carbonara
/kar.boˈna.ra/feminine
In Italian, carbonara refers to a spaghetti dish. If unsure, use carbonara. Wiktionary also lists spaghetti alla carbonara.
Meaning: spaghetti dish (noun)
Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| carbonara | /kar.boˈna.ra/ | feminine |
| spaghetti alla carbonara | /spaˈɡet.ti ˈal.la kar.boˈna.ra/ (word by word) | masculine, plural |
The term can refer to the dish itself, but if you are naming the specific pasta dish, the standard way to say it is spaghetti alla carbonara.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase alla carbonara means "in the style of carbonara".
Which one should you use?
carbonara is a feminine noun that can stand alone to refer to the dish, while spaghetti alla carbonara is a masculine plural phrase used to name the specific pasta dish.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun carbonara is feminine and takes the feminine singular article la (e.g., la carbonara). When describing the dish, the prepositional phrase alla carbonara is used to indicate the style of preparation.
How do you pronounce it?
/kar.boˈna.ra/. It has 4 syllables, with the stress on the 3rd syllable.
Did you know?
- Some historians believe spaghetti alla carbonara was actually created in 1944 using powdered eggs and bacon supplied by US soldiers during the liberation of Rome.
- While many international recipes use heavy cream, a traditional carbonara in Italy strictly excludes it, relying instead on eggs and cheese for creaminess.
- The word spaghetti is actually a diminutive of the word spago, which means 'string' or 'twine'.
Examples in context
- Oggi ci sono degli spaghetti alla carbonara per cena.Today there is spaghetti carbonara for dinner.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use spaghetti alla carbonara in a sentence.Tatoeba #5353660 by Guybrush88, translation #6382366 by CarpeLanam
- Hai mai assaggiato la carbonara?Have you ever tasted carbonara?
- Sì, è uno dei miei piatti preferiti!Yes, it's one of my favorite dishes!
- Vuoi provare la nostra carbonara?Would you like to try our carbonara?
- La carbonara è molto saporita.The carbonara is very flavorful.
- Prendo una carbonara, per favore.I'll have a carbonara, please.
Example conversation
At a small Italian trattoria.
- MatteoMartina, cosa ordini?Martina, what are you ordering?
- MartinaVorrei una carbonara.I would like a carbonara.
- MatteoOttima scelta, la carbonara qui è eccellente.Great choice, the carbonara here is excellent.
- MartinaSpero che sia buona!I hope it's good!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “carbonara” translations and entries carbonara, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (spaghetti, alla, carbonara) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries spaghetti, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
