piatto
/ˈpjat.to/masculine
The Italian word for plate is piatto.
piatto is a masculine noun used to refer to a flat dish. It can also refer to a specific dish or course in a meal, such as in the phrase Il piatto principale, which means the main course.
Meaning: flat dish (noun)
Which one should you use?
While piatto is the general term for a plate, specific types of dishes are distinguished by adjectives: Il piatto piano refers to a dinner plate, Il piatto fondo refers to a soup bowl and Il piatto da portata refers to a serving dish.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
As a masculine noun, the singular form is piatto. To express the plural, use piatti.
Did you know?
- In a culinary context, il piatto forte refers to the 'strongest' or best dish of a menu, often used metaphorically to mean someone's greatest strength.
- In Italian, if you describe a person or a musical note as piatto, you are not saying they are a dish, but rather that they are 'flat', 'dull' or 'uninspired'.
- The word piatto shares the same root as the English word 'flat', as both come from the Greek word platús meaning 'broad' or 'flat'.
Examples in context
- È sul suo piatto.That’s on her plate.This sentence shows how to say something is on a plate using piatto.Tatoeba #13344577 by cost_, translation #13342031 by mraz
- Questo è un piatto.This is a plate.This sentence is used to identify an object as a piatto.Tatoeba #9754030 by Guybrush88, translation #9176696 by DJ_Saidez
- Lava il tuo piatto!Wash your plate!This sentence is an instruction to wash your piatto.Tatoeba #12408883 by Guybrush88, translation #8611009 by shekitten
- 74 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Matteo and Martina are setting the table for dinner.
- MatteoMartina, mi porti un piatto?Martina, can you bring me a plate?
- MartinaCerto, ecco il tuo piatto.Sure, here is your plate.
- MatteoGrazie, è molto grande.Thanks, it is very large.
- MartinaSì, è perfetto per la pasta.Yes, it is perfect for the pasta.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “plate” translations and entries piatto, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries piatto, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
