Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| portaerei | /ˌpɔr.taˈɛ.re.i/ | feminine |
| portaeromobili | /ˌpɔr.ta.e.roˈmɔ.bi.li/ | feminine |
The term refers to a warship for launching aircraft.
What does it mean word for word?
The word portaerei is a compound formed from porta, which means carries or bears and aerei, which means aircraft.
Which one should you use?
portaerei is the standard term, while portaeromobili is another way to say aircraft carrier. Both are feminine nouns.
How does it change in a sentence?
portaerei is an invariable noun, meaning its form does not change whether you are talking about one or many. To indicate number, you must change the article. For example, una portaerei means 'an aircraft carrier' and le portaerei means 'the aircraft carriers'. Note that despite its ending in -i, which often indicates masculine plurals in Italian, portaerei is a feminine noun and uses the feminine singular article una.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌpɔr.taˈɛ.re.i/. It has 5 syllables, with the stress on the 3rd syllable.
Did you know?
- The structure of portaerei mirrors everyday Italian words for accessories, such as portafoglio for 'wallet' and portaborse for 'handbag'.
- The root porta comes from the Latin 'portare', which is also the ancestor of the English word 'portable'.
- While portaerei is the common term, the more technical portaeromobili can theoretically describe a vessel carrying blimps or other non-plane flying craft.
Examples in context
- Il nuovo contratto coinvolge le portaerei.The new contract involves aircraft carriers.
- Le portaerei hanno svolto un ruolo cruciale nelle battaglie navali.Portaerei have played a crucial role in naval battles.
- La portaerei è visibile all'orizzonte.The aircraft carrier is visible on the horizon.
- Hanno costruito una nuova portaerei enorme.They built a huge new aircraft carrier.
- La portaerei è al porto.The aircraft carrier is in the port.
Example conversation
Giulia and Alessandro are watching a news report about the navy.
- GiuliaHai visto quella portaerei in televisione?Did you see that aircraft carrier on TV?
- AlessandroSì, è una portaerei davvero impressionante.Yes, it is a truly impressive aircraft carrier.
- GiuliaAlessandro, secondo te è molto costosa?Alessandro, do you think it is very expensive?
- AlessandroSicuramente, una portaerei costa moltissimo.Surely, an aircraft carrier costs a lot.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “aircraft carrier” translations and entries portaerei, portaeromobili, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries portaerei, portaeromobili, CC BY-SA 4.0.
