denti
The English phrase "teeth" is denti in Italian.
The word denti refers to teeth. When you want to say "to brush one's teeth," Italians use the phrase lavarsi i denti, which literally means "to wash oneself the teeth".
How does it change in a sentence?
The singular form of denti is dente (tooth). When talking about body parts in Italian, you use the definite article i instead of a possessive adjective like "my" or "your". For example, instead of using a possessive, you would say i denti.
Did you know?
- The Italian phrase dente per dente is the equivalent of 'an eye for an eye', describing a desire for exact retaliation.
- The word dente is used in the term dente di leone, which literally means 'lion's tooth' and is the Italian name for the dandelion.
- Italian uses the word dente in the phrase a denti stretti, which means to do something 'with clenched teeth' or through great effort and endurance.
Examples in context
- Si lavi i denti.Brush your teeth.Tatoeba #991872 by Guybrush88, translation #263638 by CK
- Mi lavo i denti.I brush my teeth.Tatoeba #1828159 by Guybrush88, translation #526275 by mutskt
- Le lavo i denti.I brush her teeth.Tatoeba #3271243 by Guybrush88, translation #3271237 by Luornu
- 297 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Giulia and Alessandro are at the dentist's office.
- GiuliaIl dottore deve controllare i miei denti.The doctor needs to check my teeth.
- AlessandroHai paura per i tuoi denti, Giulia?Are you afraid for your teeth, Giulia?
- GiuliaUn po', ma non mi fanno male i denti.A little, but my teeth do not hurt.
- AlessandroAllora non dovresti preoccuparti.Then you shouldn't worry.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
