To purr in Italian

How do you translate the verb to purr in Italian?

In this lesson, we’ll take a look at this very expression, also known as collocation, and even talk about what cats usually do in Italian and what words you can use to describe them.

Let’s get started! Iniziamo!


To purr in Italian

First of all, let’s translate to purr in Italian.

Fare le fusa
To purr

old woman stroking a white cat on her lap - how do you say to purr in italian

➡️ Want to know what breeds of cats are called in Italian? See the how to say cat in Italian lesson!


To purr in Italian – Let’s break it down!

Fare le fusa could literally be translated as to do the purring.

Fare
To do

Le fusa
Purring

Quando il gatto fa le fusa, vuol dire che è felice.
When the cat purrs, it means that it is happy.

Il gatto si strusciò contro la mia gamba, facendo le fusa.
The cat rubbed against my leg, purring.

happy cat rubbing on his owner's leg

➡️ How do you say “to be like cats and dogs” in Italian? DON’T MISS the lesson on cat idioms in Italian!

Fare is a verb of the first -are group. Its indicativo presente conjugation is irregular and is as follows.

iofaccio
tufai
lui, leifa
noifacciamo
voifate
lorofanno

Title: Italian All-in-One For Dummies
Language: English / Italian
Publisher: For Dummies
Pages: 672

Learn to speak Italian like a native? Easy.
Italian All-in-One For Dummies appeals to those readers looking for a comprehensive, all-encompassing guide to mastering the Italian language. It contains content from all For Dummies Italian language instruction titles, including Italian For Dummies, Intermediate Italian For Dummies, Italian Verbs For Dummies, Italian Phrases For Dummies, Italian Grammar For Dummies, and Italian For Dummies Audio Set.

Fare is a very common verb used in a wide variety of other Italian expressions. Here are a few:

Fare una doccia
To take a shower

➡️ Learn how to pronounce to take a shower in Italian here!

Fare una passeggiata
To go for a walk

➡️ Learn how to pronounce to take a walk in Italian here!

Fare i compiti
To do homework

Farsi la barba
To shave

man shaving

For example, you could say:

A volte faccio la doccia due volte al giorno.
Sometimes I shower twice a day.

Mia mamma vuole che faccia i compiti prima di giocare.
My mom wants me to do my homework before I play.

Mary sta facendo una passeggiata in città.
Mary is taking a walk in town.

Federico si fa la barba ogni mattina.
Federico shaves every morning.


Fusa

Le fusa, which is a feminine noun, is always in the plural. You could mistake the word il fuso for the singular form of le fusa, but il fuso actually means the spindle, so it has nothing to do with cats!

If a cat is angry enough, it will hiss, soffiare.

Soffiare
To hiss

Quando il veterinario fa per avvicinarsi a lui, il gatto soffia.
When the vet tries to approach him, the cat hisses.

hissing cat in italian

In addition to purring, a cat can also meow, miagolare.

Miagolare
To meow

Il gatto miagola davanti alla porta d’ingresso.
The cat is meowing in front of the front door.

When they are frightened, cats can “raise their fur”, rizzare il pelo, meaning to bristle.

Rizzare il pelo
To bristle

Quando vide il cane, il gattino rizzò il pelo.
When it saw the dog, the kitten bristled.

➡️ Learn other common cat behaviors in Italian here!


To purr in Italian – Examples

Perché i gatti fanno le fusa?
Why do cats purr?

Il gatto di mio fratello fa le fusa senza sosta.
My brother’s cat is purring non-stop.

Il gatto chiuse gli occhi e iniziò a fare le fusa.
The cat closed his eyes and started to purr.


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