sono inglese
/ˈso.no inˈɡle.ze/word by word
To say "I am English" in Italian, use sono inglese.
sono inglese is used to state your nationality. In a friendly or conversational tone, you might say Sono inglese, sai? to mean "I am English, you know?"
Meaning: I am English (phrase)
Which one should you use?
Unlike in English, the word for the nationality inglese is not capitalized when used as an adjective in Italian.
How does it change in a sentence?
The subject pronoun io (I) is optional and often omitted because the verb conjugation sono already indicates the first-person singular.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˈso.no inˈɡle.ze/. The word has 4 syllables and the stress is on the 1st syllable.
Did you know?
- If you want to say you are 'very English' in a stereotypical sense, you might use the phrase inglesissimo, adding a superlative suffix to the word inglese.
- If you were to change the gender of the speaker, the word inglese remains exactly the same for both men and women.
- The term inglese was borrowed into Italian from the Old French word engleis.
Examples in context
- No, io sono inglese.No, I am English.This sentence is useful for a negative response.Tatoeba #2886636 by Guybrush88, translation #1585479 by ngdongit
- Sono inglese.I am English.This is a standard way to state your nationality.Tatoeba #3295072 by Guybrush88, translation #3221065 by CN
- Sì, io sono inglese.Yes, I am English.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two people are meeting at a party in Rome.
- MatteoPiacere, io sono Matteo. Tu sei italiana?Nice to meet you, I am Matteo. Are you Italian?
- GiuliaNo, io sono Giulia e sono inglese.No, I am Giulia and I am English.
- MatteoDavvero? Che bello!Really? How nice!
- GiuliaSì, vengo da Londra.Yes, I come from London.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “I am english” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (sono, inglese) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries inglese, sono, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
