mandria
/ˈman.drja/
The Italian word for herd is mandria. Wiktionary also lists branco and armento.
Meaning: any collection of animals gathered or travelling in a company (noun)
Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| mandria | /ˈman.drja/ | |
| branco | /ˈbran.ko/ | |
| armento | /arˈmen.to/ | masculine |
In Italian, several words are used to describe a collection of animals gathered or travelling together.
Which one should you use?
mandria is typically used for large herds of cattle or similar large livestock. In contrast, branco is used for herds of wild animals (like wolves or giraffes) or for a pack of dogs.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of mandria is mandrie. The masculine noun armento has the plural form armenti.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /ˈman.drja/. It has two syllables, and the stress is on the first syllable.
Did you know?
- While mandria refers to a herd, the word branco can also be used metaphorically in Italian to describe a 'herd' or 'pack' of people acting in a disorganized or aggressive manner.
- The word branco can also refer to a 'school' of fish, showing that the same term covers both land packs and aquatic groups.
- The word mandria actually comes from an ancient word for a cattle enclosure, rather than the animals themselves.
Examples in context
- Una pecora nera rovina tutta la mandria.One black sheep ruins the whole herd.This sentence shows how a single animal can affect the whole mandria.Tatoeba #3338478 by Guybrush88, translation #3338469 by _undertoad
- Il branco di giraffe sopravvisse alla siccità.The giraffe herd survived the drought.This sentence illustrates the use of branco when referring to wild animals like giraffes.Tatoeba #10458052 by Guybrush88, translation #8558937 by Amastan
- Questo branco di giraffe conta quattordici individui.This giraffe herd has fourteen individuals.This sentence demonstrates how to count individuals within a branco.Tatoeba #10568691 by jacopofar, translation #8552309 by Amastan
- La manda di bovini si sposta verso il fiumeThe herd of cattle is moving towards the river
- C'è un bel truppo di pecore nel pratoThere's a nice herd of sheep in the meadow
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chiara and Alessandro are looking at animals in a field.
- ChiaraGuarda quella mandria di cavalli!Look at that herd of horses!
- AlessandroQuanti sono in totale?How many are there in total?
- ChiaraPenso che la mandria sia molto numerosa.I think the herd is very large.
- AlessandroHai ragione, sono bellissimi.You are right, they are beautiful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “herd” translations and entries mandria, branco, armento, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries armento, branco, mandria, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
