One of the easiest ways we can learn and remember new words is starting from one word and find all the other words that can be formed with it. In this way, you don’t really have to learn completely new words but just part of them. The only “difficulty”, of course, is remembering their meaning. However, many of the words composed with the same root, with the same part, carry a logical similar meaning, so generally it’s easier to learn and remember what they mean.
So, today, I’m going to give you a list of six words that you can learn by starting with the common Italian word borsa/e – bag/s.
Are you ready? Let’s start.
Borsetta
I just mentioned that borsa means bag, right? Well, when borsa is used with the suffix -etto, which generally indicates either something cute or something small in Italian, it acquires the meaning of handbag.
Examples:
Ieri ho comprato una nuova borsa.
Yesterday I bought a new handbag.
Alla prima del film Federica aveva una borsa d’oro.
At the movie premiere Federica had a golden handbag.
Borsellino
Borsa is the place where you put all the most important objects that you carry around, included a borsellino. Borsellino is the place where you carry your coins. In Italian it can also be called portamonete. In some Italian regions, you can also hear borsellino used as a synonym of portafoglio (wallet).
Examples:
Ieri ho perso il borsellino in piazza.
Yesterday I lost my coin purse in the square.
Io non uso più un borsellino.
I no longer use a coin purse.
Borseggiatore
Borseggiatore in Italian is a person who’s somehow related to bags. Specifically, He’s the person that steals with dexterity handbags, wallets or valuables from passerby without using violence.
Example:
In metropolitana bisogna stare attenti ai borseggiatori.
On the subway you have to watch out for pickpockets.
Ieri la polizia ha arrestato un borseggiatore seriale.
Yesterday, police arrested a serial pickpocket.
Borseggiare
Borseggiare is, of course, the action of stealing with dexterity handbags, wallets or valuables from passerby without using violence.
Examples:
Ieri mi hanno borseggiata sul treno.
Yesterday I was pickpocketed on the train.
Le brave persone non borseggiano i passanti.
Good people don’t pickpocket passersby.
Sborsare
To remember the meaning of the verb sborsare, think of it as to take something out of your borsa, bag, specifically money. In fact, sborsare means to pay, to spend. Now, a warning. In Italian we have the standard verb pagare that means to pay, so if you’re not sure how to use sborsare, I strongly suggest you to use pagare instead. Sborsare in Italian is generally used with people you know very well and it’s generally used when you want to underline the fact that you paid a big amount of money for something, reluctantly or not. It can also be used ironically. Let’s see some examples:
Ho sborsato 1500 euro per questo televisore ma sono soldi ben spesi.
I paid 1500 euros for this TV set but it is money well spent.
Ieri mi è toccato sborsare i soldi per le tasse.
Yesterday I had to cough up for the taxes.
Abbiamo sborsato ben 5 euro per questo libro!
We spent a good 5 euros for this book!
Rimborsare
Rimborsare is almost the opposite of sborsare. It means to return money to someone, generally money that was paid for goods and services that a person didn’t use. In short, it means to refund.
Examples:
Ho restituito le scarpe che avevo ordinato online perché non mi piacevano e così mi hanno rimborsato i soldi.
I returned the shoes I ordered online because I didn’t like them and so they refunded me.
E’ incredibile! Si sono rifiutati di rimborsarmi!
This is unbelievable! They refused to refund me!
Also, in Italian it exists the word rimborso which, of course, is a noun and means the act of returning money (refund).
So, I can rewrite the examples above as:
Ho restituito le scarpe che avevo ordinato online perché non mi piacevano e così mi hanno dato un rimborso.
I returned the shoes I ordered online because I didn’t like them and so they gave me a refund.
E’ incredibile! Si sono rifiutati di darmi un rimborso!
This is unbelievable! They refused to give me a refund!
Did you already know these six Italian words? If you liked this article, don’t forget to share it with the world and to like my Facebook page.
Credits
Original image by gonghuimin468
Palio di Ribusa
