Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| girare | /d͡ʒiˈra.re/ | |
| far girare | ||
| ruotare | /rwoˈta.re/ | |
| piroettare | /pi.ro.etˈta.re/ | |
| testacoda | masculine |
The term for spin depends on whether you are describing a general turning motion, a technical rotation or a specific sporting term. While verbs like girare describe general spinning, the word effetto is used in sports like tennis or soccer to refer to the 'spin' put on a ball. As a noun, testacoda can refer to a circular motion.
Which one should you use?
girare is the common word for spinning or turning. In contrast, ruotare is a more technical or formal term used for rotation around an axis. If the movement is a specific spinning movement performed by a dancer or an athlete, use the technical term piroettare.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb girare is intransitive when describing something spinning on its own, but becomes causative when used as far girare (to make something spin).
How do you pronounce it?
/dʒiˈra.re/ (3 syllables, stress on the 2nd syllable)
Did you know?
- While girare means to spin or turn, it is also the standard verb used for filming a movie, such as girare un film.
- The word testacoda is used to describe a car spinning out of control, and it literally translates to 'head-tail'.
- The verb girare comes from the Latin gȳrāre, which is the direct ancestor of the English word 'gyrate'.
Examples in context
- La stanza sta iniziando a girare.The room is starting to spin.This sentence shows how to describe a room starting to spin using girare.Tatoeba #8137366 by Guybrush88, translation #7120335 by CM
- Riesci a far girare una palla da basket sulla punta del dito?Can you spin a basketball on your fingertip?This sentence demonstrates using far girare to describe making a basketball spin.Tatoeba #713928 by Guybrush88, translation #712971 by darinmex
- Ho visto la trottola girare velocemente.I saw the top spinning quickly.
- La ruota gira lentamente.The wheel spins slowly.
- Ti prego di non ruotare la sedia.Please don't spin the chair.
- L'acqua nel lavandino vorticava in modo ipnotico.The water in the sink was swirling hypnotically.
- Guarda come riesce a girare su se stesso.Look how he manages to spin around on himself.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chiara and Alessandro are dancing in the living room.
- ChiaraAlessandro, fammi girare!Alessandro, spin me!
- AlessandroVa bene, tieniti forte.Alright, hold on tight.
- ChiaraSmettila, inizio a girare!Stop it, I'm starting to spin!
- AlessandroScusa, mi fermo subito.Sorry, I'll stop right away.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “spin” translations and entries girare, ruotare, piroettare, testacoda, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries girare, piroettare, ruotare, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
