Bagnare is a common verb used to describe the act of wetting something with liquid.
bagnare en 30 secondes
- make wet
- dampen
- soak
§ Understanding 'bagnare' in everyday life
When you're learning a new language, it's really helpful to understand how words are used in real-life situations. That's why we're going to look at the Italian verb 'bagnare' (to make something wet) and explore where you might actually hear it, especially in places like work, school, or the news.
§ At home and daily chores
The most common place you'll use or hear 'bagnare' is probably around the house. Think about all the things that get wet every day.
- DEFINITION
- To make something wet; to soak, to drench.
For example, if you're watering plants, you're making them wet. If you spill water, you're making the table wet.
Devi bagnare i fiori ogni due giorni. (You need to [make wet/water] the flowers every two days.)
Ho bagnato la maglietta mentre lavavo i piatti. (I [made wet/got wet] my t-shirt while washing the dishes.)
§ In a work setting
Depending on the job, 'bagnare' can come up in various ways. For instance, in a restaurant, a waiter might accidentally spill something.
Attenzione a non bagnare i documenti. (Be careful not to [make wet/get wet] the documents.)
In construction or gardening, you might hear it when talking about preparing materials or land.
Before laying bricks, it's often necessary to bagnare them to ensure better adhesion. (Prima di posare i mattoni, è spesso necessario bagnarli per una migliore adesione.)
The gardener needs to bagnare the newly planted saplings. (Il giardiniere deve bagnare le giovani piantine appena piantate.)
§ At school
While not as common as at home, 'bagnare' can still pop up in a school environment. Think about art classes or science experiments.
Ricorda di bagnare il pennello prima di usare la tempera. (Remember to [make wet/wet] the brush before using tempera paint.)
Lo studente ha accidentalmente bagnato il suo quaderno con l'acqua. (The student accidentally [made wet/got wet] his notebook with water.)
§ In the news and weather reports
The news, especially weather reports, is a great place to encounter 'bagnare'. You'll often hear it in descriptions of rain or floods.
Le forti piogge hanno bagnato gran parte della regione. (The heavy rains [made wet/soaked] a large part of the region.)
Si prevede che un'ondata di freddo bagnerà il nord Italia questo fine settimana. (A cold front is expected to [make wet/bring rain to] northern Italy this weekend.)
§ Common expressions and nuances
Sometimes 'bagnare' is used in slightly idiomatic ways. For instance, to 'wet your whistle' is a common phrase in English, and Italian has similar ideas.
To bagnare something with sweat: This means to soak something with sweat. (Ad esempio, bagnare la camicia di sudore dopo un'attività fisica intensa.)
'Bagnare il pane': literally 'to wet the bread', often implying dipping bread in a sauce or soup. (Mi piace bagnare il pane nel sugo di pomodoro.)
Understanding these various contexts will help you use 'bagnare' naturally and correctly in your Italian conversations.
Niveau de difficulté
The word is short and common.
Regular conjugation and straightforward spelling.
Pronunciation is phonetic with a common 'gn' sound.
Common verb, easy to recognize in context.
Quoi apprendre ensuite
Prérequis
Apprends ensuite
Avancé
Exemples par niveau
Ho bagnato i miei vestiti sotto la pioggia.
I got my clothes wet in the rain.
Puoi bagnare le piante per favore?
Can you water the plants please?
Il cane si è bagnato nel lago.
The dog got wet in the lake.
Non bagnare il libro, è nuovo!
Don't get the book wet, it's new!
Si è bagnata i capelli prima di lavarli.
She wet her hair before washing it.
La tovaglia si è bagnata con il caffè.
The tablecloth got wet with coffee.
Devo bagnare la spugna prima di pulire.
I need to wet the sponge before cleaning.
Attenzione a non bagnare il pavimento.
Be careful not to get the floor wet.
Ho bagnato accidentalmente la camicia mentre lavavo i piatti.
I accidentally wet my shirt while washing the dishes.
La pioggia ha bagnato l'erba del giardino.
The rain wet the garden grass.
Devi bagnare le piante ogni due giorni, specialmente d'estate.
You need to water the plants every two days, especially in summer.
Il cuoco ha bagnato il pane nel brodo prima di servirlo.
The chef dipped the bread in the broth before serving it.
Attento a non bagnare i documenti importanti con il caffè.
Be careful not to get the important documents wet with coffee.
Quando piove forte, è inevitabile bagnarsi un po' anche con l'ombrello.
When it rains heavily, it's inevitable to get a little wet even with an umbrella.
Here, 'bagnarsi' is reflexive, meaning 'to get oneself wet'.
Il pittore ha bagnato il pennello nella vernice per prepararsi a dipingere.
The painter dipped the brush in the paint to prepare to paint.
Dopo la corsa, la mia fronte era completamente bagnata di sudore.
After the run, my forehead was completely wet with sweat.
Here, 'bagnata' is used as an adjective (past participle of bagnare).
Famille de mots
Noms
Verbes
Adjectifs
Comment l'utiliser
When you want to express the idea of getting something wet, or making it wet, you'll use bagnare. Think of it as 'to wet' or 'to dampen'. It's a regular -are verb, so its conjugations are pretty straightforward. You might hear it in contexts like watering plants, getting caught in the rain, or even dipping something in liquid. It can be used both transitively (e.g., bagnare i fiori - to water the flowers) and reflexively (e.g., bagnarsi - to get oneself wet, often meaning to get wet from rain or a splash).
A common mistake for English speakers is to confuse bagnare with 'to bathe'. While 'to bathe' involves getting wet, the more common and direct Italian verb for 'to bathe' (oneself) is fare il bagno (to take a bath) or farsi la doccia (to take a shower). Also, don't confuse it with 'to wash' (lavare). While washing something often involves getting it wet, lavare implies the act of cleaning, whereas bagnare simply refers to the act of making something wet. Another point: remember it's a regular -are verb, so make sure you're using the correct conjugations for tense and subject.
Teste-toi 42 questions
Il bambino vuole ___ il suo orsetto con l'acqua.
The child wants to get his teddy bear wet with water. 'Bagnare' means 'to make something wet'.
Per favore, non ___ i vestiti nuovi.
Please, don't get the new clothes wet. 'Bagnare' means 'to make something wet'.
Devo ___ le piante ogni giorno.
I need to water the plants every day. 'Bagnare' means 'to make something wet'.
Se piove, non uscire o ti puoi ___.
If it rains, don't go out or you can get wet. 'Bagnare' means 'to make something wet'.
Attento a non ___ il tavolo con il caffè.
Be careful not to get the table wet with coffee. 'Bagnare' means 'to make something wet'.
Ho dimenticato l'ombrello e la pioggia mi ha fatto ___.
I forgot my umbrella and the rain made me wet. 'Bagnare' means 'to make something wet'.
The speaker watered the flowers.
Someone is asked not to wet the bread.
A child got their clothes wet.
Read this aloud:
Voglio bagnare le piante.
Focus: bagnare (bah-NYAH-reh)
Tu as dit :
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Read this aloud:
Hai bagnato il tavolo?
Focus: bagnato (bah-NYAH-toh)
Tu as dit :
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Read this aloud:
Non bagnare i libri.
Focus: bagnare (bah-NYAH-reh)
Tu as dit :
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You are at the beach and want to say that the water is wet. Write a simple Italian sentence.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
L'acqua è bagnata.
You spilled water on your shirt. Write a sentence saying 'My shirt is wet.' in Italian.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
La mia maglietta è bagnata.
Describe a rainy day in a short Italian sentence, mentioning that the ground is wet.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
Oggi piove, la terra è bagnata.
Cosa è bagnato?
Read this passage:
La bambina gioca con l'acqua. Le sue mani sono bagnate. Anche il suo vestito è un po' bagnato.
Cosa è bagnato?
The passage states that her hands and her dress are wet.
The passage states that her hands and her dress are wet.
Cosa sono bagnati dopo la doccia?
Read this passage:
Dopo la doccia, i capelli sono bagnati. Ho bisogno di un asciugamano.
Cosa sono bagnati dopo la doccia?
The passage says 'i capelli sono bagnati' (the hair is wet).
The passage says 'i capelli sono bagnati' (the hair is wet).
Perché il viso è bagnato?
Read this passage:
Fa caldo. Il mio viso è bagnato di sudore. Voglio bere acqua fresca.
Perché il viso è bagnato?
The passage explicitly states 'il mio viso è bagnato di sudore' (my face is wet with sweat).
The passage explicitly states 'il mio viso è bagnato di sudore' (my face is wet with sweat).
This means 'I want to water the plants.' 'Voglio' (I want), 'bagnare' (to wet/water), 'le piante' (the plants).
This means 'You must not wet the floor.' 'Non devi' (You must not), 'bagnare' (to wet), 'il pavimento' (the floor).
This means 'I wet the t-shirt.' 'Ho bagnato' is the past tense of 'bagnare'. 'La maglietta' (the t-shirt).
Se piove, non dimenticare l'ombrello per non ___.
The sentence means: 'If it rains, don't forget your umbrella so you don't get wet.' 'Bagnarti' (to get wet/yourself) fits the context.
Il giardiniere usa un tubo per ___ le piante ogni mattina.
The sentence means: 'The gardener uses a hose to water the plants every morning.' 'Bagnare' (to water/make wet) is the correct verb here.
Ho accidentalmente versato il caffè e ho ___ tutta la mia camicia.
The sentence means: 'I accidentally spilled coffee and made my whole shirt wet.' 'Bagnato' (wet/made wet) is the past participle of 'bagnare'.
Per favore, non ___ il pavimento dopo aver lavato i piatti.
The sentence means: 'Please don't make the floor wet after washing the dishes.' 'Bagnare' (to make wet) is the appropriate verb.
Quando fa caldo, è piacevole ___ i piedi nell'acqua fredda.
The sentence means: 'When it's hot, it's pleasant to wet your feet in the cold water.' 'Bagnare' (to wet) is the best fit.
Il cane si è ___ tutto giocando sotto la pioggia.
The sentence means: 'The dog got all wet playing in the rain.' 'Bagnato' (got wet) is the correct past participle for the reflexive 'bagnarsi'.
This sentence means 'The rain can wet the ground.' It demonstrates a common use of 'bagnare' in a simple context.
This sentence means 'To wash the flowers you must wet them with water.' It shows 'bagnare' in a practical action.
This sentence means 'I wet the towel because I went to the beach.' It uses 'bagnare' in the past participle.
The speaker is giving advice about watering plants.
Someone got caught in the rain without an umbrella.
A request for a wet handkerchief.
Read this aloud:
Potresti bagnare il pane secco per ammorbidirlo?
Focus: ba-gnà-re
Tu as dit :
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Read this aloud:
Non bagnare i documenti importanti con il caffè!
Focus: do-cu-men-ti im-por-tan-ti
Tu as dit :
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Read this aloud:
Sarebbe meglio bagnare la spugna prima di pulire.
Focus: spu-gna, pu-li-re
Tu as dit :
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/ 42 correct
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Summary
Bagnare is a common verb used to describe the act of wetting something with liquid.
- make wet
- dampen
- soak
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