sostantivo
/sos.tanˈti.vo/masculine
The Italian word for the grammatical category 'noun' is sostantivo. Wiktionary also lists nome sostantivo.
Meaning: grammatical category (narrow sense) (noun)
Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| sostantivo | /sos.tanˈti.vo/ | masculine |
| nome sostantivo | /ˈno.me sos.tanˈti.vo/ (word by word) | masculine |
In a narrow, technical sense, sostantivo refers specifically to the grammatical category of a noun.
Which one should you use?
While sostantivo is the technical linguistic term for 'noun', the word nome is often used more broadly in everyday Italian to mean both 'name' and 'noun'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of sostantivo is sostantivi.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /sos.tanˈti.vo/. It consists of 4 syllables, with the stress on the 3rd syllable.
Did you know?
- The term nome is shared with other Romance languages, like the French 'nom' and Spanish 'nombre', all descending from the Latin 'nōmen'.
- While nome means 'noun', it is the most common word used in Italy for a person's 'first name'. In a formal context, a person's full identity is split into nome and cognome.
- In Italian, nouns can be 'collective' sostantivi collettivi, where a word is grammatically singular but refers to a group, such as arcipelago for a group of islands.
Examples in context
- In questo caso, l'aggettivo va prima del sostantivo.In this case, the adjective goes before the noun.This sentence is useful for describing the placement of an adjective relative to the sostantivo.Tatoeba #3870521 by Guybrush88, translation #2267280 by _undertoad
- Questa particella trasforma un sostantivo in un verbo.This particle turns a noun into a verb.This sentence shows how a particle can change a sostantivo into a verb.Tatoeba #1659340 by Guybrush88, translation #598692 by FeuDRenais2
- Ogni sostantivo in portoghese è sia maschile che femminile.Every noun in Portuguese is either masculine or feminine.This sentence provides an example of how every sostantivo in Portuguese has a gender.Tatoeba #4382707 by Guybrush88, translation #1112727 by CN
- Puoi trovare il sostantivo nel soggetto di questa frase?Can you find the noun in the subject of this sentence?
- Qual è la parola italiana per 'house'?What is the Italian word for 'house'?
- Hai visto la cosa che ti ho mostrato ieri?Did you see the thing I showed you yesterday?
- Sì, ho visto quella cosa.Yes, I saw that thing.
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lorenzo and Giulia are studying linguistics at a cafe.
- LorenzoQuesta parola è un sostantivo, giusto?This word is a noun, right?
- GiuliaSì, Lorenzo, è un sostantivo maschile.Yes, Lorenzo, it is a masculine noun.
- LorenzoE il suo genere è facile da ricordare?And is its gender easy to remember?
- GiuliaSì, per questo sostantivo è molto semplice.Yes, for this noun it is very simple.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “noun” translations and entries sostantivo, nome sostantivo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (nome, sostantivo) and can differ in connected speech.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
