Spezzare (transl. To break, To snap)

💔 Hopefully, this verb won't break your heart

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🎙️ COME SI PRONUNCIA?

[spet-TSAH-reh]

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VERBO TRANSITIVO
TRANSITIVE VERB

To break, to split into pieces.

🇮🇹 Dividere in due o più pezzi qualcosa che offre resistenza.
🇬🇧 To divide something into two or more pieces, breaking through resistance.

To interrupt, to break up.

🇮🇹 Interrompere la continuità di qualcosa.
🇬🇧 To interrupt the continuity of something.

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💬 ESEMPI

Ho spezzato il ramo cercando di arrampicarmi sull'albero.
I broke the branch while trying to climb the tree.

Se spezzassi questo biscotto, ne avresti metà anche tu.
If I broke this cookie, you would have half of it too.

Metà (transl. Half)

Gesù prese il pane e rese grazie, lo spezzò, lo diede ai suoi discepoli, e disse…
Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying…

Non credevo che la corda si sarebbe spezzata così facilmente.
I didn't think the rope would break so easily.

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📚 ESPRESSIONI UTILI

Spezzarsi un osso

→ To break one’s bone

Cadendo dalla bici si è spezzato il polso.
He broke his wrist falling off his bike.

Note: "Spezzarsi" as a reflexive verb with body parts doesn't use possessive adjectives like English does. Instead, it uses reflexive pronouns (mi, ti, si, ci, vi, si): “Mi sono spezzato il polso” instead of "ho spezzato il mio polso" (I broke my wrist).

Spezzare il cuore

→ To break someone's heart

La sua partenza mi ha spezzato il cuore.
Her departure broke my heart.

Spezzare una lancia (in favore di qualcuno)

→ To defend someone, to advocate for someone

Devo spezzare una lancia in suo favore: ha sempre agito in buona fede.
I must put in a good word for him: he has always acted in good faith.

Spezzare le catene

→ To break free, to break the chains

Dopo anni di oppressione, il popolo è riuscito a spezzare le catene della dittatura.
After years of oppression, the people managed to break free from dictatorship.

Spezzare la monotonia

→ To break up the monotony

Una gita fuori città può spezzare la monotonia della routine.
A trip out of town can break up the monotony of routine.

Gita (transl. Trip, Excursion)

Spezzare il fiato

→ To start running with ease

Dopo il primo chilometro, finalmente ho spezzato il fiato.
After the first kilometer, I finally got my running rhythm.

Fiato (transl. Breath)

Spezzare le reni

→ To defeat completely, to annihilate

L'espulsione al secondo minuto della partita ha spezzato le reni alla squadra.
The dismissal in the second minute of the match completely crushed the team's chances.

Note: This expression comes from a famous speech by Mussolini in 1940, where he declared "Spezzeremo le reni alla Grecia" ("We will break Greece's back") before invading Greece. The military campaign turned into a disaster for the Italian army. Today, the phrase is used informally to indicate a complete defeat or a situation that destroys any chance of success.

Spezzare qualcuno in due

→ To break someone in half (to beat someone severely)

Se lo prendo, lo spezzo in due!
If I catch him, I'll break him in half!

Note: colloquial

Mi spezzo ma non mi piego

→ I'll break before I bend

Di fronte alle minacce, mi spezzo ma non mi piego.
In the face of threats, I'll break before I bend.

Note: it translates the Latin motto "Frangar, non flectar", a powerful statement of resilience and moral integrity. This saying is often associated with the image of an oak tree that, during a storm, would rather break than bend to the wind. Over the centuries, it became the motto of several European noble families and is still used today to express firmness in one's principles and convictions.

Turno spezzato

→ Split shift

Con questo turno spezzato non riesco mai a riposare davvero.
With this split shift I can never really rest.

Spezzatino

→ Stew (literally "something that has been broken into pieces")

Lo spezzatino è il suo piatto preferito.
Stew is his favorite dish.

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🔎 L’ORIGINE DELLA PAROLA

🇮🇹 Spezzare deriva da pezzo, la quale proviene dal celtico *pettia, che significava "porzione, parte". Questa radice è sopravvissuta in molte lingue moderne: l’inglese piece, il francese pièce, lo spagnolo pieza, il portoghese peça e l'italiano pezzo vengono tutte dalla stessa origine. Il prefisso s- in italiano spesso indica l'azione di separare o allontanare.

🇬🇧 Spezzare comes from pezzo, which derives from the Celtic *pettia, meaning "portion, part". This root has survived in many modern languages: English piece, French pièce, Spanish pieza, Portuguese peça, and Italian pezzo all come from the same origin. The prefix s- in Italian often indicates the action of separating or moving away.

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👉 YOUR TURN

Can you use the word SPEZZARE correctly in a sentence?

Based on the definition and examples provided, write a sentence using today's word of the day and share it as a comment on this post. It is important that your sentence makes sense and shows that you understand the word's definition, but we also encourage you to use creativity and have fun.