There’s a particular reason I’ve chosen to write about the word tovaglia (tablecloth) – and it’s not because I use one every day. (In fact, I’m slightly embarrassed to admit that I don’t even own one!) Rather, it’s because I often confuse it with two other words that I do use frequently, both of which are derived from tovaglia.
tovaglia
tablecloth
But first, let’s touch briefly upon the grammar. Tovaglia is a feminine noun that takes the following definite and indefinite articles:
- la tovaglia
- le tovaglie
- una tovaglia
- delle tovaglie
Tovaglia derives from the Old Provençal word toalha (meaning cloth, towel, or table covering), which in turn comes from the Frankish *thwahlja (meaning cloth used for washing or wiping). Unsurpisingly, it shares the same origin as our English towel.
Here are a few verbs commonly paired with tovaglia:
- mettere la tovaglia – to lay the tablecloth
- togliere la tovaglia – to remove the tablecloth
- stendere la tovaglia – to spread out the tablecloth / lay flat
- cambiare la tovaglia – to change the tablecloth
- lavare la tovaglia – to wash the tablecloth
- sporcare la tovaglia – to dirty / stain the tablecloth
- macchiare la tovaglia – to stain the tablecloth
- stirare la tovaglia – to iron the tablecloth
- piegare la tovaglia – to fold the tablecloth
Usiamo una tovaglia elegante per gli ospiti.
We use an elegant tablecloth for guests.
While the subject of tovaglie only tends to come up when my parents bring theirs out for Christmas or Easter, I can confirm that its diminutive form – tovaglietta, meaning place mat – is mentioned at nearly every meal, usually because someone is missing one or because my son has dropped food all over his. Still, this hasn’t stopped me from mistakenly blurting out tovaglia instead of tovaglietta on occasion!
Note that this kind of mat is also referred to as tovaglietta all’americana, presumably because there is a strong tendency to use place mats in the United States.
If that weren’t confusing enough, there’s yet another diminutive derived from tovaglia: tovagliolo, meaning napkin. Quite honestly, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve mixed them up, calling a place mat a tovagliolo and a napkin a tovaglietta!
Per favore, metti il tovagliolo e la tovaglietta sulla tovaglia.
Please put the napkin and place mat on the tablecloth.
Which Italian words do you have the habit of mixing up? Let me know in the comments below!
Heather Broster is a graduate with honours in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, proficient in English and Italian, as well as Japanese, Welsh, and French to varying degrees of fluency. Originally from Toronto, Heather has resided in various countries, notably Italy for a period of six years. Her primary focus lies in the fields of language acquisition, education, and bilingual instruction.
