Expand your active vocabulary and speak Italian like a native!

Hi, everybody, I'm Luca and this video is aimed at those amazing people who are learning the Italian language.

If you are one of them, and your goal is to speak fluent Italian, you might wanna subscribe to my channel, because on this channel I regularly upload Italian lessons geared toward those people who would like to speak Italian like a native speaker.

In this lesson, I wanted to explain a number of Italian words and phrases related to this object. That is, I'd like to use this object as a starting point, as inspiration, to talk about some Italian words and expressions.

First of all, what is this object called? What do we call it in Italian? What noun do we use to refer to this object?

Can we call it "una bottiglia"? Can we say that this is "una bottiglia"?

No, we can't use the word "bottiglia". Because this one is not referred to as "bottiglia".

We can call this object either "caraffa" or "brocca". So we can choose: we can say that this one is "una caraffa", or that it is "una brocca".

So the singular is "caraffa", while the plural is "caraffe". Singular form: "brocca", plural form: "brocche".

What's the difference between the noun "brocca" and the noun "caraffa"?

In actual fact, in everyday speech, in today's Italian, the two nouns are used like synonyms. Thus, some people call such objects "caraffe", others call them "brocche".

There are also people who use the word "caraffa" only for glass object, such as this one, right? This one is made of glass. By contrast, they use the word "brocca" to refer to objects having the same shape, used for the same purpose, but made out of ceramic.

Most people, though, use the words "brocca" and "caraffa" interchangeably. That is, like synonyms.

What's unique about a "brocca" or "caraffa" compared to a bottle?

Well, for sure its shape.

What's the difference between a jug (pitcher) and a bottle?

Bottles tend to have an elongated shape. By contrast, jugs (pitchers) are belly-shaped. Well, in Italian we can use the adjective "panciuto". So we can say: "la brocca è un recipiente panciuto".

What does "panciuto" mean?

That it has a slightly bulging shape, so to speak.

I would say that this jug/pitcher doesn't have the typical shape of "caraffe" and "brocche". Jugs are typically belly-shaped.

So this is the first distinctive feature of jugs/pitchers: they have a roundish shape (unlike bottles).

In addition to that, a jug has 2 distinctive parts.

The first is this one, which (in Italian) is called "beccuccio".

And the other is this one, referred to as "il manico".

The noun "beccuccio" refers to the part from which you pour water. Or any liquid that's inside the jug.

"Il manico" refers to the part used for holding the jug.

The objects called "brocche" or "caraffe" are typically a whole object, that is, a single unitary object. This one is rather peculiar in that, as you can see, consists of two parts. That is, you have this part here and the top part, a screw cap, so to speak. So we have the glass jug's body And the orange plastic lid.

This jug can be dismantled. To dismantle it, you just need to screw the cap. I screw the cap and, as you can see, I've separated the 2 parts of this jug.

Alright. This object here in Italian is called "coperchio", while the colloquial term for it is "tappo".

So most people, instead of saying "togliere il coperchio alla brocca" say: "togliere il tappo alla brocca". So "tappo" is a more colloquial word compared to "coperchio".

You surely know the word "coperchio", but you may have not known the word "tappo".

Something peculiar and possibly interesting for those who are learning Italian as a foreign language is that, if I take the cap off this jug/pitcher, I get an objetct that essentially is what we call in Italian "un barattolo". More specifically, "un barattolo di vetro".

So, basically, if I saw this object like this, without its lid, I'd call it "un barattolo". Because there would be no "beccuccio" or "manico". So I shouldn't call it "brocca".

That is, if I only see this part here, I will say that this one is "un barattolo".

By contrast, if I see it like this, I will say that it is "una brocca".

Why?

Because it has "il manico". The noun "manico" refers to this part which is used for holding the jug. And the jug also has "il beccuccio".

You probably know the Transformers, right? Well, for instance, Optimus Prime. So, you see, this one is a jar that can transform, just like a Transformer, into a jug.

Well, that's it!

I hope this video helped you learn new Italian words and phrases.

If you feel like it, in the comments below please write me if you already knew all these words. Or if there were some words that you didn't know.

In the top-right corner I'll add a card to another video you might wanna watch. If you want to speak Italian well, I suggest that you take a look at this video too! Check it out!