italian in italian

The word “Italian” changes form in Italian depending on whether you mean the language, a person, or something associated with Italy. Learning the common forms helps you talk about what you speak, where someone is from, and Italian food or culture.

How Do You Say Italian in Italian?

The English word “Italian” is most often translated as italiano or italiana. The ending changes to match the gender and number of the person or thing being described. When referring to the language, use l’italiano: Parlo italiano means “I speak Italian.”

The country itself is Italia. So italiano means “Italian,” while Italia means “Italy.” They are related words, but they are not interchangeable.

Italian as a Language

To say “the Italian language,” say la lingua italiana. In everyday speech, people often shorten this to l’italiano. For example, Studio l’italiano means “I study Italian,” and Capisci l’italiano? means “Do you understand Italian?”

When the language is the direct object of the verb parlare (“to speak”), the article is often omitted: Parlo italiano (“I speak Italian”). With other verbs, usage can vary; studio italiano and studio l’italiano are both used for studying the language.

Italian as an Adjective

As an adjective, italiano agrees with the noun it describes, following a pattern shared by many Italian nationalities. Use italiano with a masculine singular noun, italiana with a feminine singular noun, italiani with masculine plural nouns or mixed groups, and italiane with feminine plural nouns.

• un libro italiano — an Italian book
• una città italiana — an Italian city
• i ristoranti italiani — Italian restaurants
• le canzoni italiane — Italian songs

Adjectives usually follow the noun in Italian, though the position can vary for emphasis or style. The adjective is not capitalized in ordinary Italian writing: cucina italiana means “Italian cuisine.”

Italian as a Person

For a complete introduction, see I am Italian in Italian. To describe a person from Italy, use italiano for a man and italiana for a woman. With an article, un italiano means “an Italian man” and un’italiana means “an Italian woman.” For a group, gli italiani can mean “Italian men” or “Italians” as a mixed group; le italiane refers to women.

To ask where someone is from, you can say Sei italiano? to a man or Sei italiana? to a woman. To ask more generally, Di dove sei? means “Where are you from?”

How to Pronounce Italiano

Pronounce italiano as ee-tah-LYAH-noh, with stress on the third syllable: i-ta-LIA-no. In the sequence lia, the i and a form a smooth sound, similar to “lya.” The final o is clear and rounded.

Italiana is pronounced ee-tah-LYAH-nah. Keep the vowels open and steady; Italian spelling gives a reliable guide to pronunciation.

Example Sentences Using Italiano

These examples show the different forms in context:

• Parlo italiano. — I speak Italian.
• Lei è italiana. — She is Italian.
• Marco è un italiano. — Marco is an Italian man.
• Abbiamo visitato una città italiana. — We visited an Italian city.
• La cucina italiana è famosa. — Italian cuisine is famous.
• Studio la lingua italiana all’università. — I study the Italian language at university.

Common Mistakes

Confusing Italia and italiano: Italia means “Italy,” while italiano means “Italian.” Using one ending for every noun: match italiano/a/i/e to the gender and number of the noun. Capitalizing the adjective: Italian normally writes nationality adjectives in lowercase. Using the wrong form for a person: say un italiano for a man and un’italiana for a woman.

Summary: Italian in Italian

“Italian” in Italian is italiano or italiana, depending on gender. The language is l’italiano, and Italy is Italia. Match the adjective ending to the noun: italiano, italiana, italiani, italiane.

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