If you've ever used a computer or phone with settings in Italian, you've probably seen the word scaricare (or some version of it).
The verb caricare means to 'charge' or 'load' something. When you add the negative prefix 's', it becomes scaricare (hear it pronounced here).
So does this mean to unload, download, or something else? It can mean both.
Stanno scaricando il camion.
They're unloading the lorry.
Ci vuole un'ora per scaricare il file.
It takes an hour to download the file.
Loading or uploading, however, would be caricare.
Hai caricato il programma?
Have you loaded the program?
And then there's ricaricare, which sounds like 'recharge' and means much the same thing, though we might also translate it as 'top up' in English.
Devi ricaricare il tuo credito.
You need to top up your credit.
Ricaricare can sometimes be used interchangeably with caricare, but not always, so you'll need to listen carefully to the context.
If you want to say you're charging or recharging a battery, though, you'll need:
Ho bisogno di caricare il mio telefono, è scarico.
I need to charge my phone, it's dead.
Here, scarico is the adjective form, meaning something is literally 'without charge'.
If that's not confusing enough, scaricare can be used in all sorts of other contexts to talk about offloading or unloading, in literal or figurative terms.
Il canale scarica i rifiuti in mare.
The channel deposits rubbish in the sea.
Scaricare un'arma.
To unload a gun.
Scaricare le proprie responsabilità su qualcuno.
To offload your responsibilities onto someone.
Scaricare la colpa addosso a qualcuno.
To blame someone else.
Scaricare la tensione.
To relieve tension.
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