Esausto vs. esaurito
The Italian words esausto and esaurito both relate to the English concept of being exhausted, but they are applied in very different situations. Choosing the correct word depends on whether you are describing physical tiredness, depleted resources, sold-out items, or psychological burnout.
Esausto
B2The word esausto refers to extreme physical or mental fatigue. It is used to describe a person or an animal that is worn out, completely drained of energy, or dead tired from exertion. It is infrequently used for objects, though it can occasionally describe depleted soil or a dead battery.
Dopo aver corso la maratona sotto il sole, Marco era esausto.
(After running the marathon in the sun, Marco was exhausted.)
Abbiamo lavorato dodici ore senza sosta e ora siamo tutti esausti.
(We worked twelve hours without a break and now we are all exhausted.)
Alla fine della giornata il bambino era esausto e si è addormentato subito.
(At the end of the day the child was worn out and fell asleep immediately.)
Il contadino ha deciso di lasciare riposare il terreno esausto per un anno intero.
(The farmer decided to let the exhausted soil rest for a whole year.)
Sono mentalmente esausto dopo aver studiato per tre esami difficili.
(I am mentally exhausted after studying for three difficult exams.)
Esaurito
B1The word esaurito is mainly used for objects and resources to indicate that they are completely used up, depleted, or out of stock. When applied to people, esaurito takes on a psychological meaning, describing someone who is highly stressed, suffering from burnout, or having a nervous breakdown.
Il nuovo romanzo del mio autore preferito è già esaurito in tutte le librerie.
(The new novel by my favorite author is already sold out in all the bookstores.)
Mi dispiace, ma il tempo a nostra disposizione per questo test è esaurito.
(I am sorry, but the time we have available for this test is up.)
Ho esaurito la mia pazienza con questo computer che continua a bloccarsi.
(I have exhausted my patience with this computer that keeps freezing.)
Dopo mesi di duro lavoro senza vacanze, il direttore era completamente esaurito.
(After months of hard work without a vacation, the director was completely burned out.)
I biglietti per il concerto sono esauriti da oltre due mesi.
(The tickets for the concert have been sold out for over two months.)
Summary
In short, use esausto to describe someone who is physically or mentally tired from exertion. Choose esaurito to talk about a resource that is used up, a product that is out of stock, or a person experiencing severe psychological stress.