gelato
/d͡ʒeˈla.to/masculine
In Italian, ice cream is gelato.
gelato is the standard word for ice cream used throughout the country. You can use un gelato to order a single serving of ice cream, or una coppa di gelato to specify a cup of ice cream. The shop where you buy this dessert is called a gelateria.
Meaning: dessert (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Sicily, a popular icy dessert similar to ice cream is known as granita.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of gelato is gelati.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables, with the stress on the 2nd syllable: /dʒeˈla.to/.
When do people say it?
When selecting different flavors, you can ask for an assaggio, which is a taste.
Did you know?
- In Italy, it is common to order gelato in a cono (cone) or a brioche in Sicily, where the dessert is served inside a toasted sweet bun for breakfast.
- In many traditional gelaterie, the gelato is kept in metal containers with lids called pozzetti rather than displayed in colorful mounds to keep the temperature more stable.
- The word gelato is actually the past participle of the verb gelare, which means 'to freeze'.
Examples in context
- Tom ama il gelato.Tom loves ice cream.This sentence shows how to express affection for the dessert using gelato.Tatoeba #5454863 by Guybrush88, translation #5454749 by CK
- Il gelato è buono?Is the ice cream nice?This sentence is useful for asking if the gelato is tasty.Tatoeba #13292453 by Guybrush88, translation #8893057 by sundown
- Le piace il gelato.She likes ice cream.This sentence demonstrates how to say someone likes gelato.Tatoeba #653794 by Guybrush88, translation #650986 by CK
- Mi piacerebbe mangiare un gelatoI would like to eat some ice cream
- Andiamo a prendere un gelatinoLet's go get some ice cream
- 432 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Matteo and Chiara are walking in a city square on a hot afternoon.
- MatteoChiara, vuoi un gelato?Chiara, do you want an ice cream?
- ChiaraSì, grazie Matteo. Fa molto caldo!Yes, thanks Matteo. It is very hot!
- MatteoQuale gusto preferisci?Which flavor do you prefer?
- ChiaraPrendo un gelato al pistacchio.I'll have a pistachio ice cream.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ice cream” translations and entries gelato, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
