pollo
/ˈpol.lo/
The Italian word pollo means chicken.
pollo refers to a domestic bird raised for its meat and eggs. In a culinary context, you may encounter specific dishes such as pollo alla cacciatora, which is hunter-style chicken or pollo alla diavola, which refers to spicy grilled chicken.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of pollo is polli. If you are referring to the place where chickens are kept, the word for a chicken coop is pollaia.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /ˈpol.lo/. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first syllable.
Did you know?
- In certain Italian regional slang, calling someone a pollo can be a way of calling them a 'sucker' or a 'dupe', implying they are easily fooled.
- The word pollo descends from the Latin pullus, which originally referred to any young animal rather than just a bird.
- While pollo is the general word for chicken, the specific word for a hen is gallina, which is also used as a slang term for a 'chatty' woman.
Examples in context
- Il ristorante offre un'ottima selezione di piatti a base di pollo.The restaurant offers an excellent selection of chicken-based dishes.
- Vorrei ordinare un piatto di pollo alla griglia, per favore.I would like to order a grilled chicken dish, please.
- Sto preparando un delizioso pollo arrosto.I'm preparing a delicious roast chicken.
- Dove possiamo trovare un ristorante che serva buon pollo fritto?Where can we find a restaurant that serves good fried chicken?
- Ho comprato un pollo intero.I bought a whole chicken.
- Il pollo è molto saporito.The chicken is very tasty.
- Vuoi un petto di pollo?Do you want a chicken breast?
Example conversation
Sofia and Matteo are deciding what to cook for dinner.
- SofiaCosa cuciniamo per cena, Matteo?What are we cooking for dinner, Matteo?
- MatteoPossiamo preparare il pollo con le patate.We can prepare chicken with potatoes.
- SofiaOttima idea, mi piace molto il pollo.Great idea, I like chicken a lot.
- MatteoAllora vado a prendere tutto ora.Then I will go get everything now.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry pollo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries pollo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
