Which one should you use?
While tedesco is the standard word for the language and nationality, the related forms germano and germana are more archaic or technical terms used specifically to refer to members of a Germanic tribe in historical or anthropological contexts.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When referring to the German language itself, the masculine singular form is used with the definite article il (e.g., il tedesco). As an adjective, tedesco must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies, such as using tedesca for a feminine singular noun.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has three syllables with the stress on the second syllable: /teˈdes.ko/.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not capitalize tedesco when using it as a language or an adjective unless it is at the beginning of a sentence. Unlike in English, these are not capitalized in Italian.
Did you know?
- The word tedesco shares the same ancient linguistic ancestor as the English word 'idiot'.
- The term tedesco was originally used to distinguish the 'vernacular' language of the common people from the formal Latin used by scholars.
Examples in context
- È un nome tedesco.It's a German name.This sentence illustrates the use of tedesco as an adjective describing a name.Tatoeba #5927232 by Guybrush88, translation #5927070 by mailohilohi
- Io amo il tedesco.I love German.This sentence shows how to express a liking for the language using tedesco.Tatoeba #13297442 by Guybrush88, translation #8815628 by shekitten
- Non so il tedesco.I don't know German.This sentence demonstrates how to state a lack of knowledge of the language using tedesco.Tatoeba #13943934 by Guybrush88, translation #2425616 by bionicboy
- Parlo tedescoI speak German
- È un tedescoHe is a German
- Cucina tedescaGerman cuisine
- Vieni dalla Germania?Do you come from Germany?
- Mi piace l'accento tedesco.I like the German accent.
- Questa città ha radici germaniche.This city has Germanic roots.
- 510 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chiara and Matteo are talking about their university courses.
- ChiaraTi piace il corso di tedesco?Do you like the German course?
- MatteoSì, ma il tedesco è complicato.Yes, but German is complicated.
- ChiaraAnche per me è un problema.It is a problem for me too.
- MatteoStudiamo il tedesco insieme domani?Shall we study German together tomorrow?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “german” translations and entries tedesco, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries tedesco, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
