sono nato a New York
To say "I was born in new york" in Italian, use sono nato a New York.
This phrase is used to identify the city where a person was born.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "I am born" because Italian uses the auxiliary verb essere (to be) rather than avere (to have) for this expression.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the word for born must change based on the gender of the speaker. If the speaker is female, the past participle must change from nato to nata, resulting in sono nata a New York.
Did you know?
- The word nato comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵenh₁-, which is the same ancestor for the English words 'kin' and 'kind'.
- In Italian, the phrase sono nato can also be used figuratively to describe a natural talent, such as saying someone was 'born' to be a singer.
- In some regional Italian dialects, the phrase for being born can vary significantly in its auxiliary verb, though standard Italian strictly requires essere.
Examples in context
- Il signor Smith dice: "Sono nato a New York."Mr Smith says, "I was born in New York."This sentence is useful for hearing how to use sono nato a New York in a reported speech context.Tatoeba #1605497 by Guybrush88, translation #51579 by AlanF_US
- Sono nato a New York.I was born in New York.
- Sono nato/a a New York, nello stato di New York.I was born in New York, in the state of New York.
- Sono nato/a a New York e sono italiano/a.I was born in New York, and I am Italian.
- Sono nato/a a New York e sono americano/a.I was born in New York, and I am American.
- Non sono nato a New York, sono nato a Milano.I wasn't born in New York, I was born in Milan.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their origins at a cafe.
- GiuliaSei di qui, Matteo?Are you from here, Matteo?
- MatteoNo, sono nato a New York.No, I was born in New York.
- GiuliaDavvero? Anche io sono nata a New York!Really? I was born in New York too!
- MatteoChe coincidenza, Giulia!What a coincidence, Giulia!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries York, a, nato, sono, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
