Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| cheeseburger | masculine | |
| hamburger al formaggio | /amˈbur.ɡer al forˈmad.d͡ʒo/ (word by word) | masculine |
| amburghese al formaggio | masculine, rare | |
| cacioburghese | humorous, masculine |
In Italy, the English loanword cheeseburger is the most common way to refer to this food, particularly when ordering in fast-food environments.
Which one should you use?
While cheeseburger is the standard term, you may encounter the more descriptive hamburger al formaggio. The term amburghese al formaggio is quite rare. For a playful or joking effect, one might use the made-up word cacioburghese.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Cheeseburger is the standard choice for informal, everyday contexts like fast-food restaurants. Cacioburghese is a humorous term used for fun rather than serious communication.
How does it change in a sentence?
As a masculine noun, cheeseburger is used with the masculine indefinite article un, as in un cheeseburger.
When do people say it?
The word cacioburghese is a humorous, made-up blend that combines the Italian word for cheese, cacio, with the word for hamburger.
Did you know?
- The word burghese in cacioburghese is a linguistic coincidence that can cause confusion. In Italian, borghese (spelled similarly) means 'bourgeois' or 'middle-class', so a playful word about a burger might sound like a social commentary if mispronounced.
- The term amburghese refers to the city of Hamburg, and the playful cacioburghese treats 'cacio' as if it were a city name.
- The word formaggio shares an unexpected ancestor with the English word 'form'. Both derive from the Latin forma, referring to the mould or shape used to give cheese its structure.
Examples in context
- Tom mangiò un cheeseburger.Tom ate a cheeseburger.This sentence shows the use of cheeseburger as a masculine noun.Tatoeba #7134080 by Guybrush88, translation #6628131 by Hybrid
- Ha ordinato l'hamburger o il doppio cheeseburger?Did you order the hamburger or the double cheeseburger?This sentence illustrates how to use cheeseburger in a question regarding an order.Tatoeba #11798761 by Guybrush88, translation #9177082 by DJ_Saidez
- Vorrei un cheeseburger con patatine fritte.I would like a cheeseburger with french fries.
- 12 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Matteo and Sofia are at a fast food restaurant.
- MatteoSofia, vuoi un cheeseburger?Sofia, do you want a cheeseburger?
- SofiaSì, grazie, lo prendo volentieri.Yes, thanks, I'll gladly have it.
- MatteoVuoi anche una bibita?Do you want a drink too?
- SofiaNo, solo il cheeseburger per me.No, just the cheeseburger for me.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cheeseburger” translations and entries cheeseburger, hamburger al formaggio, amburghese al formaggio, cacioburghese, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (hamburger, al, formaggio) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cacioburghese, cheeseburger, formaggio, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
