postino
/posˈti.no/masculine
The Italian word for mailman is postino. Wiktionary also lists portalettere.
Meaning: post office employee (noun)
Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| postino | /posˈti.no/ | masculine |
| portalettere | /ˌpɔr.taˈlet.te.re/ /ˌpɔr.taˈlɛt.te.re/ |
feminine, masculine |
Both terms refer to an employee of the post office who delivers mail.
What does it mean word for word?
The term portalettere is composed of porta, meaning carries or brings and lettere, meaning letters.
Which one should you use?
postino is the common, everyday term for a mailman. In contrast, portalettere is a more formal or professional term for a mail carrier.
How does it change in a sentence?
postino can be changed to the feminine form postina when referring to a female mailman. However, portalettere is an invariable noun regarding gender, meaning the form remains the same for both men and women.
How do you pronounce it?
/posˈti.no/. It has 3 syllables, with the stress on the 2nd syllable.
Did you know?
- The phrase fare il postino can be used idiomatically to describe someone who spends their time relaying messages between two people who won't speak to each other.
- The film 'Il Postino' brought the image of the Italian postino to global audiences, portraying him as a poetic link between a simple villager and the great poet Pablo Neruda.
- The word postino shares a root with the English word 'post', which comes from the Latin 'posita', meaning 'placed' or 'stationed', referring to the stations where horses were kept for mail carriers.
Examples in context
- Il postino è già venuto?Has the mailman already come?This sentence is useful for asking if the mailman has already arrived using postino.Tatoeba #4002009 by Guybrush88, translation #542040 by CK
- Il postino sarà qui presto.The mailman will be here soon.This sentence shows how to say the mailman will arrive soon using postino.Tatoeba #9966845 by Guybrush88, translation #9966778 by CK
- Il cane abbaiava al postino.The dog barked at the mailman.This sentence illustrates a dog barking at the mailman using postino.Tatoeba #1750597 by Guybrush88, translation #239129 by CK
- Ho bisogno di parlare con il postino.I need to speak with the mailman.
- Oggi il corriere delle poste non è ancora passato.Today, the mailman hasn't come yet.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Francesco and Chiara are talking in their kitchen in the morning.
- FrancescoHai visto il postino oggi?Have you seen the mailman today?
- ChiaraNo, non l'ho visto.No, I haven't seen him.
- FrancescoForse il postino ha un pacco per noi.Maybe the mailman has a package for us.
- ChiaraSpero che arrivi presto.I hope he arrives soon.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mailman” translations and entries postino, portalettere, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries portalettere, postino, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
