porcellino d'India
The English phrase "guinea pig" is translated into Italian as porcellino d'India.
Meaning: experimental subject (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term literally translates to little pig of India.
How does it change in a sentence?
To refer to more than one guinea pig, use the plural form porcellini d'India, which only changes the noun porcellino to its plural form porcellini.
What mistakes should you avoid?
When writing the phrase, ensure you capitalize India because it is a proper noun.
Did you know?
- Despite the name porcellino d'India, the animal is actually native to the Andes mountains in South America, not the Indian subcontinent.
- The use of the word porcellino instead of just maiale implies a sense of endearment or smallness, making the name sound much more affectionate than the English 'pig'.
- If you are talking about the animal in a professional veterinary context, you will often see it referred to simply as cavia, which is the formal biological term.
Examples in context
- Ho un porcellino d'India.I have a guinea pig.This sentence is useful for stating that you own a porcellino d'India.Tatoeba #13164870 by Guybrush88, translation #8155347 by CM
- Ziri ha un porcellino d'india.Ziri has a guinea pig.This sentence is useful for stating that someone else owns a porcellino d'India.Tatoeba #13164862 by Guybrush88, translation #10208126 by Amastan
- Sami ha un porcellino d'India.Sami has a guinea pig.This sentence is useful for stating that Sami owns a porcellino d'India.Tatoeba #13164871 by Guybrush88, translation #7183430 by OsoHombre
- Ho recentemente scoperto che il mio vicino possiede un adorabile porcellino d'India come animale domestico.I recently found out that my neighbor owns an adorable guinea pig as a pet.
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chiara and Francesco are talking about a new medical study.
- ChiaraVuoi fare il porcellino d'India per questo test?Do you want to be the guinea pig for this test?
- FrancescoNo, preferisco aspettare i risultati ufficiali.No, I prefer to wait for the official results.
- ChiaraMa il ricercatore ha bisogno di un porcellino d'India.But the researcher needs a guinea pig.
- FrancescoAllora deve cercare qualcun altro, Chiara.Then he must look for someone else, Chiara.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry porcellino d'India, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
