under the sand. If you are talking about the skin of an animal, the word pelle is used instead.
Meaning: (intransitive) put oneself in a place where one will be harder to find (verb)

Which one should you use?

There is an important distinction between hiding an object and hiding yourself. The form nascondere is transitive and is used when you are hiding something else. To express the intransitive meaning of hiding oneself, you must use the reflexive form nascondersi. Additionally, dissimulare is used when the sense of concealing or masking something involves an intention to deceive.

Related words

Skin of an animal (noun): pelle.

How does it change in a sentence?

To express the intransitive meaning 'to hide oneself', the reflexive form nascondersi is used.

How do you pronounce it?

/nasˈkon.de.re/. The word has 4 syllables, and the stress is on the 2nd syllable.

What mistakes should you avoid?

English speakers often mistakenly use the transitive nascondere when they mean 'to hide oneself'. In Italian, you must use the reflexive form nascondersi for this sense.

Did you know?

  • If you are talking about 'hiding' or tanning the skin of an animal, you must switch to the word pelle, as nascondere is never used for leatherwork.
  • The verb nascondere shares its distant ancestor with the English word 'abscond', which means to depart secretly or hide away to avoid detection.
  • The Italian word for the game of hide and seek, nascondino, uses a diminutive suffix to make the act of hiding sound small and playful.

Examples in context

  • Io mi devo nascondere.
    I have to hide.
    This sentence is useful for expressing the necessity of hiding.
    Tatoeba #4973606 by Guybrush88, translation #1744877 by Amastan
  • Non ti devi nascondere.
    You don't have to hide.
    This sentence is useful for expressing that someone does not need to hide.
    Tatoeba #7927209 by Guybrush88, translation #3823875 by CK
  • Ci nasconderemo in Egitto.
    We'll hide in Egypt.
    This sentence is useful for describing a future action of hiding in a specific location.
    Tatoeba #779232 by rado, translation #780880 by ingenius000
  • Devo nascondere il mio regalo di compleanno
    I have to hide my birthday gift
  • Desidero celare i miei veri sentimenti
    I wish to hide my true feelings
  • Sto cercando di dissimulare la mia preoccupazione
    I'm trying to hide my worry
  • Mi devo nascondere per sfuggire allo stress
    I have to hide to escape from stress
  • Facciamo una partita di nascondino?
    Shall we play hide-and-seek?
  • 304 more sentences on Tatoeba

Example conversation

Matteo and Martina are playing hide and seek.

  1. Matteo

    Dove vuoi nascondere?
    Where do you want to hide?
  2. Martina

    Vado a nascondere dietro il divano.
    I'm going to hide behind the sofa.
  3. Matteo

    È troppo facile nascondere lì!
    It's too easy to hide there!
  4. Martina

    Allora non dirmi dove nascondere.
    Then don't tell me where to hide.

Sources

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Josephine Betty
Josephine BettyHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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