Episode 16 · Words That Actually Come Up
Camera in Italian doesn't mean camera - false friends
In Italian, camera means room. Mia tells the hotel she lost her room.
A hotel reception, a missing camera, and a very confused receptionist.
Laura ·
In this lesson
| Italian | Word for word | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Camera | room | una camera doppia, a double room |
| Macchina fotografica | camera | for photos; many just say la macchina |
| Ho perso... | I lost... | |
| Eccola! | here it is! | eccolo for a masculine thing |
At a hotel, camera is everywhere: camera singola, camera doppia, il numero della camera.
The dialogue
Every line from the video, with the English meaning under the Italian.
Mia✗ Mistake
Buongiorno! Ho perso la mia camera!
Good morning! I lost my room!
Laura
La sua camera? È la numero dodici!
Your room? It's number twelve!
Mia
No, my camera! For photos!
Laura
Ah! La macchina fotografica!
Ah! The camera!
Mia
So... camera means room?
Laura
Esatto. Camera: una stanza. Per le foto: macchina fotografica.
Exactly. Camera: a room. For photos: macchina fotografica.
Mia✓ Correct
Ho perso la mia macchina fotografica!
I lost my camera!
Laura
Eccola! Era sul divano.
Here it is! It was on the sofa.
The voices in this video are synthetic and the on-screen host is generated. The Italian itself is written and checked by a native speaker.
Ready to speak, not just watch?
Practise these phrases out loud with Laura in a small group or a private lesson.
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