palloncino
/pal.lonˈt͡ʃi.no/masculine
The Italian word for balloon (child's toy) is palloncino.
palloncino is used to refer to a child's toy balloon.
Meaning: child’s toy (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a diminutive of pallone (large ball), literally meaning little ball.
Which one should you use?
While palloncino refers to a small toy balloon, pallone refers to a large ball, such as a football or a large decorative balloon.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of palloncino is palloncini.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 4 syllables, with the stress on the 3rd syllable: /pal.lonˈtʃi.no/.
Did you know?
- The word palloncino can be used in a medical context to describe an angioplasty balloon used to open blocked arteries.
- While an English speaker says 'balloon' for both the toy and the aircraft, an Italian speaker must switch between palloncino and mongolfiera to avoid confusion.
- The word palloncino belongs to a family of words that all revolve around the shape of a sphere, including pallone for a large ball and pallonata for a powerful, heavy shot in sports.
Examples in context
- Fece scoppiare il palloncino.She made the balloon pop.This sentence is useful for describing the action of popping the palloncino.Tatoeba #13768574 by Guybrush88, translation #12652700 by always
- Il palloncino rosso scoppierà.The red balloon will pop.This sentence is useful for describing the color of the palloncino and its future action.Tatoeba #13768565 by Guybrush88, translation #12652693 by always
- Il palloncino scoppierà presto.The balloon will soon pop.This sentence is useful for describing the timing of when the palloncino will pop.Tatoeba #13768564 by Guybrush88, translation #12652698 by always
- Ho comprato palloncini per la festa di compleanno di mio figlio.I bought balloons for my son's birthday party.
- Gli aerostati erano bellissimi durante la manifestazione.The hot air balloons were beautiful during the event.
- Vorrei comprare dei palloncini, per favore.I would like to buy some balloons, please.
- Avete palloncini colorati?Do you have colorful balloons?
- Quanto costano i palloncini grandi?How much do the big balloons cost?
- Auguri! Ti ho comprato palloncini per il tuo compleanno.Congratulations! I bought you balloons for your birthday.
- Andiamo a comprare dei palloncini per la festa di Natale.Let's go buy some balloons for the Christmas party.
- I palloncini saranno perfetti per il matrimonio.The balloons will be perfect for the wedding.
- 21 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Francesco and Chiara are at a children's birthday party.
- FrancescoChiara, guarda il palloncino di quel bambino!Chiara, look at that child's balloon!
- ChiaraSì, è un bellissimo palloncino blu.Yes, it is a beautiful blue balloon.
- FrancescoVuoi un palloncino anche tu?Do you want a balloon too?
- ChiaraNo grazie, preferisco il gelato.No thanks, I prefer the ice cream.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “balloon” translations and entries palloncino, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
