Each cambio di stagione (change of season), we promise ourselves to do a bit of decluttering (yep, we love this English word in Italian, too!). To do that, of course, we need to eliminate things, to get rid of them. But how do we actually say get rid of something in Italian?
In this article, I’ll share six main ways to express this idea, complete with examples. Don’t miss the last expression: not only is it fun to say, but it also has a cool backstory!
1. Eliminare
Eliminare (literally, “to eliminate”) is the most straightforward option. The meaning is clear: you take something and poof — gone! It works for anything you wish to have removed, whether it’s a physical object or something less concrete.
Ho eliminato un sacco di vestiti durante il trasloco.
I got rid of a lot of clothes during the move.
È arrivato il momento di eliminare tutta questa ansia dalla tua vita!
It’s time to get rid of all this anxiety from your life!
2. Buttare (via)
The verb buttare literally means “to throw,” and conveys the sense of getting rid of something we no longer need. You can think of it as the Marie Kondo of verbs in this group! It can be used on its own, but we often add via (away) to make it sound even more decisive.
Buttiamo anche quelle lenzuola, sono completamente lise.
Let’s get rid of those sheets too, they’re all worn out.
Ho finalmente buttato via tutte le cianfrusaglie che avevamo in cantina.
I finally got rid of all the junk we had in the basement.
Fun fact: Buttare via doesn’t always mean you’re getting rid of something. In fact, we sometimes use the expression Buttalo/a via! (literally, “throw it away!”) as a casual exclamation to mean that something is actually quite good.
A: Ho preso solo 27 all’esame di storia. – B: Buttalo via!
I only got a 27 on the history exam. – That’s actually pretty good!
A: Mi hanno aumentato lo stipendio di cento euro al mese… che generosità! – B: Va beh, buttali via!
They gave me a raise, a whole hundred euros a month… so generous! – Come on, that’s something!
3. Liberarsi di
Want to sound like you’re shedding some serious emotional (or literal) baggage in Italian? Then use liberarsi! It’s the reflexive form of liberare (to free), and it’s a great verb to use when you want to say you’re freeing yourself from something, whether it’s your ex’s hoodie hiding in your closet or that friend who drains your sparkle.
Non riusciamo a liberarci del ciuccio, mia figlia piange appena glielo portiamo via.
We can’t get rid of the pacifier, my daughter cries the moment we take it away.
Cerca di liberarti di quel cliente rompiscatole, non lo sopporto più!
See if you can get rid of that annoying client, I can’t stand him anymore!
4. Disfarsi di
Disfarsi di comes from the verb disfare, which derives from fare (to do, to make) combined with the negative prefix dis-, meaning “to undo” or “to dismantle.” We use disfarsi di when talking about getting rid of something negative or we’d rather not keep around.
It’s quite similar to liberarsi di, and in many cases, you can use one in place of the other. But there’s a tiny difference: disfarsi di leans toward the idea of destroying something, while liberarsi di is more about that satisfying sense of release we feel when we let go of something that has become too much.
Dobbiamo disfarci di questi file, sono troppo compromettenti.
We need to get rid of these files, they’re way too compromising.
Quando ti deciderai a disfarti di queste vecchie riviste? Occupano solo spazio!
When will you finally get rid of these old magazines? They’re just taking up space!
Overall, disfarsi di sounds a bit more formal than the other verbs we’ve seen so far, and you’ll mostly find it in contexts like journalism or psychology, for example in phrases like:
I ladri si sono disfatti dell’auto usata per il colpo.
The thieves got rid of the car used for the robbery.
Chi soffre di questo disturbo, spesso non riesce a disfarsi degli oggetti.
People who suffer from this disorder often struggle to get rid of things.
5. Sbarazzarsi di
Sbarazzarsi di conveys the same idea of freeing yourself as liberarsi di, but with a more resolute nuance, closer to disfarsi di.
It’s the reflexive form of sbarazzare, which means “to clear.” So, when we say sbarazzarsi di qualcosa, we are happily ditching what’s been annoying us and walking away with that glorious ‘ah, that’s better’ feeling!
Finalmente Gaia si è sbarazzata del suo ex e ora è molto più felice.
Gaia finally got rid of her ex, and now she’s much happier.
Il cane si è sbarazzato del cappottino nuovo in trenta secondi!
The dog threw off his new coat in thirty seconds!
You’ll often come across sbarazzarsi di in thrillers, when the characters decide it’s time to “take care” of someone. For example:
Dobbiamo sbarazzarci di lui prima che dica tutto alla polizia!
We must get rid of him before he tells the police everything!
6. Sbolognare
And now, the fun one! The verb sbolognare sounds a bit like Bologna, right? Well, that’s no coincidence!
Back in the 19th century, there was a verb, bolognare, which originated from bolognino, the name of an old coin from Bologna. This verb meant to trick someone in a sale, because many craftsmen in Bologna had quite a reputation for selling shiny fakes.
Over time, an s was added at the front, and that’s how sbolognare was born. Today, it’s used casually to mean getting rid of something, usually by skilfully making it someone else’s problem!
Sono riuscito a sbolognare la presentazione al mio collega!
I managed to hand off the presentation, I passed it on to my colleague!
A chi posso sbolognare questa ciofeca di regalo?
Who can I dump this awful gift on?
You’ll also hear sbolognare used playfully in the sense of “handing someone off,” as in making someone else deal with them. For example:
Ho sbolognato i figli a mio marito così possiamo andare a fare spese in santa pace!
I handed the kids off to my husband so we can go shopping in peace!
Quel cliente era un incubo, alla fine l’ho sbolognato a Sandra!
That client was a nightmare, so I ended up dumping him on Sandra!
Valentina Nicastro is a travel writer in love with her home country, Italy. Having travelled widely around the globe, she realised there was more to explore closer to home and decided to put the passport aside for a while. When she is not immersed in documenting Italy, you’ll find her donning her communication consultant hat, weaving words as a content writer and bridging linguistic divides as a translator.
