"S" as a prefix

| Tue, 05/04/2010 - 09:36

Words by Pat Eggleton

Sometimes, but not always, “S” at the beginning of an Italian verb can be an equivalent of English “un…” .
Its addition can give a verb an opposite meaning. Some examples are:

  • Coprire – to cover --> scoprire – to uncover , ie., discover

  • Imballare – to pack --> sballare – to unpack

  • Caricare – to load --> scaricare – to unload or download

  • Fiorire – to flower --> sfiorire – to lose petals, wither

  • Macchiare – to stain --> smacchiare – to remove stains [you often see this verb on washing products].

  • Piacere – to please --> spiacere – to displease or, by extension, to be sorry. You can say “Mi spiace” or “mi dispiace” for “I’m sorry”.