madre
/ˈma.dre/feminine
The English word "mother" is translated into Italian as madre.
madre refers to a female human who gives birth to or parents a child.
Meaning: female (human) who gives birth to or parents a child (noun)
Which one should you use?
While madre is the standard word for mother, it is often used in formal contexts, legal documents or when discussing the concept of motherhood. In contrast, mamma is the common term used in affectionate, everyday speech.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
madre is more formal or biological. For informal, affectionate and everyday speech, use mamma. If you want to be even more affectionate, you can use the diminutive form mammina. In highly formal, legal or scientific contexts, the terms genitrice or progenitrice may be used to emphasize the biological aspect of the role.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of madre is madri.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced as /ˈma.dre/. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first syllable.
Did you know?
- The word madre is used in cooking for madre pasta or lievito madre to describe a sourdough 'mother starter'.
- In Italian families, the mamma is often culturally viewed as the emotional center of the home, a concept known as 'mammismo'.
- The term madre can describe the primary component of a set, such as a scheda madre which translates to 'motherboard' in a computer.
Examples in context
- Lei è tua madre?Is she your mother?This sentence is useful for using madre to ask if someone is your mother.Tatoeba #1486678 by Guybrush88, translation #310268 by CK
- Lei è sua madre?Are you his mother?This sentence is useful for using madre to ask if someone is his mother.Tatoeba #3264268 by Guybrush88, translation #3241151 by Theocracy
- Tua madre è qui?Is your mother here?This sentence is useful for using madre to ask if your mother is here.Tatoeba #5533662 by Guybrush88, translation #3823889 by CK
- Buon compleanno, mamma!Happy birthday, mom!
- Ho parlato con mia madre oggi.I spoke to my mother today.
- Mamma, mi manchi tanto!Mom, I miss you so much!
- Mammina, hai preparato la mia pasta preferita!Mom, you made my favorite pasta!
- 1929 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lorenzo and Giulia are talking about family photos.
- LorenzoChi è questa donna nella foto?Who is this woman in the photo?
- GiuliaQuesta è mia madre.This is my mother.
- LorenzoÈ molto simile a te, Giulia.She is very similar to you, Giulia.
- GiuliaSì, diciamo tutti e due che siamo testardi!Yes, let's just say we are both stubborn!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mother” translations and entries madre, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
