How do you translate to lock in Italian?
In this lesson we’ll take a look at this very expression, also known as collocation, and will even talk about what kind of different keys are there in Italian and what words you can use to describe them.
Let’s go! Iniziamo!
To lock in Italian
First things first, let’s translate to lock in Italian.
Chiudere a chiave
To lock
To lock in Italian – Let’s break this up!
Chiudere a chiave is literally translated as to close on key.
Chiave is the Italian translation for key.
Chiudere
To close
Chiave
Key
Mi sono chiuso a chiave!
I locked myself in!
Chiudere is a verb of the second -ere group. Its indicativo presente conjugation is as follows.
| io | chiudo |
| tu | chiudi |
| lui, lei | chiude |
| noi | chiudiamo |
| voi | chiudete |
| loro | chiudono |
You’ll find this verb in a variety of other expressions in Italian. It is a very common verb. Some of these expressions are:
Chiudere una telefonata
To end a call
(To close a call)
Chiudere un occhio
To turn a blind eye to
(To close an eye)
Chiudere il becco
To shut up
(To close one’s beak)
For example, you could say:
Posso chiudere un occhio sull’abbigliamento degli studenti in estate.
I can turn a blind eye to students’ clothing in the summer.
Mia sorella non chiude mai il becco. Parla in continuazione.
My sister never shuts up. She talks all the time.
Ho appena chiuso la telefonata con Carla. Dovevi dirle qualcosa?
I just ended the phone call with Carla. Did you need to say something to her?
Chiave
We said that the translation for to lock in Italian is chiudere a chiave. Chiave is a feminine noun.
Una chiave
A key
Delle chiavi
Some keys
La chiave
The key
Le chiavi
The keys
Non trovo le chiavi di casa.
I can’t find my house keys.
Sul tavolo c’è una grossa chiave arrugginita.
On the table is a large rusty key.
There’s more than a kind of key in Italian. More often than not, this key is an imaginary one, as in:
Parola chiave
Key word
Chiave di volta
Cornerstone
Chiavi in mano
All inclusive, turnkey
(Keys in hand)
For example, you could say…
Qual è la parola chiave per aprire il cancello?
What is the key word to open the gate?
(More often, password is used in computer science.)
La libertà di parola è la chiave di volta della democrazia.
Freedom of speech is the cornerstone of democracy.
La casa viene venduta chiavi in mano.
The house is sold all inclusive.
The verb chiudere a doppia mandata also exists. It’s the equivalent of the English to double lock.
Chiudere a doppia mandata
To double lock
Other words featuring key in Italian are:
Portachiavi
Key ring
Chiave di riserva
Spare key
La chiave del mio appartamento è nel portachiavi.
The key to my apartment is on the key ring.
To lock in Italian – Examples
Ti sei ricordato di chiudere a chiave la porta d’ingresso?
Did you remember to lock the front door?
Qualunque cosa accada, tenete la porta chiusa e non uscite.
No matter what happens, keep the door locked and don’t come outside.
Mio fratello si è dimenticato di chiudere a chiave la porta del garage.
My brother forgot to lock the garage door.
Non dimenticare di chiudere la porta a chiave quando esci.
Don’t forget to lock the door when you leave.
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