Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA |
|---|---|
| fortunatamente | /for.tu.na.taˈmen.te/ |
| meno male | /ˈme.no ˈma.le/ |
Fortunatamente is an adverb meaning fortunately. The expression meno male is an idiomatic way to say luckily or thank goodness, frequently used as an interjection to express relief when a bad situation was avoided.
What does it mean word for word?
The word fortunatamente is formed from the adjective fortunato (lucky/fortunate) plus the suffix -mente, which is the Italian equivalent of the English suffix -ly used to form adverbs.
Which one should you use?
While fortunatamente is a direct adverb meaning fortunately, meno male is a colloquial idiomatic expression used to express relief, similar to saying "thank goodness" or "it's a good thing that".
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /for.tu.na.taˈmen.te/. It has 6 syllables, with the stress on the 5th syllable.
Did you know?
- The expression meno male literally translates to 'less bad', making it a linguistic way of saying that a situation is 'less bad' than it could have been.
- Italian speakers often pair meno male with a sigh or a hand gesture of relief to emphasize the avoidance of a disaster.
- The word meno in meno male is derived from the Latin word minus, which is also the root of the English word 'minus'.
Examples in context
- Fortunatamente eri a casa.Luckily, you were at home.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use fortunatamente to describe someone being at home.Tatoeba #4297957 by Guybrush88, translation #3823786 by CK
- Fortunatamente Tom era lì.Luckily, Tom was there.This sentence shows the use of fortunatamente to state that someone was there.Tatoeba #4534925 by Guybrush88, translation #4494496 by CK
- Fortunatamente non è morta.Luckily she did not die.This sentence demonstrates using fortunatamente to express relief that someone did not die.Tatoeba #5926044 by Guybrush88, translation #240801 by Hautis
- Fortunatamente, sono arrivato/a in tempo.Fortunately, I made it on time.
- Per fortuna, abbiamo risolto il problemaLuckily, we solved the problem
- Per fortuna, ho trovato i miei occhialiLuckily, I found my glasses
- Meno male che sei arrivato/a!Luckily, you came!
- Fortunatamente, il volo non è ancora partito.Luckily, the flight hasn't departed yet.
- Mi sono dimenticata il cellulare a casa, ma per fortuna avevo il portatile con me.I forgot my cell phone at home, but luckily I had my laptop with me.
- Oggi ha piovuto tutto il giorno, ma meno male che ho portato l'ombrello!It rained all day today, but luckily I brought my umbrella!
- 21 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Giulia and Francesco are talking about a missed bus.
- GiuliaAbbiamo perso l'autobus, Francesco.We missed the bus, Francesco.
- FrancescoFortunatamente c'è un altro autobus tra dieci minuti.Luckily there is another bus in ten minutes.
- GiuliaMeno male, ero preoccupata.Thank goodness, I was worried.
- FrancescoNon preoccuparti, Giulia.Don't worry, Giulia.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “luckily” translations and entries fortunatamente, meno male, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries fortunatamente, male, meno, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
