The word raffica in Italian is difficult to translate into English using just one blanket term.
Raffica is a feminine noun. The plural is raffiche.
la raffica
una raffica
le raffiche
delle raffiche
What’s important to know is that raffica is used to describe things that are relentless, fast and continuous.
In weather terminology, for example, una raffica di vento refers to a strong gust of wind. An alternative expression is un vento a raffiche, literally ‘a wind that gusts’.
Il vento soffiava a raffiche così forti che anche i lampioni oscillavano.
The gusts of wind were so strong that even the street lamps were shaking.
Note: You can also say un colpo di vento (lit. “a strike of wind”) or una folata di vento.
If the gust of wind is accompanied by pioggia (rain) or grandine (hail), you can also say una raffica di pioggia / di grandine without mentioning the wind at all.
When talking about bullets leaving a gun, you will generally hear the translations burst, spray or volley.
- una raffica di mitra = a burst from a machine gun
- una raffica di proiettili = a spray of bullets
For topics besides the weather and guns, you can use pretty much any translation that equates to “a rapid series / succession of…“. Here are a few common examples:
- una raffica di insulti = a shower of insults
- una raffica di domande = a barrage of questions
- una raffica di proteste = a wave of protests
Il giornalista ha investito il politico con una raffica di domande.
The reporter threw a barrage of questions at the politician.
Finally, in photography, scattare a raffica means to take photos in continuous mode.
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.
