Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| pantaloni | /pan.taˈlo.ni/ | masculine, plural |
| calzoni | feminine, plural | |
| brache | /ˈbra.ke/ | feminine, plural |
| mutanda | feminine |
The term refers to a garment covering the body from the waist downwards. While there are several words for this type of clothing, pantaloni is the standard term for modern trousers.
Which one should you use?
pantaloni is the most common and standard term used in modern Italian for trousers. In contrast, calzoni is often used to refer to more traditional, historical or specific types of trousers, such as breeches. The words brache and calzoni are feminine plural, while pantaloni is masculine plural.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Since pantaloni is a plural noun, you must use a plural article like i (the) or a plural possessive like i miei (my) when referring to them.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 4 syllables and the stress is on the 3rd syllable: /pan.taˈlo.ni/.
Did you know?
- The word pantaloni comes from the character Pantalone in the Italian Commedia dell'Arte theater, a greedy old merchant known for wearing long red trousers.
- The word brache derives from the Latin word bracāe, which originally described trousers worn by the Celts and Gauls, as Romans typically wore tunics.
- In many parts of Italy, the word calzoni is used colloquially to refer to underwear rather than the trousers themselves.
Examples in context
- Lui lava i pantaloni.He washes the pants.This sentence shows how to use pantaloni with a verb for washing.Tatoeba #729629 by Guybrush88, translation #435032 by lukaszpp
- Tirati giù i pantaloni.Pull down your pants.This sentence uses pantaloni in the context of pulling them down.Tatoeba #9739656 by Guybrush88, translation #9495959 by DJ_Saidez
- Mi strappai i pantaloni.I ripped my pants.This sentence uses pantaloni to describe ripping the garment.Tatoeba #3874993 by Guybrush88, translation #2404163 by CK
- Mi scusi, dove posso trovare i pantaloni?Excuse me, where can I find the pants?
- Mi servirebbe un pantalone grigio scuro.I would like a pair of dark gray pants, please.
- 90 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Francesco and Martina are shopping for clothes in a boutique.
- FrancescoMartina, guarda questi pantaloni blu.Martina, look at these blue pants.
- MartinaSono belli, ma sono troppo larghi per te.They are nice, but they are too baggy for you.
- FrancescoHai ragione, cerchiamo un modello più stretto.You are right, let's look for a tighter model.
- MartinaSì, proviamo quelli in quella vetrina.Yes, let's try those in that window display.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pants” translations and entries pantaloni, calzoni, brache, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries brache, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
