barca

boat

noun BAHR-kah Less Common

Origin: from Late Latin 'barca'

Usage Note

Barca is a small to medium boat; the plural barche shifts -ca to -che to keep the hard 'k'. It anchors the colloquial essere nella stessa barca ('to be in the same boat') and una barca di meaning 'loads of'.

Examples

"Andiamo in barca sul lago."

Natural Translation

We're going boating on the lake.

Literal Translation

We-go in boat on-the lake.

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

Essential Italian Travel Phrases (With Vorrei)

Vorrei means I would like — the politest, most useful Italian travel phrase. Learn five reusable frames to order, ask prices, and find your way in Italy.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

ItalianNow

Italian Noun Gender: Rules, Endings & Exceptions

Italian noun gender decoded: -o is usually masculine, -a feminine, but -zione and -tà are feminine, -ore and -ma masculine. Plus the trap words to memorize.

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

ItalianNow

Italian Adjective Agreement & Placement Made Simple

Italian adjectives agree in gender and number and usually sit after the noun. Master the -o/-a/-i/-e endings, the BAGS rule, and meaning-shifting pairs.

June 5, 2026 5 min read