Which one should you use?
While cameriera can mean a maid, it is more frequently understood as a waitress. If you are looking for a more modern and neutral way to refer to a domestic maid or housekeeper in Italy, you might use colf, which is an abbreviation of collaboratrice familiare. In upscale households or hotels, governante is used to refer to a housekeeper or maid who oversees the management of domestic affairs. For a casual or domestic context, the informal phrase donna delle pulizie (literally 'lady of the cleaning') is also used.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine form cameriere is used for a male servant or a waiter.
How do you pronounce it?
/ka.meˈrjɛ.ra/. The word has 4 syllables and the stress is on the 3rd syllable.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often use cameriera to mean 'maid' in a hotel, but in modern Italian, cameriera is more frequently understood as a waitress in a restaurant.
Did you know?
- The word cameriera comes from camera, meaning 'room'. This links the role of a maid or waitress directly to the physical space they serve.
- While colf is a common modern term for a domestic worker, it is an acronym for collaboratrice familiare. It replaces older terms to emphasize a partnership rather than a servant relationship.
- The word camera used in cameriera is a cognate of the English word 'chamber', though 'chamber' is now rare in everyday English.
Examples in context
- Dov'è la cameriera?Where's the maid?This sentence is useful for asking about the location of the maid.Tatoeba #5791784 by dnnywld, translation #6358118 by CK
- Ho avuto un impiego part-time come cameriera d'albergo ma non mi è piaciuto molto.I had a part-time job as a hotel maid, but I didn't like it very much.This sentence is useful for describing a previous part-time job as a hotel maid.Tatoeba #704841 by Heracleum, translation #33379 by CK
- La colf sta arrivandoThe maid is coming
- La mia colf ha fatto un ottimo lavoro pulendo la casaMy maid did an excellent job cleaning the house
- Il mio hotel ha una governante molto competenteMy hotel has a very competent housekeeper
- La governante ha ordinato i prodotti di pulizia per tutto l'hotelThe housekeeper ordered cleaning supplies for the entire hotel
- Ho assunto una donna delle pulizie per aiutarmi con il lavoro di casaI hired a maid to help me with the housework
- La donna delle pulizie è molto affidabile e professionaleThe maid is very reliable and professional
- Ho bisogno di una cameriera per sbrigare le faccende domesticheI need a maid to take care of the household chores
- La cameriera si occupa anche di stirare i vestitiThe maid also takes care of ironing clothes
- La cameriera ha pulito la camera.The maid cleaned the room.
Example conversation
Francesco and Sofia are discussing a hotel stay.
- FrancescoSofia, hai chiamato la cameriera?Sofia, did you call the maid?
- SofiaSì, Francesco, sta arrivando.Yes, Francesco, she is coming.
- FrancescoBene, la camera è un disastro.Good, the room is a disaster.
- SofiaNon preoccuparti, sistemerà tutto lei.Don't worry, she will fix everything.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “maid” translations and entries cameriera, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
