Learn Advanced Italian!

Hi, there! I am Luca and this video is aimed at those who are learning Italian as a foreign language.

This video, in fact, is part of the advanced Italian course which I have published on YouTube. I'm gonna add in the description below a link to the course, so that, in case you missed some episodes, you can watch them.

In this video I would like to explain 6 verbs which sound very similar, but have quite different meanings. The first verb is "scioccare", the second is "scoccare", the third is "schioccare", the fourth is "scrocchiare" or "scrocchiarsi", the fifth is "scricchiolare" and the sixth is "scroccare".

So, as you can see, these verbs sound very, very similar, and I have noticed that non-native speakers learning Italian often mix them up, because these verbs may indeed lead to confusion, they do sound very similar.

Let me say right away that all of these verbs are regular verbs, so they are quite simple from the point of view of grammar. These are simple verbs ending with -are, they are all the same from this point of view. So, from this point of view, there are no problems.

So I'm not gonna discuss the conjugation, because these verbs have standard forms, they are not irregular. Instead, I'd like to explain the different meanings of these verbs.

Let's start from the first one!

The first verb is "scioccare".

Alright! This verb is clearly related to the English word "shock", it's just that this word is spelled according to the Italian rules, that is, with "scio", but still, this verb comes from the word "shock". So the verb "scioccare" is related to the English word "shock".

What does "scioccare" mean? It means creating an emotional shock to somebody, that is, "hitting" somebody hard from an emotional or psychological point of view.

But let's jump straight into an example!

"Questa notizia mi ha davvero scioccato!"

What does it mean? When I learned this, I was shocked. Learning this piece of news shocked me.

What does "shock" mean? Basically it's a hard "blow" on a psychological or emotional level.

I'm gonna give you another example!

"Ieri sera ho scoperto delle cose che mi hanno scioccato".

What does it mean? I found out some things that shocked me. I found out these things, and this to me has been like a blow, I have been hit hard. I obviously mean "hit" metaphorically, figuratively.

"Quando gli ho detto che cosa era successo, è rimasto scioccato".

What does "è rimasto scioccato" mean? It means: he was shocked, the piece of news I reported to him shocked him, "lo ha scioccato". This person suffered a shock.

Before I move on to the next verb, I'd like to say two things.

The first is that from the verb "scioccare" we get the participle used as an adjective "scioccante" ("scioccante", "scioccanti"), which is a rather common adjective and is used to mean shocking.

For example, I can say: "Ho appreso delle notizie scioccanti". "Ho scoperto una cosa scioccante". Or: "Questa è una cosa davvero scioccante".

In all of these cases, in place of "scioccante", I could use "sconvolgente". The phrase "Notizia sconvolgente" refers to a piece of news which doesn't leave you unaffected, but on the contrary shocks you. What does it mean? That it is like a hard blow for those who learn it.

The second thing which I wanted to say is that the verb "scioccare" is not related to the adjective "sciocco". So "scioccare" is not related to "sciocca", "sciocchi", "sciocche". I said adjective, but it can also be used as a noun. For example, I can say: "Luigi è uno sciocco". "Martina è una sciocca". What does it mean? She is stupid.

Lastly, I'd like to say, about the verb "scioccare", that in actual fact the forms of the present tense are not used that often. This verb is typically used in the passato prossimo tense. Usually, in phrases and sentences such as "sono rimasto scioccato", "mi hanno scioccato", "mi ha scioccato" and so on.

Let's move on to the next verb!

Alright! The next verb is "scoccare".

I would say that this verb is kind of rare. This verb is not too common.

The first meaning of this verb is rather technical and specialized and is limited to bows and arrows. "Scoccare" essentially means shooting an arrow. An arrow is not "lanciata", but it is "scoccata". For example: "L'arciere scocca la freccia".

We use the verb "scoccare" because this movement is quite peculiar. "Scoccare" essentially means shooting something into the distance and is used in reference to bows and arrows.

And to crossbows too, if you want. You probably don't know what "balestra" means. "Balestra" is a type of weapon. It's different from a bow, but it has the same function, so to speak. Meaning that its function is to shoot arrows.

So, if we want to do an example, we can say: "Al segnale del capitano, gli arcieri scoccarono delle frecce incendiarie contro la città".

Please note that "scoccare" is only used for weapons such as bows, crossbows, not in reference to rifles and guns. In that case, we use the verb "sparare", we don't use the verb "scoccare". For this reason I told you that this verb has a rather limited and specific use.

An interesting thing about the verb "scoccare" is that it can also be used intransitively. Therefore, on the one hand we can use it transitively (Eg. "L'arciere ha scoccato una freccia"), while on the other hand we can say: "La freccia è scoccata".

In addition to bows and crossbows, the verb "scoccare" can be used in reference to mechanical devices such as those of clocks. And you may in fact hear sentences such as: "L'orologio ha scoccato le 10", "L'orologio ha scoccato la mezzanotte".

Like I said earlier, "scoccare" can also be used intransitively, and we can say: "È scoccata la mezzanotte". Which is like saying: "La mezzanotte è scoccata".

So, can you see the difference? On the one hand, we can use the verb transitively and say "L'orologio ha scoccato la mezzanotte", on the other hand, we can use it intransitively and say "È scoccata la mezzanotte". "Allo scoccare della mezzanotte".

What does the phrase "allo scoccare della mezzanotte" mean? In the moment when the clock "scocca la mezzanotte", that is, when the clock hands get to midnight. In this sense the verb "scoccare" refers to a sudden noise, a noise which sounds like a sudden blow, and is a synonym of "rintoccare".

If someone says "allo scoccare della mezzanotte", they want to stress the precise moment when all of a sudden you can hear that sound - don, a sudden noise. Can you see the similarity with an arrow? An arrow suddenly starts making that sound... - and the clock suddenly strikes a given hour.

And in Italian the verb "scoccare" is often used figuratively, in sentences such as: "È scoccata la tua ora". What does it mean? Your hour has arrived, your hour has come.

In addition, some people use the verb "scoccare" in reference to traps as well. For example, they may say: "La trappola è scoccata". In this case "scoccare" is similar to "scattare". That is: "La trappola è scattata". Meaning that the trap, which is a mechanical device, snapped or, even better, has been activated.

Moreover, other people use "scoccare" also to say, for example, "scoccare un bacio". What does "scoccare un bacio" mean? It means kissing somebody tenderly, passionately, with passion. "Scoccare un bacio".

This use is slightly improper, because in fact in this case you should say "schioccare", not "scoccare". And in fact most people say "schioccare un bacio", not "scoccare un bacio".

But let's move on to "schioccare"!

"Schioccare" means making a rapid sound, similar to an explosion, a rapid and dry sound, similar to a small explosion.

Just to be clear, "schioccare" refers to the cracking sound made by a whip when it is cracked against the ground. So, if you have a whip, and crack it against the ground, the sound it will make will be something like: tsh, tsh!. This is "schioccare". I hope that you liked my imitation of whipcraking.

Similarly, the verb "schioccare" can be used to indicate this movement (sound), which is made with the middle finger and the thumb, right? And creates this sound, which is like a small explosion. In this case we say "schioccare le dita".

There's also the phrase "schioccare la lingua", which means doing something like this: (sound), that is, quickly releasing the tongue from the palate. This is "schioccare la lingua".

Next, like I said, there's also "schioccare un bacio". Some people say "scoccare un bacio". The idea is the same. It means kissing passionately, so that one clearly hears a smacking sound.

In my opinion, it's more appropriate to say "schioccare un bacio". because the sound made by a kiss is similar to that made when you click your tongue, and which in comics is indicated with the word "smack", right? "smack", I think that it's like that in comics.

But let's go on and move on to the verb "scrocchiare"!

This is a verb with a very, very limited use. In fact, as far as I know, people only say "scrocchiare le dita" or "scrocchiare il collo".

Alright! Some people say "scrocchiare", other people say "scrocchiarsi", other people say "far scrocchiare".

I for one prefer the version with "scrocchiarsi", so I prefer "scrocchiarsi le dita" and "scrocchiarsi il collo". Some people say "scrocchiare le dita", "scrocchiare il collo". Other people, instead, say "far scrocchiare le dita", "far scrocchiare il collo".

Alright. "Scrocchiare le dita" means doing this, until you make a particular sound (krik krik).

Well, I think that there is nobody more qualified than Ken to show the meaning of "scrocchiare le dita", "scrocchiarsi le dita".

Personally, I can no longer do that, because people used to tell me: "Don't do that! Don't! Cracking your fingers is bad for your joints! When you will be old, your hands will shake". So I stopped doing that, and now I'm no longer able to crack my fingers.

In addition, there's "scrocchiare il collo", "scrocchiarsi il collo", which means doing such movement, until you hear (sound) this type of sound, see? Well, this is "scrocchiarsi il collo".

But let's move on to the second last verb: "scricchiolare"!

Alright! The verb "scricchiolare" is slightly different from the others, in the sense that it is slightly longer, I think it has one more sillable. However, I've put it in this group of verbs because it has a similar sound. Therefore, regardless of the number of sillables, it's quite easy to mix up these verbs.

"Scricchiolare" is related to the word "scricchiolio", to the noun "scricchiolio".

"Lo scricchiolio" is a rather peculiar sound: it's the sound you can hear when you walk on an old wooden floor, see? You can hear a creaking sound, a sound like creak creak creak, this type of creaking sound.

Similarly, when you walk on ice, you can hear such squeaking sound, right? When you walk on gravel, you can hear creak creak creak, a sound like that.

The verb "scricchiolare" is in fact onomatopoeic, that is, is based on this sounds, it tries to reproduce this noise. In fact, we say "scricchiolare". Can you hear that? "Scricchiolare". It sounds similar to this noise.

Another thing that "scricchiola" could be a wooden chair, an old chair squeaks, that is, it makes this sound.

In addition, some people also use this verb figuratively. Not me. I've never used it figuratively, to mean that something is starting to show the first signs of slipping.

For example, some people say: "Il loro rapporto iniziava a scricchiolare". Meaning: it started squeaking, which metaphorically represents a sign of the fact that their relationship was breaking down, it was getting worse, it was about to crack.

That's it! But let's go on and move on to the next verb!

The last verb I wanted to discuss is the verb "scroccare".

I have mentioned this verb in this video because it clearly sounds similar to the other verbs we discussed so far, therefore it might be mixed up with these verbs.

In fact, I have already profusely talked about the verb "scroccare", I made a video specifically about the verb "scroccare". Up here I'm gonna add a card to the video I made about the verb "scroccare". If you want, check it out! This is one of the first videos I have made. Anyways, the verb "scroccare" is very, very funny, so you might wanna watch this video!

Before I conclude, let's briefly recap what we said in this video, which was intended to be rather short, but in fact, as usually happens, ended up becoming huge.

In this video we reviewed 6 verbs. I decided to talk about these 6 verbs in the same video, because these verbs sound very similar and are often mixed up by foreigners who study the Italian language.

The first verb which we reviewed is "scioccare". I would say that usually this is the verb causing the least amount of problems, because "scioccare" is clearly related to the word "shock" and isn't typically mixed up with the other verbs.

Next, we have "scoccare", which is related, on the one hand, to arrows, bows, crossbows, and, on the other, to clocks.

Next, there's "schioccare" which is related to whips, it's the sound which whips make when cracked against the ground. There's also "schioccare le dita", (sound) there's "schioccare la lingua". (sound) Ok, I can't do that! Ok, I can't do that! Anyways, I'm sure you understood what sound I'm referring to.

You can also say "schioccare un bacio", precisely because a passionate kiss typically makes that distinctive sound, which in comics is represented as "smack".

Next, I explained "scrocchiare", usually "scrocchiarsi" or "far scrocchiare". This is a verb which has a much more limited use than the others. In fact, we can find it only in the phrases "far scrocchiare le dita", "scrocchiarsi le dita", "scrocchiare le dita", or "scrocchiarsi il collo", "far scrocchiare il collo" and "scrocchiare il collo".

Next, we reviewed "scricchiolare", which is a verb referring to the sound made, for example, when walking on an old wooden floor, when opening an old wooden door which hasn't been properly oiled and so makes creak creak creak, it makes that somewhat unsettling sound.

Lastly, I mentioned the verb "scroccare". I didn't explain the verb "scroccare", because I suggested that you watch a video that I made some time ago. In the top corner I'm gonna add a card to the video I made about "scroccare".

I sincerely hope that you liked this video and - above all - that you've found it useful!

Honestly, these videos where I compare similar verbs are slightly more complex than the others. Or rather, they are much more complex.

I hope that you've found this video useful. If you have found it useful, please leave an amazing "Like" below! In the comments please let me know if you want that in the future I make similar videos, that is, videos where I compare verbs which sound similar or look similar on other grounds.

If you want to share this video with your friends coursemates, or other people who are studying the Italian language, it just makes me happy. Please feel free to do that, if you want to!

Alright! I think I said all the things I wanted to say.

May Advanced Italian always be with you!