nipote
/niˈpo.te/feminine, masculine
The Italian word for grandchild is nipote.
The word nipote is used for both grandchildren and for nephews/nieces, and the context determines which one is meant.
Meaning: child of one’s child (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
nipote can be masculine or feminine. For a male grandchild or nephew, use the masculine article il nipote. For a female grandchild or niece, use the feminine article la nipote. The plural form of the word is nipoti, which can mean either grandchildren or nephews/nieces.
How do you pronounce it?
/niˈpo.te/
Did you know?
- The term nipote shares a distant Proto-Indo-European ancestor with the Persian word for grandchild, نوه.
- When talking about grandchildren, Italians often use the diminutive nipotino or nipotina to express affection, regardless of the child's actual age.
- In some regional Italian dialects, different words are used to distinguish between a grandchild and a nephew to remove the ambiguity found in standard Italian.
Examples in context
- Tom è l'unico nipote di Mary.Tom is Mary's only grandchild.This sentence is useful for identifying a specific person as a nipote.Tatoeba #6449364 by Guybrush88, translation #6438623 by CK
- Suo nipote vive nei Paesi Bassi.Her grandchild lives in the Netherlands.This sentence is useful for describing where a nipote lives.Tatoeba #5996376 by RobinvanderVliet, translation #6010506 by RobinvanderVliet
- Ciao, sono nonna Lucia, e questi sono i miei nipotini, Marco e Sara!Hi, I'm Grandma Lucia, and these are my grandkids, Marco and Sara!
- La festa sarà fantastica con i miei nipotini.The party will be fantastic with my grandkids.
- Ho un nipote molto vivace.I have a very lively grandson.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lorenzo and Giulia are looking at family photos.
- LorenzoChi è questa bambina nella foto?Who is this little girl in the photo?
- GiuliaÈ mia nipote, si chiama Sofia.She is my grandchild, her name is Sofia.
- LorenzoÈ davvero molto carina!She is really very cute!
- GiuliaGrazie, è la mia nipote preferita.Thank you, she is my favorite grandchild.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “grandchild” translations and entries nipote, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries nipote, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
