Meaning
to deal (drugs); to pass off
- to traffic in (drugs, etc.)
- to peddle, push (drugs)
- to pass off (something)
- to utter (nonsense, lies, etc.)
In a sentence
Lo hanno preso mentre spacciava droga al parco.
They caught him while he was dealing drugs in the park.
Perché spaccia questa borsa per nuova?
Why is he passing off this bag as new?
Non spacciare bugie, dimmi la verità.
Don't spread lies, tell me the truth.
Word forms (48)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| spacciare | infinitive |
| spacciamo | indicative · present · plural · 1st person |
| spaccio | indicative · present · singular · 1st person |
| spacciate | indicative · present · plural · 2nd person |
| spacci | indicative · present · singular · 2nd person |
| spacciano | indicative · present · plural · 3rd person |
| spaccia | indicative · present · singular · 3rd person |
| spacciavamo | indicative · imperfect · plural · 1st person |
| spacciavo | indicative · imperfect · singular · 1st person |
| spacciavate | indicative · imperfect · plural · 2nd person |
| spacciavi | indicative · imperfect · singular · 2nd person |
| spacciavano | indicative · imperfect · plural · 3rd person |
| spacciava | indicative · imperfect · singular · 3rd person |
| spacciammo | indicative · past · plural · 1st person |
| spacciai | indicative · past · singular · 1st person |
| spacciaste | indicative · past · plural · 2nd person |
| spacciasti | indicative · past · singular · 2nd person |
| spacciarono | indicative · past · plural · 3rd person |
| spacciò | indicative · past · singular · 3rd person |
| spacceremo | indicative · future · plural · 1st person |
| spaccerò | indicative · future · singular · 1st person |
| spaccerete | indicative · future · plural · 2nd person |
| spaccerai | indicative · future · singular · 2nd person |
| spacceranno | indicative · future · plural · 3rd person |
| spaccerà | indicative · future · singular · 3rd person |
| spacciamo | subjunctive · present · plural · 1st person |
| spacci | subjunctive · present · singular · 1st person |
| spacciate | subjunctive · present · plural · 2nd person |
| spacci | subjunctive · present · singular · 2nd person |
| spaccino | subjunctive · present · plural · 3rd person |
| spacci | subjunctive · present · singular · 3rd person |
| spacciassimo | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 1st person |
| spacciassi | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 1st person |
| spacciaste | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 2nd person |
| spacciassi | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 2nd person |
| spacciassero | subjunctive · imperfect · plural · 3rd person |
| spacciasse | subjunctive · imperfect · singular · 3rd person |
| spacceremmo | conditional · present · plural · 1st person |
| spaccerei | conditional · present · singular · 1st person |
| spaccereste | conditional · present · plural · 2nd person |
| spacceresti | conditional · present · singular · 2nd person |
| spaccerebbero | conditional · present · plural · 3rd person |
| spaccerebbe | conditional · present · singular · 3rd person |
| spacciamo | imperative · plural · 1st person |
| spacciate | imperative · plural · 2nd person |
| spaccia | imperative · singular · 2nd person |
| spacciando | gerund |
| spacciato | past · participle |
Usage notes
- Very common in crime contexts: spacciare droga. For legal or formal contexts, trafficare in stupefacenti sounds more bureaucratic.
- Spacciare per means “to pass off as”: L'ha spacciato per autentico. Learners often wrongly use di instead of per.
- Also used figuratively with ideas or excuses: spacciare una bugia, spacciare sciocchezze. It sounds accusatory, not neutral.