Italian Word of the Day: Russare (to snore)

Has your other half’s snoring been keeping you up all night? Then maybe now’s a good time to learn the Italian verb russare!

Derived from the term hrūzzan, it is one of many words that entered Italian via the Lombard language of Northern Italy.

/rus·sà·re/
cover image with the word “russare” and its translation written on a notepad next to a cup of cofee

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Since it is a regular -are verb, it conjugates in the following manner in the present tense:

(io) russo = I snore

(tu) russi = you snore (singular, informal)

(lui) russa = he snores

(lei) russa = she snores

(Lei) russa = you snore (singular, formal)

(noi) russiamo = we snore

(voi) russate = you snore (plural)

(loro) russano = they snore

Smettila di russare! Mi impedisci di dormire

Stop snoring! You’re stopping me from sleeping…


exhausted african american woman covering ears with hands while lying near snoring husband
Quanto russa! Non ne posso più! = How much he’s snoring! I can’t take it anymore!

Turning russare into a noun is straightforward: all you have to do is add the article il in front.

Il russare di suo marito la costringeva a dormire sul divano.

Her husband’s snoring forced her to sleep on the sofa.


Some possible synonyms include il russamento (a medical term not used very often in standard Italian), il ronfare and il ronfamento (the latter two mean ‘very loud snoring’). Ronfare also exists as a verb.


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