Italian · Emotions & Descriptions

"Dirty" in Italian: sporco/a

sporco/a

Say it: SPOR-kohadjective/ˈspor.ko/

Dirty in Italian is sporco (SPOR-koh) masculine and sporca feminine. Plural sporchi / sporche. The verb to get dirty is sporcare.

Kids after the park

Hai i pantaloni sporchi di fango.
Your trousers are dirty with mud.
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How to pronounce sporco/a

Say it

SPOR-koh

/ˈspor.ko/

Sporco stresses SPOR: SPOR-koh. Hard c. Sporca is SPOR-kah.

"Dirty" in Italian: quick reference

ItalianEnglish
sporco / sporcadirty

Clothes, hands, rooms.

tutto sporcoall dirty

After rain or cooking.

mani sporchedirty hands

Before dinner.

sporcareto get dirty / soil

Verb form.

How to use sporco/a in real life

  1. 1Kids after the park

    Hai i pantaloni sporchi di fango.

    Your trousers are dirty with mud.

    Sporchi plural.

  2. 2Kitchen after cooking

    Il piano di lavoro è sporco.

    The countertop is dirty.

    Sporco.

  3. 3Laundry sort

    Questa maglia è troppo sporca per oggi.

    This shirt is too dirty for today.

    Sporca feminine.

Mistakes English speakers make with sporco/a

Incorrect: La maglia è sporco.

Correct: La maglia è sporca.

Agree: sporca feminine.

Incorrect: Le scarpe sono dirty.

Correct: Le scarpe sono sporche.

Use sporche, not English dirty.

Good to know

Saying è tutto sporco is the flatmate sigh after a party. Parents still bark mani sporche before anyone touches the bread basket.

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Coming in from the rain

  1. ChatPal

    Il pavimento è sporco di fango: togli le scarpe.

    The floor is dirty with mud: take off your shoes.

  2. You

    Hai ragione, sono tutto sporco.

    You're right, I'm all dirty.

  3. ChatPal

    Passami lo straccio, puliamo lo sporco subito.

    Pass me the cloth, let's clean the dirt right away.

  4. You

    Ok, lo faccio io.

    Ok, I'll do it.

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"Dirty" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Dirty" in Italian

Feminine form?

Sporca.

Dirty hands?

Mani sporche.

Verb?

Sporcare — to get something dirty.

Plural masculine?

Sporchi.

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