Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| football americano | masculine | |
| football statunitense | masculine | |
| calcio americano | /ˈkal.t͡ʃo a.me.riˈka.no/ (word by word) | masculine |
| calcio statunitense | /ˈkal.t͡ʃo sta.tu.niˈtɛn.se/ (word by word) | masculine |
The term is used to refer to the sport of American football. You may also see the phrase football degli Stati Uniti used to denote the same sport.
Which one should you use?
football americano is the most common way to refer to the sport in Italy. It often retains the English word "football" to avoid confusion with soccer. calcio americano is used, but because calcio means soccer/football, this term can sometimes be slightly ambiguous to a native speaker compared to the anglicized football americano.
How does it change in a sentence?
As a masculine noun, it is preceded by the masculine definite article il when used as a subject or in a general sense, such as in il football americano.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly say americano football by following English word order. Instead, use the Italian order football americano.
Did you know?
- If you use the term calcio americano, you are literally calling it 'American heel-play' due to the Latin root of calcio.
- While calcio is the standard word for soccer, the word calcio also refers to the game of 'Calcio Florentino', a historical sport from Florence that is a distant relative to modern football.
- The adjective statunitense is a precise term meaning 'from the United States' and is often used in formal contexts instead of americano.
Examples in context
- Odio il football americano.I hate American football.This sentence is useful for expressing a dislike for football americano.Tatoeba #12922581 by Guybrush88, translation #9697769 by deniko
- Il football americano è per le fighette. Se sei un vero uomo giochi a rugby.American football is for sissies. If you're a real man you play rugby.This sentence uses football americano to express a comparison between the sport and rugby.Tatoeba #2617630 by Guybrush88, translation #733780 by darinmex
- Il calcio americano è uno sport molto popolare negli Stati Uniti.American football is a very popular sport in the United States.
- Pensi che il football americano sia uno sport affascinante?Do you think American football is a fascinating sport?
- Vuoi andare a vedere una partita di football domani?Do you want to go watch a football game tomorrow?
- Ho iniziato a seguire il Football USA dopo aver visto un documentario.I started following American football after watching a documentary.
- Loro amano giocare a pallone ovale più di qualsiasi altro sport.They love playing oval ball more than any other sport.
- Non vedo l'ora che inizi la nuova stagione di football degli Stati Uniti!I can't wait for the new season of American football to start!
- Guardo sempre il football americano la domenica.I always watch American football on Sundays.
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Matteo and Martina are talking about their hobbies in a living room.
- MatteoTi piace il football americano?Do you like American football?
- MartinaNo, preferisco seguire il tennis.No, I prefer following tennis.
- MatteoCapisco, io invece adoro questo sport.I see, but I love this sport.
- MartinaSei proprio un appassionato, Matteo.You are a real enthusiast, Matteo.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “american football” translations and entries football americano, football statunitense, calcio americano, calcio statunitense, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (calcio, americano, statunitense) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries americano, calcio, statunitense, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
