Italian All-in-One For Dummies (37 page)

la coperta
(lah koh-
pehr
-tah) (
blanket
)

i cuscini
(ee kooh-
shee
-nee) (
pillows
)

la finestra
(lah fee-
nehs
-trah) (
window
)

la lampada
(lah
lahm
-pah-dah) (
lamp
)

il lenzuolo/le lenzuola
(eel lehn-
zwoh
-loh/leh lehn-
zwoh
-lah) (
sheet/sheets
)

il letto
(eel
leht
-toh) (
bed
)

lo specchio
(loh
spehk
-kyoh) (
mirror
)

la sveglia
(lah
sveh
-lyah) (
alarm clock
)

le tende
(leh
tehn
-deh) (
curtains
)

By the way, don't bother to provide information about the size of your bed. Chances are that Italians won't follow your explanation of royal measurements when it comes to mattresses. Do you know the saying “one size fits all”? It applies to Italian beds. You have to specify only
matrimoniale
(mah-tree-moh-
nyah
-leh) (
double bed
) or
singolo
(
seehn
-goh-loh) (
single bed
).

Il bagno: The bathroom

One important room in any home is
il bagno
(eel
bahn
-yoh) (
the bathroom
). Italian bathrooms are peculiar. Should you want to try your hand at a compare-contrast game of non-Italian versus Italian bathrooms, one item commonly found in Italian bathrooms will probably stick out for you:
il
bidet
(eel bee-
deh
) (
the
bidet
) — a plumbing fixture of French origin that's present in every full Italian bathroom. If you're puzzled by the bidet, then use the toilet, a half bathroom that offers the bare essentials. Here, you'll find only a
la tazza
(lah
tahts
-sah) (
toilet bowl
) and a
lavandino
(lah-vahn-
dee
-noh) (
sink
).

Here are some terms common to bathrooms:

l'armadietto dei medicinali
(lahr-mah-
dyeht
-toh dehy meh-dee-chee-
nah
-lee) (
medicine cabinet
)