italiano
/itaˈljano/masculine
The English phrase 'italian' is translated into Spanish as italiano.
italiano can refer to the Italian language, a person from Italy or an adjective pertaining to Italy. To specifically refer to the Italian language, you may use the phrase idioma italiano. When describing someone as being of Italian origin, you can use de origen italiano.
Meaning: language (name)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The word changes based on gender and number. The masculine singular italiano is used for the language, a male person or a masculine adjective. The feminine singular italiana is used for a female person or a feminine adjective. For groups, the masculine plural italianos is used for a group of people or a plural masculine adjective, while the feminine plural italianas is used for a group of women or a plural feminine adjective.
How do you pronounce it?
/itaˈljano/
What mistakes should you avoid?
In Spanish, the word for the language or nationality is not capitalized, unlike in English. Always write italiano in lowercase unless it is the first word of a sentence.
Did you know?
- When talking about 'italic' font in typography, Spanish uses the word cursiva instead of italiano.
- Spanish and Italian are so similar that they are often called 'sister languages'. Because of this, a Spanish speaker can often understand written italiano without any formal study.
- In Spanish, using italiano to describe a style of fashion or design often implies a specific standard of luxury and elegance regardless of whether the item is actually from Italy.
Examples in context
- Es un nombre italiano.It's an Italian name.This sentence shows how to use italiano to describe a name.Tatoeba #10314651 by Seael, translation #5927089 by mailohilohi
- ¿Eres italiano o alemán?Are you Italian or German?This example demonstrates how to ask about nationality using italiano.Tatoeba #3696837 by cueyayotl, translation #8437617 by King2E4
- Amo mi dialecto italiano.I love my Italian dialect.This sentence illustrates the use of italiano when talking about a dialect.Tatoeba #5302426 by baudelaire, translation #5302427 by mailohilohi
- Los italianos son conocidos por su gastronomíaItalians are known for their cuisine
- El historiador es de nacionalidad italianaThe historian is of Italian nationality
- Luis es un pizzero italiano muy reconocidoLuis is a well-known Italian pizzero
- Estoy aprendiendo el idioma italianoI'm learning the Italian language
- Esta receta es de origen italianoThis recipe is of Italian origin
- Mis vecinos son italianosMy neighbors are Italian
- 121 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
María and Mateo are discussing their language classes at a university.
- María¿Estás estudiando el idioma italiano?Are you studying the Italian language?
- MateoSí, el italiano es muy bonito.Yes, Italian is very beautiful.
- MaríaYo prefiero el francés.I prefer French.
- MateoCada estudiante tiene gustos diferentes.Every student has different tastes.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “italian” translations and entries italiano, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
