interessante
/in.te.resˈsan.te/
The English word 'interesting' is interessante in Italian.
interessante is the most standard and straightforward way to express that something is arousing or holding your attention. While interessante is the general term, you might use appassionante when you want to emphasize that a topic is particularly captivating.
Meaning: arousing or holding the attention (adj)
Which one should you use?
While interessante is the standard term, you can use appassionante to describe something as more captivating or the slang term figo to describe something as both cool and interesting.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective interessante is invariant in gender, so it remains the same whether you are describing a masculine or feminine noun. To describe multiple things, use the plural form interessanti, which is used for both masculine and feminine plural nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /in.te.resˈsan.te/. It has 5 syllables, with the stress on the 4th syllable.
Did you know?
- An Italian speaker might use interessante as a polite way to describe something strange or slightly disturbing without being openly critical.
- In Italian, describing a person as interessante can sometimes imply they are 'intriguing' or 'mysterious' rather than just someone who holds your attention.
- If you find a person's behavior 'interesting' in a suspicious way, you might use the word in a tone that suggests they are 'suspicious' or 'unusual'.
Examples in context
- È interessante, vero?This is interesting, isn't it?This sentence shows how to use interessante to seek agreement.Tatoeba #13946168 by unforgiven95, translation #12265893 by CK
- La vita è interessante.Life is interesting.This sentence uses interessante to describe life.Tatoeba #3539958 by Guybrush88, translation #2110809 by CM
- È un film interessante.That's an interesting movie.This sentence uses interessante to describe a movie.Tatoeba #12046551 by Guybrush88, translation #6352872 by CK
- La presentazione è stata molto interessanteThe presentation was very interesting
- Il documentario era appassionanteThe documentary was fascinating
- La tua idea per la festa è davvero accattivanteYour party idea is really appealing
- 688 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Giulia and Lorenzo are discussing a book at a cafe.
- GiuliaQuesto libro è molto interessante.This book is very interesting.
- LorenzoSì, lo trovo davvero interessante.Yes, I find it really interesting.
- GiuliaHai ragione, Lorenzo.You are right, Lorenzo.
- LorenzoVuoi leggere il prossimo capitolo?Do you want to read the next chapter?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “interesting” translations and entries interessante, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
