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sporcare

to dirty, to soil

verb spor-KAH-reh Rare

Also means

to stain, to mess up

Usage Note

Sporcare means to make something dirty and is used both literally (sporcare il pavimento = to dirty the floor) and figuratively (sporcarsi le mani = to get one's hands dirty, meaning to do something morally questionable). The reflexive sporcarsi means 'to get dirty.' In compound tenses sporcare takes avere; sporcarsi takes essere. The adjective sporco (dirty) is the related form.

Examples

"Non sporcare il pavimento con le scarpe bagnate."

Natural Translation

Don't dirty the floor with wet shoes.

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