ferrovia
/fer.roˈvi.a/
The English word "railroad" is translated into Italian as ferrovia.
ferrovia refers to the infrastructure or the system of tracks and trains used for transporting passengers and goods. Note that while ferrovia describes the system, the word treno is used to refer to the vehicle itself (the train).
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a compound of ferro (iron) and via (way/road), literally meaning "ironway".
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of ferrovia is ferrovie.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /fer.roˈvi.a/. It has 4 syllables, with the stress on the 3rd syllable.
Did you know?
- The word ferrovia is a 'calque', meaning it was constructed by translating the German word Eisenbahn piece by piece.
- The word ferrovia shares a linguistic root with the English word 'ferrous', which is used in chemistry and metallurgy to describe materials containing iron.
- In Italian, the word ferrovia is rarely used in casual conversation to mean 'the train' or 'the commute'. People instead use treno for the vehicle and stazione for the location, reserving ferrovia for technical, historical or administrative contexts.
Examples in context
- Le città sorsero lungo tutta la ferrovia.Towns sprang up all along the railroad.This sentence uses ferrovia to describe towns located along a railroad.Tatoeba #9271173 by Guybrush88, translation #3045613 by sharptoothed
- Fu costruita una ferrovia in questa città.A railroad was constructed in this town.This sentence uses ferrovia to describe the construction of a railroad.Tatoeba #3072245 by Guybrush88, translation #278759 by CM
- Stanno progettando di unire le città con una ferrovia.They are planning to connect the cities with a railroad.This sentence uses ferrovia to describe the plan to connect cities via a railroad.Tatoeba #3943004 by farinello, translation #307223 by CK
- La ferrovia italiana è ben sviluppata.The Italian railroad is well-developed.
- La manutenzione della ferrovia richiede una grande squadra.Maintaining the railroad requires a large team.
- È possibile effettuare un cambio di treno alla prossima stazione sulla linea ferroviaria Roma-Milano?Is it possible to change trains at the next station on the Rome-Milan railway line?
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofia and Francesco are discussing travel options for their trip.
- SofiaPreferisci viaggiare in aereo o per ferrovia?Do you prefer to travel by plane or by railroad?
- FrancescoPreferisco la ferrovia perché è più rilassante.I prefer the railroad because it is more relaxing.
- SofiaHai ragione, il paesaggio è bellissimo.You are right, the landscape is beautiful.
- FrancescoAllora prenotiamo i biglietti del treno.Then let's book the train tickets.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ferrovia, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ferrovia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
