appioppare

to saddle someone with, to foist on

verb ahp-pyohp-PAH-reh Rare

Usage Note

Appioppare is a vivid colloquial verb meaning to dump or palm something unwanted onto someone. It is almost always used with an indirect object: mi hanno appioppato un compito noioso (they saddled me with a boring task). It can also mean to land a blow: gli ha appioppato un ceffone (she slapped him).

Examples

"Mi hanno appioppato tre ore di straordinario."

Natural Translation

They saddled me with three hours of overtime.

Literal Translation

They-to-me saddled three hours of overtime.

Free starter pack

Building your Italian vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common Italian words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Related Words

Explore Italian by topic

ItalianNow

Italian Question Words: Chi, Cosa, Dove, Quando & More

Master Italian question words: chi, cosa, dove, quando, perché, come, quanto and quale. A usage-first guide that finally sorts che vs cosa vs quale.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

ItalianNow

Most Common Italian Verbs: The 10 That Unlock Speech

Drill these 10 most common Italian verbs first and you unlock past tense, modals, and the progressive — a 7-day plan with every present-tense form to memorize.

June 9, 2026 5 min read

ItalianNow

Avere Fame: Why Italians "Have" Hunger, Not "Are"

In Italian you say Ho fame (I have hunger), never sono fame. Learn the avere + noun rule for fame, freddo, paura, age, and the sono caldo trap to avoid.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

ItalianNow

Days & Months in Italian: A Beginner's Guide

Days of the week in Italian are lowercase, all masculine except la domenica, and il lunedì means every Monday. Learn the days, months, dates, and seasons.

June 5, 2026 4 min read