Italian vocabulary related to the beach (p.2)

I would say that on most beaches there is sand, but that doesn't apply to all beaches.

In fact, there are beaches where there is no sand, but there are stones. To be precise, there are what we call "ciottoli". The singular form is "ciottolo", the plural form is "ciottoli".

It should be pronounced like this, but many people say "ciotolo", "ciotoli". With a single T.

Can you call them "sassi"? Yes, you can call them "sassi", if you want. And in fact many Italians simply say "sassi". Some say "pietre", but honestly, if someone tells me "pietra", well, I think of a slightly bigger stone. Properly speaking, these stones, this type of stones, are called "ciottoli".

They are called like this because this word refers to the fact that these stones have been smoothed by the sea, so to speak. So they have a round shape. They don't have sharp corners.

But the most memorable object of all is quite possibly the beach umbrella. If we think about the beach, beach umbrellas will immediately come to our mind.

The word "ombrellone" is obviously related to the word "ombrello". "Ombrellone" was originally augmentative of "ombrello". So "ombrello" plus the suffix "one".

Nowadays, though, these two words are apparently perceived as two completely different words. To be precise, "l'ombrellone" refers to an umbrella used on the beach, while "l'ombrello" is the object used in all other cases.

I don't know how to explain that, but it is as if they are 2 completely different words. So pay attention not to use the word "ombrello" when you mean "ombrellone". Because "l'ombrello" is the object used when it rains. "L'ombrellone" is the object used on the beach.

What is a beach umbrella for? A beach umbrella serves to shade from the sun. Alright. I would say that this is an informal way of saying that. That is "fare ombra". What does a beach umbrella do? It's a sunshade. As you can see, I use the verb "fare".

If you want to use a more technical verb, you could say "l'ombrellone proietta la sua ombra". But honestly.... (narrator's voice) .... nobody talks like that.

Well, I would say that if we consider the word "ombrellone", its etimology is clear. It is called "ombrellone" because it's a sunshade.

Well, with the word "ombra" it is better to use the preposition A. So we can say: "sedersi all'ombra", "sdraiarsi all'ombra". One could also say: "Preferisco stare all'ombra".

There's also the phrase "stare nell'ombra", but it means something different. It means standing aside, remaining where people won't see you.

Why do people use a beach umbrella? Because the sun may beat down on the beach.

How do we say that in Italian?

We say "il sole picchia". So we use the verb "picchiare". So, if you hear someone saying: "Oggi picchia", it means that the sun is beating down. Because metaphorically it is as if it hit our head.

Another phrase that you could use when the sun is strong is: "C'è un sole che spacca le pietre". What does it mean? The sun is really strong.

Just to be clear, the verb "picchiare" is used when the sun beats down, typically around noon. At 6 AM, even though it's sunny, we wouldn't say "il sole picchia".

Next, well, let's talk about the sea. We can say "il mare è calmo". Or we can say that it is "mosso" or "agitato". You can say either "è mosso" or "è agitato".

Next, let's talk about a very interesting word, which refers to the point where sea waves essentially crash on the beach. This area, which can have different sizes, depending on the shoreline, on the type of beach, etc., may be referred to with 2 different nouns. Technically speaking, one of these nouns is correct. But I would say that most people use the other noun.

The correct noun to indicate the area where waves crash on the beach is "battigia". Most Italians, though, say "bagnasciuga".

There's a historical anecdote related to this word. In a famous speech, Mussolini said precisely "bagnasciuga" and not "battigia". And his speech became famous as "il discorso del bagnasciuga".

To be honest, though, in today's Italian I hardly ever hear "battigia". It seems to me that almost everybody says "bagnasciuga".

If I got this right, in actual fact "bagnasciuga" originally referred to something else. Namely, to the boot topping of a ship which is below the water level. Or rather, to the line separating the part of the boot above the water level, and the part of the boot below the water level. That is, if I got this right. I'm not a ship expert, so I may be mistaken.

Next, well, around a beach umbrella you can typically find beach towels. You can call these objects "asciugamani". Singular "asciugamano", plural "asciugamani". Which is the same noun used to indicate those objects used at home, to dry your face, hands, etc.

You can use this word and say, for example: "asciugamano da mare", or "asciugamano da spiaggia". Or you can just say "asciugamano" and everybody will understand what you mean. There are also people who say "telo da mare". So "telo da mare" and "teli da mare".

Next, on the beach there are those objects that in Italian we call "sdraio".

Alright. The noun "sdraio" is very interesting because it's a noun ending in O, yet is is a grammatically feminine noun. Because in actual fact it's the shortened form of "sedia a sdraio". It originally was "una sedia a sdraio". This phrase has been shortened and today we say "una sdraio".

So pay attention to this word, because most people who are learning Italian make a mistake and say "lo sdraio", "gli sdraio", etc. In actual fact, the correct form is "la sdraio", "le sdraio".

I would like to stress something else. We say /zdraio/ because there's /D/, so the S is pronounced as Z. That is, /zdraio/ - not /straio/. Which by the way would be difficult to pronounce.

Next, there are 2 more words I'd like to discuss.

The first one is "lettino". The word "lettino" essentially refers to something similar to a deckchair, it's just that it's longer. The word "lettino" is clearly diminutive of "letto". But it apparently refers to an object which is quite different from a bed.

So "lettino" can refer to both a small bed, for example a toddler bed, and this object used on the beach. Which is typically "richiudibile". What does it mean? It can be folded.

You should not mix up the word "lettino" with the word "materassino". The word "materassino" refers to a completely different object. It's an object made of plastic which can be inflated. So it is inflatable. People often say "materassino gonfiabile".

So, well, in Italian we have "materasso", which is used in beds. In addition to that, we have "materassino" which typically refers to this object.

Next, well, on the beach you may also see some chairs. Typically, these chairs are different from chairs used at home. They are typically smaller.

Therefore in Italian we can call them "seggiole" or "seggioline". Can we say "sedioline"? In my opinion no, we can't. I for one think that in Italian the word "sedioline" doesn't exist. The diminutive of "sedia" is "seggiolina".

Typically, these are like sunbeds, meaning that they are foldable. They can be folded.

Well, I hope everything is clear and that this video helped you learn something new about the Italian language.

Up here I'll add a card to another lesson you should definitely watch, if you want to expand your vocabulary. Check it out and in the comments below please let me know what you think about this amazing 80s style shirt.

Go to the first part of this lesson.