An adjective that describes something in poor condition due to neglect or lack of care is trasandato (masculine). The feminine equivalent is trasandata and their respective plurals are trasandati and trasandate.
It is the past participle of the obsolete verb trasandare, which is a combination of the prefix tra(n)s-, meaning across or beyond, and the verb andare (to go).
Trasandato is frequently used in reference to a person’s appearance, particularly someone who dresses in shabby or old clothes.
Che uomo trasandato! Ha le scarpe bucate e la maglietta tutta macchiata.
What a scruffy man! His shoes have holes in them and his shirt is covered in stains.
However it can also denote things that are neglected (e.g. una casa trasandata = a run-down house) or poorly executed (e.g. un lavoro trasandato = a sloppy job).
Io non sopporto più di vivere in questa casa trasandata!
I can’t stand living in this run-down house anymore!
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.
