acqua
/ˈak.kwa/feminine
The Italian word for "water" is acqua, a feminine noun.
acqua is the everyday word for water, from drinking water to the sea. acqua minerale is mineral water.
Meaning: inorganic compound H₂O (noun)
Which one should you use?
When ordering bottled water you choose between acqua naturale, still water and acqua frizzante, sparkling water.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
acqua is feminine. Because it starts with a vowel, "the water" is l'acqua. The plural is acque.
How do you pronounce it?
The IPA is /ˈak.kwa/. It has two syllables with the stress on the first, and the cq is a held k sound followed by a w sound.
When do people say it?
In restaurants waiters often ask whether you want naturale or frizzante, so be ready to pick one.
Did you know?
- Italians use the expression acqua in bocca, meaning 'water in the mouth', to tell someone to keep a secret.
- In many Italian cities, you can find nasoni, large iron drinking fountains that provide free, cold acqua to everyone.
- The Italian phrase fare acqua literally means 'to make water', but it is used idiomatically to describe a plan that is failing or leaking.
Examples in context
- Io non bevo acqua.I don't drink water.Io non bevo acqua means "I don't drink water".Tatoeba #3840285 by Guybrush88, translation #1496058 by weihaiping
- Sami non ha acqua.Sami doesn't have any water.non ha acqua means "doesn't have any water".Tatoeba #11084347 by Guybrush88, translation #7237174 by OsoHombre
- Non c'è acqua qui?Is there no water here?Non c'è acqua qui? asks whether there is any water here.Tatoeba #13078235 by Guybrush88, translation #13001816 by rul
- Posso avere un bicchiere d'acqua?Can I have a glass of water?
- Vuoi un po' d'acqua?Would you like some water?
- Mi porti una bottiglia d'acqua San Pellegrino?Can you bring me a San Pellegrino water bottle?
- È fondamentale bere abbastanza acqua ogni giornoIt's essential to drink enough water every day
- 2399 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Matteo and Giulia are at a restaurant.
- MatteoPosso avere un bicchiere d'acqua, per favore?Can I have a glass of water, please?
- GiuliaCerto, preferisci acqua naturale o frizzante?Of course, do you prefer still or sparkling water?
- MatteoPreferisco l'acqua naturale, grazie.I prefer still water, thank you.
- GiuliaVa bene, Matteo, te la porto subito.Alright, Matteo, I will bring it to you right away.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “water” translations and entries acqua, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
