aspirapolvere
/asˌpi.raˈpol.ve.re/
The Italian word for 'vacuum' is aspirapolvere.
In Italian, aspirapolvere is a noun referring to the vacuum cleaner itself. To express the action of vacuuming, Italians typically use the phrase passare l'aspirapolvere, which literally means 'to pass the vacuum cleaner'.
Meaning: transitive: to clean with a vacuum cleaner (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
The word aspirapolvere is a compound of aspira (sucks or inhales) and polvere (dust).
Which one should you use?
It is important to distinguish between the appliance and the concept of a vacuum. While aspirapolvere refers to the vacuum cleaner, the word vuoto is used to describe a physical vacuum or an empty space.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun aspirapolvere is invariable in number, meaning it remains the same whether you are talking about one vacuum cleaner or several.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /asˌpi.raˈpol.ve.re/. It has 6 syllables, with the stress on the 4th syllable.
Did you know?
- The root aspira comes from the verb aspirare, which in a figurative sense means 'to aspire' or 'to hope for' something great.
- The word polvere not only means 'dust' but is also the Italian word for 'gunpowder', which is polvere da sparo.
- If an Italian forgets something suddenly, they might say they have a vuoto in their mind, using the same word for a scientific vacuum.
Examples in context
- I gatti odiano gli aspirapolvere.Cats hate vacuum cleaners.This sentence uses aspirapolvere to show that cats dislike vacuum cleaners.Tatoeba #12762767 by Guybrush88, translation #870412 by Scott
- Questo aspirapolvere fa molto rumore.This vacuum cleaner makes a lot of noise.This sentence uses aspirapolvere to describe a noisy vacuum cleaner.Tatoeba #622805 by Guybrush88, translation #58038 by CK
- Tocca a te passare l'aspirapolvere per la casa.It's your turn to vacuum the house.This sentence uses the phrase 'passare l'aspirapolvere' to describe the chore of vacuuming the house.Tatoeba #6994173 by Guybrush88, translation #2953157 by CK
- Dov'è l'aspirapolvere?Where is the vacuum?
- Mi scusi, dov'è l'aspirapolvere?Excuse me, where is the vacuum?
- Ho bisogno di un'aspirapolvere.I need a vacuum cleaner.
- Quanto costa l'aspirapolvere?How much does the vacuum cost?
- Questo modello ha una buona potenza di aspirazione.This model has good suction power.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Giulia and Francesco are cleaning their living room together.
- GiuliaFrancesco, puoi passare l'aspirapolvere qui?Francesco, can you vacuum here?
- FrancescoCerto, dove si trova l'aspirapolvere?Sure, where is the vacuum cleaner?
- GiuliaÈ nel ripostiglio dietro la porta.It's in the closet behind the door.
- FrancescoVa bene, passo l'aspirapolvere subito.Alright, I'll vacuum right away.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry aspirapolvere, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
