mangiare
/manˈd͡ʒa.re/
To eat in Italian is mangiare. Wiktionary also lists mettere sotto i denti.
Meaning: eat a meal (verb)
Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA |
|---|---|
| mangiare | /manˈd͡ʒa.re/ |
| mettere sotto i denti |
The verb mangiare is used to express the act of eating a meal. You can also use the idiomatic expression mettere sotto i denti to convey the same idea.
What does it mean word for word?
The idiom mettere sotto i denti is built literally from the words for 'to put', 'under', 'the' and 'teeth'.
How does it change in a sentence?
mangiare is a regular -are verb and follows the standard conjugation pattern for the present tense. The present tense forms are: mangio (I eat), mangi (you eat), mangia (he/she eats), mangiamo (we eat), mangiate (you all eat) and mangiano (they eat).
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /manˈdʒa.re/. It has 3 syllables, with the stress on the 2nd syllable.
Did you know?
- The phrase mangiare la foglia literally means 'to eat the leaf' but is used idiomatically to mean that someone has figured out a secret or a trick.
- In some Italian contexts, the verb mangiare can be used as a slang term for 'taking a bribe' or 'pocketing' money illegally.
- In Italy, it is common to use the phrase mangiare con gli occhi (to eat with the eyes) to describe admiring a beautifully presented dish before tasting it.
Examples in context
- È ora di mangiare.It's time to eat.This sentence shows how to use mangiare to say it is time to eat.Tatoeba #1969670 by Guybrush88, translation #954096 by CK
- Io sto per mangiare.I'm about to eat.This sentence uses mangiare to express that you are about to eat.Tatoeba #3665190 by Guybrush88, translation #3665189 by CK
- Tom uscì a mangiare.Tom went out to eat.This sentence uses mangiare to describe going out to eat.Tatoeba #3922097 by Guybrush88, translation #3922007 by CK
- Vorrei mangiare una pizza margherita.I would like to eat a Margherita pizza.
- Andiamo a mangiare una pizza questa sera?Shall we go eat a pizza tonight?
- Oggi ceno da mia nonna.Today, I'm eating dinner at my grandma's.
- 2184 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Francesco and Giulia are deciding on a plan for the evening.
- FrancescoGiulia, cosa vuoi mangiare?Giulia, what do you want to eat?
- GiuliaNon lo so, Francesco, forse un sushi.I don't know, Francesco, maybe some sushi.
- FrancescoOttima idea, andiamo a mangiare subito!Great idea, let's go eat right away!
- GiuliaPerfetto, ho molta fame.Perfect, I am very hungry.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “eat” translations and entries mangiare, mettere sotto i denti, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
