Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| sposato | /spoˈza.to/ | masculine |
| coniugato |
The term is used to describe someone who is in a state of marriage, meaning they have a spouse. While sposato is the standard adjective, the verb used for the specific act of getting married is sposarsi.
Which one should you use?
Sposato is the common, everyday way to say someone is married. In contrast, coniugato is a more formal or technical term used in legal, administrative or sociological contexts to describe one's marital status.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective must agree in gender with the person being described. While sposato is the masculine form, you should use sposata when describing a woman.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables, with the stress on the 2nd syllable: /spoˈza.to/.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers sometimes try to use the verb avere (to have) to say someone 'has a wife', but in Italian, you must describe the person's state using the verb essere (to be) followed by the adjective, such as è sposato.
Did you know?
- The term sposato can be used ironically in Italy to describe a strong obsession or 'marriage' to a hobby or a job, such as being sposato col lavoro.
- The formal term coniugato is shared with the grammar world, where coniugazione refers to the way verbs are changed to fit different subjects.
- While sposato means 'married', the phrase essere legato (to be tied) is sometimes used colloquially to describe someone who is in a committed relationship or 'taken'.
Examples in context
- Tom si è sposato.Tom got married.This sentence shows how to use the verb for the act of getting married with the form sposato.Tatoeba #2704899 by Guybrush88, translation #2261156 by CK
- Si è mai sposato?Did you ever get married?This sentence uses the form sposato to ask about the act of getting married.Tatoeba #4813643 by Guybrush88, translation #4813092 by khaledp16
- È un uomo sposato.He's a married man.This sentence uses the form sposato to describe a man's marital state.Tatoeba #2252396 by Guybrush88, translation #2240440 by Hybrid
- Maria è sposata con Antonio.Maria is married to Antonio.
- Luca è sposato con Laura.Luca is married to Laura.
- Mi sono sposatoI got married.
- 641 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lorenzo and Martina are talking about their friend Marco at a café.
- LorenzoHai notizie di Marco?Do you have any news about Marco?
- MartinaSì, Marco è sposato da poco.Yes, Marco got married recently.
- LorenzoDavvero? È un uomo sposato ora!Really? He is a married man now!
- MartinaSì, sembra molto felice.Yes, he seems very happy.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “married” translations and entries sposato, coniugato, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
