italien
/i.ta.ljɛ̃/masculine
Italian in French is italien.
The word italien refers to the Italian language. In formal contexts, you may see the phrase La langue italienne used to mean 'the Italian language'.
Meaning: language (name)
Which one should you use?
When referring to the language or using it as an adjective, the word remains lowercase. This contrasts with English, where 'Italian' is always capitalized.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When naming the language, italien is always masculine and is not capitalized. If you are referring to a person from Italy, the noun is capitalized: Italien for a man and Italienne for a woman. The feminine form of the noun for a person from Italy is Italienne.
How do you pronounce it?
/i.ta.ljɛ̃/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often forget to use the definite article when the language is the direct object of a verb.
Did you know?
- In a culinary context, ordering an italien in certain French cafes may refer to a specific type of coffee or a sandwich style rather than the language.
- Historically, the French court of Louis XIV was heavily influenced by italien opera and ballet, which helped shape the early French performing arts.
- French and Italian are both Romance languages, meaning they are 'sister languages' that evolved from Vulgar Latin.
Examples in context
- Parle en italien !Speak Italian!This sentence is useful for practicing an imperative command using italien.Tatoeba #9020302 by Micsmithel, translation #1228041 by mccarras
- Sa mère parle italien.His mother speaks Italian.This sentence shows how to use italien to describe a language someone speaks.Tatoeba #3641907 by sacredceltic, translation #1388632 by enteka
- Tom a appris l'italien.Tom learned Italian.Tatoeba #6673245 by felix63, translation #6684862 by Eccles17
- Jean est italien.Jean is Italian.
- Mon amie Maria est italienne.My friend Maria is Italian.
- Parlez-vous italien ?Do you speak Italian?
- La langue italienne est mélodieuse.The Italian language is melodious.
- 165 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Chloé are discussing their university courses.
- GabrielEst-ce que tu étudies l'italien ?Are you studying Italian?
- ChloéOui, j'adore l'italien.Yes, I love Italian.
- GabrielC'est une très belle langue.It is a very beautiful language.
- ChloéC'est vrai, c'est très mélodieux.That's true, it's very melodious.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “italian” translations and entries italien, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
