Italian nationality words help you describe where you or another person is from. They are usually adjectives, so their endings often change to agree with the person or group. Italian also normally writes nationality adjectives in lowercase, unlike English.
Quick answer:
“I am Italian” is Sono italiano (masculine speaker) or Sono italiana (feminine speaker). Nationality words generally agree in gender and number.
How Nationality Words Work
Many nationality adjectives follow the familiar -o pattern. The masculine singular ends in -o, the feminine singular in -a, the masculine plural in -i, and the feminine plural in -e. For example: italiano, italiana, italiani, italiane. These forms describe a man, woman, group of men or mixed group, and group of women respectively.
Other nationality words end in -e in the singular for both masculine and feminine, then change to -i in the plural. Francese can describe one French man or woman, while francesi describes multiple people. Learn the pattern with the word, but remember that some nationalities have less predictable forms.
Common Nationalities
- italiano / italiana — Italian; plural italiani / italiane
- americano / americana — American
- inglese — English/British; plural inglesi
- francese — French; plural francesi
- tedesco / tedesca — German
- spagnolo / spagnola — Spanish
- giapponese — Japanese; plural giapponesi
- brasiliano / brasiliana — Brazilian
- cinese — Chinese; plural cinesi
- russo / russa — Russian
Some English country names and nationality words do not map one-to-one. For example, inglese commonly refers to English or British people depending on context. If national identity needs to be precise, name the country or use the person’s preferred description.
Asking and Answering About Nationality
A natural way to ask where someone comes from is Di dove sei? (“Where are you from?”) for one person you know well. In a polite or formal conversation, use Di dov’è? For a group, ask Di dove siete? (“Where are you all from?”).
If you specifically want to ask someone’s nationality, say Di che nazionalità sei? (“What nationality are you?”). The answer uses essere (“to be”) plus the adjective: Sono francese (“I’m French”), È giapponese (“He/She is Japanese”), or Siamo americani (“We are American”). In the plural, make the adjective agree with the group.
Example Sentences
- Sono italiana e vivo a Milano. — I’m Italian and I live in Milan. (female speaker)
- Mio padre è italiano e mia madre è francese. — My father is Italian and my mother is French.
- Siamo americani, ma lavoriamo a Roma. — We are American, but we work in Rome.
- Le studentesse giapponesi parlano italiano. — The Japanese students speak Italian.
- Marco ha un collega tedesco. — Marco has a German colleague.
- Di che nazionalità sono i nuovi vicini? — What nationality are the new neighbors?
These examples show that the adjective may follow the verb essere or come after a noun. It agrees with the person or people described: un collega tedesco but una collega tedesca.
Agreement and Usage
When a nationality adjective describes a noun, match its ending to that noun. Say un ragazzo tedesco (“a German boy”) and una ragazza tedesca (“a German girl”). For a masculine or mixed group, use tedeschi; for an all-female group, use tedesche. The adjective does not change the verb: sono is used for “I am” and “they are,” so context and the subject make the meaning clear.
Nationality adjectives are generally lowercase: un artista italiano, una scrittrice francese. The related country name is capitalized: Italia, Francia, Germania. Nationality can also be expressed with a noun, for example un italiano (“an Italian man/person”) or un’italiana (“an Italian woman”), but in simple introductions the adjective after essere is common.
Some nationality adjectives are also used for languages. Parlo italiano means “I speak Italian.” The guide to Italian in Italian compares the language name and nationality adjective. The language name is also lowercase. Do not assume that every phrase translates word-for-word from English; in Italian, the article may or may not be needed depending on how the language is used in the sentence.
Pronunciation
Italiano is pronounced approximately ee-tah-LYAH-noh, with stress on lya. Italiana ends in a clear “ah.” In francese, the final -se is pronounced with a voiced z-like sound. Listen to the audio and repeat the whole phrase, keeping the vowels clear.
Frequently Asked Questions
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How do I say “I am Italian” in Italian?
Say Sono italiano if you use the masculine form, or Sono italiana if you use the feminine form.
Are nationality words capitalized in Italian?
No. They are normally lowercase, as in italiano and francese. Country names such as Italia are capitalized.
Do all Italian nationality words change for gender?
No. Words such as francese have one singular form for masculine and feminine, while italiano/italiana change their endings.
How do I ask someone’s nationality?
Ask Di che nazionalità sei? informally, or Di che nazionalità è? politely.
What is the difference between Di dove sei? and Di che nazionalità sei?
Di dove sei? asks where someone is from; Di che nazionalità sei? asks specifically about their nationality.
Summary
Italian nationality adjectives agree with gender and number and are usually lowercase. Learn common forms such as italiano/italiana and francese/francesi. Use essere to give your nationality, and choose a direct question based on whether you mean someone’s origin or nationality.
