detersivo per il bucato
The English phrase "laundry detergent" is detersivo per il bucato in Italian.
Detersivo per il bucato refers specifically to a chemical cleaning agent used for washing clothes. In a household context, Italians often shorten the phrase to just detersivo when the context of cleaning clothes is already understood.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of detersivo (detergent), per (for), il (the) and bucato (laundry).
Which one should you use?
While detersivo per il bucato refers to the laundry itself, detersivo per la lavatrice is a common alternative used to specify detergent for the washing machine. If you want to specify powder detergent, you can use detersivo in polvere by adding the phrase in polvere after the noun.
Did you know?
- In Italian, the word bucato for 'laundry' may be related to the Latin word bucca, which means 'mouth'.
Examples in context
- Mi serve del detersivo per lavare i panni.I need some detergent to wash the clothes.
- Devo comprare il detersivo per il bucato.I need to buy laundry detergent.
- Hai finito il detersivo per il bucato?Have you run out of laundry detergent?
- Questo detersivo per il bucato è molto profumato.This laundry detergent is very fragrant.
Example conversation
Alessandro and Giulia are in the kitchen looking at the shopping list.
- AlessandroGiulia, manca il detersivo per il bucato.Giulia, we are out of laundry detergent.
- GiuliaHai ragione, lo scrivo subito sulla lista.You're right, I'll write it on the list right away.
- AlessandroPrendi anche un pacco di sapone.Get a pack of soap too.
- GiuliaVa bene, prendo tutto io.Okay, I'll get everything.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bucato, il, per, CC BY-SA 4.0.
