# Misure dei letti / bed size



## emma g.

Hello,

I'm reading apartment advertisements and one of them says: 

Camera singola con letto ad una piazza e mezza

I understand that it's a single room with a bed, but what about the rest? Does it mean that the room opens onto a piazza (and a half)? 

Any ideas?

Thanks!


----------



## GavinW

It's an "outsize" single bed, half-way between a normal-sized single bed and a double bed. ("Piazza" refers to the amount of space normally required/occupied by a person who is sleeping in a bed.)


----------



## stanfal

Hi Emma,

a 'letto a una piazza e mezza' is not a single bed, not even a double bed....it's half way in size! I'm sure someone will provide a proper translation, I just give you the idea of what it is!!!

S.


----------



## fiorilù

It would be a "french bed"

bye


----------



## GavinW

fiorilù said:


> It would be a "french bed"
> 
> bye


 
I don't think "French bed" (or "french bed") would be understood in English. I've never heard it. That may not mean much by itself, of course, but it's not in my Collins English dictionary either. It is in my large Websters (US English), but with a different sense: "a short-sheeted bed" (whatever that means, exactly). That makes it sound like something smaller than what we want, though!


----------



## emma g.

Okay, I think I understand it. It's bigger than a single bed and smaller than a double bed, right in between.

I've never heard of a French bed either, but when you "short-sheet" a bed it means that you fold the sheet in a way that makes it impossible to get into the bed. (As a practical joke or a trick on someone.)

Thanks for your help.


----------



## _forumuser_

If I recall correctlly, in the US it would correpond to a full-size bed. It took me years and several sets of unusable bed-sheets to figure this out...

Twin = Piazza Singola
Full = Piazza e mezza (120cm if I remember correctly)
Queen = Matrimoniale
King = ??


----------



## GavinW

emma g. said:


> Okay, I think I understand it. It's bigger than a single bed and smaller than a double bed, right in between.
> 
> -- Yep!
> 
> I've never heard of a French bed either, but when you "short-sheet" a bed it means that you fold the sheet in a way that makes it impossible to get into the bed. (As a practical joke or a trick on someone.)
> 
> -- Nice one! Thanks for the info!
> 
> 
> Thanks for your help.


----------



## marilou

Is a queen size bed! Is larger half space more than a single!


----------



## MemberD

I believe it's called a 'three-quarter size' bed. i.e. half way between a single and a double.


----------



## TrentinaNE

_forumuser_ said:


> If I recall correctlly, in the US it would correpond to a full-size bed. It took me years and several sets of unusable bed-sheets to figure this out...


I checked a few web-sites regarding "standard mattress sizes" and found that in the U.S., a twin (single) mattress is 39 inches wide, while a full is 54".  A queen is 60 inches, while a king is 72" (or exactly twice the width of a twin).  

So is a "Piazza e mezza" a full or a queen?  How wide is a regular "piazza" in Italy?  

Elisabetta


----------



## _forumuser_

TrentinaNE said:


> I checked a few web-sites regarding "standard mattress sizes" and found that you are correct! In the U.S., a twin (single) mattress is 39 inches wide, while a full is 54". A queen is 60 inches, while a king is 72" (or exactly twice the width of a twin). So a "Piazza e mezza" would be sufficient for two people, if you like to sleep "cozily."
> 
> Elisabetta


 
The many Saturday afternoons spent in Macy's weren't a total waste of time then!


----------



## GavinW

TrentinaNE said:


> I checked a few web-sites regarding "standard mattress sizes" and found that in the U.S., a twin (single) mattress is 39 inches wide, while a full is 54". A queen is 60 inches, while a king is 72" (or exactly twice the width of a twin).
> 
> So is a "Piazza e mezza" a full or a queen? How wide is a regular "piazza" in Italy?
> 
> Elisabetta


 
Now we're getting somewhere... Except, for all I know, "queen" may well be USE (AmE) only, and even some of the other terms I've never heard (twin instead of single, full instead of ... nothing). In English we have double or king-size, but the latter sounds bigger than a double (which I guess is 72 inches, logically).


----------



## fratello

The italian piazza e mezza is  INCH. 63X78 (MAT.160 CM),
but you could also find INCH. 70X78 (MAT.180 CM).
The US queen is INCH. 60X80X18 (QUEEN USA) and the king is 
INCH. 78X80 (KING USA).
there is also tha calif. king INCH. 72X84X18 H (CALIF.KING USA)
 
these are the fitted sheets standard sizes of bed linen manufacturers.


----------



## Akire72

There is also another bed actually. So let's list them all out:

Singolo/1 piazza -> single
Una piazza e mezza -> single plus half single
*Una piazza e mezza alla francese ->single plus 3/4 of single (I've learnt this after spending good money on wrong "una piazza e mezza" sheet sets!!!)*
Matrimoniale/ 2 piazze -> double


----------



## fratello

The italian piazza e mezza is INCH. 47,2X78 (MAT.120 CM),
the INCH. 63X78 (MAT.160 CM) is standard double bed.
The others dates are exact.
sorry again.


----------



## Victoria32

GavinW said:


> Now we're getting somewhere... Except, for all I know, "queen" may well be USE (AmE) only, and even some of the other terms I've never heard (twin instead of single, full instead of ... nothing). In English we have double or king-size, but the latter sounds bigger than a double (which I guess is 72 inches, logically).


We use the term Queen size in New Zealand as well...

VL


----------



## Paul in Oz

In Australia a bed that is larger than a standard single but smaller than a double, is called a king sized single.


----------



## TrentinaNE

E la lezione di questa discussione: prima di comprare dei lenzuoli in un paese straniero, si deve sempre misurare il materasso.  

Elisabetta


----------



## _forumuser_

TrentinaNE said:


> E la lezione di questa discussione: prima di comprare dei lenzuoli in un paese straniero, si deve sempre misurare il materasso.
> 
> Elisabetta


 
Haha. You Anglosaxons around the world really need to sit around a table and  find mattress sizes that work for all.


----------



## Akire72

TrentinaNE said:


> E la lezione di questa discussione: prima di comprare dei lenzuoli in un paese straniero, si deve sempre misurare il materasso.
> 
> Elisabetta


 lenzuolo : sing 
 lenzuola: plur.

Un lenzuolo --> le lenzuola I hope you don't mind


----------



## TrentinaNE

Akire72 said:


> lenzuolo : sing
> lenzuola: plur.
> 
> Un lenzuolo --> le lenzuola I hope you don't mind


Ma come no!    È una de quelle eccezioni che non avrei mai saputo!

Elisabetta


----------



## fiorilù

I am glad to realize that even mother-tongues are having trouble in translating IHIHIHIHHHHHHHHHHHHH


----------



## Akire72

> È una de quelle eccezioni che non avrei mai saputo!


 
This is a hard one, it derives from a neutral latin word 

Actually de Mauro says lenzuoli is also correct... Well, lenzuola is more used in my opinion, and in any case you have learnt something new


----------



## peach80

*letto ad una piazza e mezza*
*C*ome faccio a spiegarlo in inglese?
*G*razie


----------



## Memimao

peach80 said:


> come faccio a spiegarlo in inglese?
> grazie


 

A three quarter bed


----------



## vincenzochiaravalle

Cari amici,

Aggiungo solo che, da un metro e mezzo a due metri, dovrebbe essere un "queen-size bed"; oltre due metri "king-size bed".

Un sauto,

V.


----------



## peach80

*G*razie tante


----------



## fredpox

fratello said:


> sorry i made a mistake!
> 
> The italian piazza e mezza is INCH. 47,2X78 (MAT.120 CM),
> the INCH. 63X78 (MAT.160 CM) is standard double bed.
> The others dates are exact.
> sorry again.



So my 100cm wide bed is a?? twin? a single? o una piazza e un quarto? ^_^

Ciao
Paolo


----------



## _forumuser_

fredpox said:


> So my 100cm wide bed is a?? twin? a single? o una piazza e un quarto? ^_^
> 
> Ciao
> Paolo



Twin in America, single in GB.


----------



## Paulfromitaly

In the UK:

- a single bed is 3 ft (90 cm)
- a double bed is 4ft6 (135 cm that is slightly more than una piazza e mezza)
- a kingsize is 5 ft (150 cm) and it's the size we'd normally identify as matrimoniale in Italy.
British double beds are smaller than what we call matrimoniale.

In the USA there's also a queen size 60 in × 80 in / 152 cm × 203 cm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bed_size


----------



## alessandrina83

Ciao Raga, come si dice in inglese "Letto a una piazza e mezza"?


----------



## miri

Three-quarter bed


----------



## Hermocrates

Le misure tradizionali dei letti e relative conversioni sono un po' complicate, a dire il vero. 

Qui c'è uno schemino. 

Il "three quarter bed" corrisponderebbe a circa 122 × 198 cm nello UK.


----------



## Keroppi73

Small Single 190cmx75cm
Single 190x90
Small Double 190x120
Double 190x135
King Size 200x150
Super King Size 200x180


----------



## nsartor

Just to add to the confusion, one can buy a bed in Italy called a "french" bed which is slightly bigger than a Piazza e Mezza and big enough to sleep a normal size couple but smaller than a "letto a matromoniale"  Finding sheets is a PAIN.
The size is 140x190.  If you get matromoniale sheets they are way too big and if you get fitted Piazza e Mezza they won't stretch.  Finally had to order on Italian Amazon


----------



## Paulfromitaly

nsartor said:


> one can buy a bed in Italy called a "french" bed which is slightly bigger than a Piazza e Mezza and big enough to sleep a normal size couple but smaller than a "letto a matromoniale"


True, we call it "piazza e mezza francese".


----------



## london calling

Paulfromitaly said:


> True, we call it "piazza e mezza francese".


And it corresponds to a UK double bed, give or take a few centimetres.


----------



## nsartor

alessandrina83 said:


> Ciao Raga, come si dice in inglese "Letto a una piazza e mezza"?


Piazza e Mezza doesn't really exist in American Beds.  Closest would be "Full Size" which is 54 inches x 75 inches.  It's a bit bigger than a Piazza e Mezza and can sleep two small/average size people.  It's not super common in the USA which usually sticks to Twin(single), Queen and King.  Also a thing called California King.  Basically you have to buy your bedding in Italy!


----------



## barking fellows

Hilarious thread. Nothing to add, but I need to correct this:



Akire72 said:


> Lenzuolo: sing.; Lenzuola: plur... Un lenzuolo --> le lenzuola



Actually, you go or stay under *le lenzuola*, but you buy or sell or wash or mend *i lenzuoli* - very same thing as: you sit and eat _a tavola_ and set _la tavola_ for dinner, but you buy or sell or clean or fix _il/un tavolo_


----------



## nsartor

Barking fellows (interesting moniker!), I'm sure you're right but Amazon.it is confused.  I can buy a "_*completo lenzuola*_"   

Amazon.it: lenzuolo piazza e mezza francese - Lenzuola e federe / Biancheria da letto: Casa e cucina

OR  I can buy a "_*lenzuolo matriomoniale*_"    

AmazonBasics - Lenzuolo Matrimoniale in Policotone, 200 fili, bordeaux: Amazon.it: Casa e cucina

Nowhere did i find "*i lenzuoli*" listed (and I was looking for hours for "un lenzuolo con angoli per un piazza e mezza francese!)  Always a "set" in which case it was (le) lenzuola or just the fitted sheet in which case it was (un/il) lenzuolo

So I guess my point is I couldn't buy _*i lenzuoli*_


----------



## King Crimson

> Moderation note: please let's stay on topic, you can find the explanation of lenzuoli / lenzuola in our monolingual dictionary or open a discussion in a separate thread


----------



## WordsWordWords

Hi everybody -

Wow what a can of worms I have stumbled onto with this thread. I am not even sure I have seen a consensus despite having read all the posts.

My context is to translate the website of a luxury hotel. There are three bedrooms:

The Italian text:

_Una camera matrimoniale, una camera con due letti e una terza camera con letto alla francese (1 piazza e mezza). _

OK so luckily I do not need to buy sheets here , but I cannot decide what to go with for that third bed. (Worse than Goldilocks, folks!)

Whatever I write needs to convey elegance. And as noted by GavinW in post #5, a French bed doesn't really make sense to native English speakers.

I'm going with double and single (rather than twin) for the first two types, but I really do not know what to put for the _piazza e mezza_.
What is the consensus? Full? Queen? Could "oversized single" work? 

Thank you for help and patience!


----------



## pebblespebbles

Hi words, I think the "matrimoniale" bed is a king size bed. This information should be already sowhere in this thread. "Camera matrimoniale" is a bedroom where you could fit a king size bed.
The " una piazza e mezzo" bed is slightly smaller than a double bed, but I don't know how you can describe it.
Ciao


----------



## pebblespebbles

Maybe "small double"'.I found it in a shop that sells mattresses in Ireland , I don't think I can post the link thought. They wrote : double bed 135cm , small double 120cm.
120 cm is the width of "letto ad una piazza".
Ciao


----------



## WordsWordWords

Thank you pebbles - my precise problem is the "piazza e mezza", because there do not seem to be consistent dimensions for it. I found this link:

Le taglie dei letti: classificazione

I think their description has helped me decide that for my context, a bed which is "una piazza e mezza" should be indicated as an "oversized single bed".

I really hope this will be helpful for others in this thread that have perhaps not found a satisfactory translation!


----------



## Mary49

Queen Room - Hotel in Central London | The Bloomsbury Hotel    "Queen-size beds have plush duck down duvets and stylish wooden headboards,...".
Kensington & Chelsea Hotel London | Draycott Hotel    "Standard Queen rooms have a queen-size bed, writing desk and a small coffee table".


----------



## WordsWordWords

Thank you Mary  -- the dilemma is that the luxury hotel site I am translating is in Italy, not in England.... 

If we consider that the measurements for "piazza e mezza" and "letto francese" are given on Wikipedia as

letto a una piazza e mezza o letto da prete: largo 120 cm;
letto a piazza francese: largo 140 cm;
And if we further consider the helpful table here Sunvalley Rattan Inc -- it is evident that there really is no satisfactory equivalent term, as has been chewed over for 10+ years in this thread.  

"Una piazza e mezza" and "letto alla francese" are uniquely Italian concepts, so I think we can safely say that there is no equivalent English term, and one must adapt to the needs of the text being translated. 

In my case, I need to convey in elegant inviting terms what it is. Lacking a truly satisfactory English term, I am following my instincts (and the description from the the link I inserted in post #46) and going with "oversized single". Otherwise for prospective guests it will not resonate as my client wants to evoke...


----------



## pebblespebbles

Mattresses Ireland|Single,Double,King & Super King Size Mattresses Delivery Ireland


----------



## WordsWordWords

Thank you Pebbles >> helpful link! So we can say that a standard "piazza e mezza" (120cm x 190cm) is the same as what in the UK is a "small double" and smaller (narrower) than the standard "double" in the US.

However, my dilemma is that the luxury hotel that this text is for has indicated that the room with the "piazza e mazza" bed is for one person, so in any case to call it a double would be confusing...  I really think that "oversized single" is the best term here.


----------

