aspirapolvere
/asˌpi.raˈpol.ve.re/
The Italian word for "hoover" is aspirapolvere.
aspirapolvere refers to a machine used to clean floors by sucking up dust and dirt.
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a compound of aspirare, meaning to suck or aspire and polvere, meaning dust. Literally, it is a "dust sucker".
How does it change in a sentence?
aspirapolvere is a masculine noun. It is invariable in the plural, so you would say gli aspirapolvere to refer to multiple vacuum cleaners.
How do you pronounce it?
/asˌpi.raˈpol.ve.re/. The word has 6 syllables, with the stress on the 4th syllable.
Did you know?
- The root aspirare in aspirapolvere is the same word used for 'aspiring' to a goal, linking the physical act of sucking dust to the mental act of longing for something.
- The word for dust, polvere, is also the word used for 'gunpowder', or polvere da sparo. This means the name of your cleaning tool contains the same word used for an explosive.
- While English speakers might say 'to hoover' the rug, an Italian would say passare l'aspirapolvere over it. You are literally 'passing the dust-sucker' rather than performing the action itself.
Examples in context
- Dov'è l'aspirapolvere?Where is the Hoover?
- Mi passi la scopa elettrica, per favore?Could you pass me the Hoover, please?
- Quando pulisco casa, utilizzo l'aspirapolvere per rimuovere la polvere dai tappeti.When I clean the house, I use the Hoover to remove dust from the carpets.
- Dovresti svuotare il sacchetto dell'aspirapolvere prima che diventi troppo pieno.You should empty the Hoover bag before it gets too full.
- La mia scopa elettrica ha una spazzola rotante per raccogliere i peli dei miei animali domestici.My Hoover has a rotating brush to collect pet hair.
- Devo comprare un nuovo aspirapolvere.I need to buy a new vacuum cleaner.
- L'aspirapolvere è rotto.The vacuum cleaner is broken.
- Dove hai messo l'aspirapolvere?Where did you put the vacuum cleaner?
Example conversation
Lorenzo and Giulia are in the living room cleaning the house.
- LorenzoGiulia, puoi passare l'aspirapolvere in salotto?Giulia, can you run the vacuum cleaner in the living room?
- GiuliaSì, lo faccio subito.Yes, I'll do it right away.
- LorenzoGrazie, l'aspirapolvere è molto rumoroso.Thanks, the vacuum cleaner is very noisy.
- GiuliaLo so, ma pulisce molto bene.I know, but it cleans very well.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry aspirapolvere, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
