Build your Italian vocabulary and speak fluent Italian!

Hi, everybody! I'm Luca and this video is for those learning the Italian language.

More specifically, this video is aimed at those amazing people who understand Italian, but, when speaking, may at times realize that they don't know specific words.

If you are one of them, and would like to expand your vocabulary to speak Italian like a native, please continue watching, because in this video I'll explain a lot of words and phrases related to this object.

If you haven't done it already, you might wanna subscribe to my channel, because on this channel I regularly upload Italian lessons about various topics related to the Italian language and grammar. In my lessons I usually talk about things which are not explained in Italian courses.

In this episode, for instance, I wanted to explain a number Italian words and phrases related to this object.

As you can see, here I stand with my Porsche. This reminds me of that video starting with a guy saying "I'm here in my Garage. It's me and my Lamborghini". Well, here it's me and my Porsche.

Alright. I took this car to discuss the words that we use in Italian to indicate the different parts of a car.

Alright. First of all, let me say right off the bat that this object in Italian is called "macchina". Not "automobile", but "macchina". To be precise, "automobile" is a technical term. In everyday speech, in today's Italian everbody says "macchina".

Needless to say, "macchina" refers to the real object. This is not "una macchina". This can be called "un modellino di una macchina".

Well, in general I suggest that you use the word "macchina" and not the word "automobile".

If you still want to use the word "automobile", remember that this is a feminine noun. So it should be: "Questa automobile" and not "Questo automobile". So an example sentence could be: "Questa automobile è molto costosa". As you can see, we should use a grammatically feminine adjective.

Anyways, like I said, I suggest that you say "macchina" and not "automobile".

There is also a shortened version of "automobile", which is "auto". The word "auto" is feminine as well.

I tell you this just for the sake of completeness. Still, I'd say that 99% of Italians use the word "macchina", not the word "automobile".

To be precise, this is true for everyday speech. It's clear that, in technical speech, people also use the word "automobile". In ads you may see the word "automobile", but when people talk, they always use the word "macchina".

That being said, let's talk about the distinctive elements of a car.

Alright. The most distinctive element is called "le ruote". These are "le ruote". This one is "una ruota". These are 2 "ruote". Cars have 4 "ruote".

What are "le ruote" for?

Le ruote girano. In everyday speech, everybody says: "le ruote girano". Faccio girare la ruota.

This one is called "ruota anteriore", because it's located at the front. This is referred to as "una ruota posteriore". So cars have 2 "ruote anteriori" and 2 "ruote posteriori".

The exterior, black part, so to speak, of a wheel is called "pneumatico". Back in the day, people said "il pneumatico". Now "lo pneumatico" is more fashionable.

The central part, this metal rim, is called "cerchione", "il cerchione", "i cerchioni".

Then you have this part here, which is called "portiera". Portiera. You can surely see the similarity to the word "porta".

Can you call it "porta"?

No, you can't. This one is called "portiera". Una portiera, due portiere. Some people say "sportello", but honestly, in my opinion, this one should be called "portiera".

Alright. Next, we have this part here, right?! Which in general many call "finestrino".

In actual fact, this part should be called "parabrezza". This is a compound word: para - brezza. Because it blocks, or rather it protects, just like a shield, from "la brezza".

What does "la brezza" mean?

"La brezza" is the wind, because when you drive, you know better than I do, when you throttle up, when start going fast, the wind blows against you.

So, well, the etymology of the word "parabrezza" is quite transparent. It essentially means: a shield protecting from the blowing breeze.

Alright. It seems to me that most people say /parabrettsa/, so this double Z is pronounced like this. Theoretically, if I got this right, the word "brezza" is supposed to be pronounced like /breddza/. Quite frankly, I have always heard /parabrettsa/.

So it is "il parabrezza". A rather peculiar word, a compound word ending with A and yet grammatically masculine. So an example sentence could be: "Il parabrezza si è rotto". As you can see, I need a masculine past participle.

Let me say right away that many call it simply "finestrino". They say: "il finestrino davanti".

Just to be clear, these are also called "finestrini".

Well, this car doesn't have visible "finestrini", because it's a rather peculiar car, this car is called "decappottabile". So it's a car without roof.

Well, you see? This part is retracted. Cars normally have a part here which is referred to as "tettuccio". In this car there's no such "tettuccio". Or rather, there is a "tettuccio decappottabile" that can be retracted. This type of car is called "macchina decappottabile".

This part is called "la portiera". This part is called "il finestrino". Specifically, this is called "finestrino laterale", because it's on the side.

Car doors can be closed or opened. By contrast, a side window can be raised or lowered. There could be a hand-turned crank, mostly in really old cars, or a button that you press, you hold this button and the side window will go up or down.

Then you have this part here, this part at the front, which in Italian is called "cofano". Il cofano. The engine is typically located here.

There there's this part at the rear, which should be called "bagagliaio", where you put your luggage, groceries, etc. It's normally empty, right? In this case, though, inside there's the engine, so it wouldn't be accurate to call this part "bagagliaio". "Il bagagliaio" refers to that hollow compartment which is used, as the name suggests, for "i bagagli".

Next, you have this part here, I hope you can see it, which is called "specchietto". So this is diminutive of "specchio". You surely know what "specchio" means. This one is called "uno specchietto". Plural: "specchietti".

In particular, this side mirror is technically called "specchietto retrovisore".

What does the word "retrovisore" mean? That allows you to see rearward.

Needless to say, in everyday speech nobody says "lo specchietto retrovisore". Everybody says "lo specchietto". That is, if someone tells me "lo specchietto", I immediately get that they are referring to this car part.

Next, we have these 2 very interesting objects, I'm not sure if you can see them, which in Italian are called "tergicristallo" or "tergicristalli".

"Tergicristallo" is a very interesting word, it's a compound word. You have the verb "tergere" which essentially means cleaning. And you also have the word "cristallo". The word "cristallo" refers to the windshield. Obviously, the windscreen is not made of crystal, it's made of glass, of a special glass. These objects, though, are called "i tergicristallo", some people say "i tergicristalli".

You might be asking yourself: What's the connection to crystals?

In fact, crystals have nothing to do with it. They might as well have been called "i tergivetri". The technical term is "tergicristallo", though.

When it rains, you activate the windscreen wipers, which will move like this and clean the windscreen.

Because you know, right? When it rains, raindrops stick to the windshield and reduce visibility.

So the wipers are used for removing raindrops and cleaning the windscreen.

Next, you have these 2 objects.

The main lights are called "fanali". "Fanali" is the plural, the singular is "fanale". This is a (grammatically) masculine word. Il fanale, i fanali.

Next, here at the rear there are "le luci dello stop". When you push the brake pedal down, these lights come on.

Next, cars normally have an additional set of lights. In this model car you can't see them. In Italian such lights are called "frecce". They are located on the sides of the car.

In Italian we say "mettere la freccia", for instance, "a destra", when we turn on the light on the right side, showing to those behind us that we are going to "voltare a destra", that is "girare a destra". I said "voltare", but I wanted to say "svoltare", "svoltare a destra", "girare a destra", "sterzare a destra".

Oh, I almost forgot the most important element in a car, this one, which is used for steering. It is normally referred to as "volante". Il volante.

Next, like I said, the most important car part, the part moving the car, is called "il motore". This one is "il motore". The engine is usually located at the front.

Oh, yes, I almost forgot this part. This part here is called "paraurti". Il paraurti. It's a masculine noun. It's a compound noun. Again, we have the verb "parare", meaning blocking, and "urti".

What does "paraurti" mean?

It means: structure protecting against impact, that is, if we crash against something, this object will reduce the impact.

Next, this object similar to a chair we sit on, is called "sedile". Il sedile. Please don't call this object "sedia" because it's not called "sedia", it's referred to as "sedile". "Il sedile della macchina". "Il sedile" singular, plural: "i sedili".

Specifically, we have "i sedili anteriori" and "i sedili posteriori". To be precise, "il sedile del guidatore" which is located, in Europe, or better still in Italy, on the left. "Sedile del guidatore". And "il sedile del passeggero", which is the seat on the right or in any case on the side where there's no steering wheel.

Next, cars also have a part called "freno a mano", here, hopefully you can see it, but I'm not sure if you can see it. You pull this object to suddenly stop the car, it's like the brakes, except that you operate it with your hand.

Some cars also have a so called "cambio manuale". "Il cambio" refers to an object which looks like a stick that can be moved into specific positions to select the first gear, the second, the third, the fourth, the fifth, and in some cases the sixth gear.

Well, cars equipped with automatic transmission clearly don't have such lever. Or rather, they have a slightly different stick.

This one is called "leva del cambio" or simply "il cambio".

Next, well, now I can't show it to you, but cars have 3 "pedali" operated with the foot. Il pedale della frizione, il pedale dell'acceleratore e il pedale del freno.

Well, these 3 objects are called "pedali". Singular "pedale", plural "pedali". They are called "pedali" because they are operated with the foot, you put the foot on it and push it.

Well, that's it!

I hope this video helped you learn new words.

In the comments below please let me know if you have found it useful or conversely if in fact you already knew all these words.

Also let me know what you think about this format, about this type of video, and if you want that I make more of them in the future.

Please let me know what topics interest you the most.

Well, that's it!

In the top corner I'll add a card to a video you might wanna watch, if you want to speak good Italian. Check it out!