Skip to content

sbavare

to drool

verb zbah-VAH-reh Rare

Also means

to smear

Usage Note

Sbavare is used both literally (a baby or dog drooling) and figuratively: sbavare dietro a qualcuno means 'to drool over someone,' expressing infatuation. It is conjugated as a regular -are verb. The noun form is sbavatura ('smear' or 'drool').

Examples

"Il cane sbavava sul pavimento."

Natural Translation

The dog was drooling on the floor.

Free starter pack

Building your Italian vocabulary?

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

Explore Italian by topic