barba
/ˈbar.ba/feminine
The English word 'beard' is barba in Italian.
barba refers to facial hair. In more descriptive or formal contexts, you might encounter folta barba to describe a dense or voluminous beard or imponente barba to describe a particularly impressive or majestic beard. Additionally, the idiomatic phrase farsi la barba is used to mean 'to shave'.
Meaning: facial hair (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase farsi la barba literally translates to 'to make oneself the beard'.
How does it change in a sentence?
barba is a feminine noun, which means it requires feminine articles and adjectives.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈbar.ba/. The word has 2 syllables and the stress is on the 1st syllable.
Did you know?
- In Italy, the act of grooming a barba is often associated with the barbiere. Historically, the barbiere did not just cut hair but performed minor surgeries and bloodletting, a practice known as barber-surgery.
- In Italian, if you say non avere peli sulla lingua, which means 'to have no hairs on the tongue', you are saying you speak your mind bluntly. While not about the barba itself, it is the most common Italian idiom involving facial or body hair to describe personality.
- The word barba is a cognate of the English word 'barb', referring to a sharp point. Both originate from the idea of a coarse or prickly texture, like a beard.
Examples in context
- Tom ha la barba.Tom has a beard.This sentence is useful for showing how to say someone has a beard using barba.Tatoeba #5003191 by Guybrush88, translation #3162945 by CK
- Non ho la barba.I don't have a beard.This sentence is useful for showing how to say you do not have a beard using barba.Tatoeba #6668487 by Guybrush88, translation #6666972 by CK
- Amo la tua barba.I love your beard.This sentence is useful for expressing affection for someone's beard using barba.Tatoeba #5563414 by Guybrush88, translation #3826336 by CK
- Gentile Signore, lei ha una barba molto affascinante.Kind Sir, you have a very fascinating beard.
- L'anziano signore aveva una folta barba bianca.The elderly gentleman had a dense white beard.
- Luca ha deciso di farsi crescere un pizzetto per cambiare look.Luca decided to grow a goatee to change his appearance.
- 191 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Martina is looking at Francesco's new hairstyle.
- MartinaFrancesco, hai una barba molto bella.Francesco, you have a very beautiful beard.
- FrancescoGrazie, Martina. È un nuovo look.Thanks, Martina. It is a new look.
- MartinaTi si addice molto.It suits you a lot.
- FrancescoSono contento che ti piaccia.I am happy that you like it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “beard” translations and entries barba, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
