sale
/ˈsa.le/masculine
The Italian word for salt is sale.
sale is a masculine noun used to refer to sodium chloride. To describe food that has a salty taste, the adjective salato is used, whereas salino is used specifically for things that are saline or related to saltwater. You can also use the verb salare to mean adding salt to something.
Meaning: sodium chloride (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
As a masculine noun, sale is preceded by the masculine singular definite article il to form il sale (the salt).
How do you pronounce it?
sale is pronounced /ˈsa.le/. It has two syllables, and the stress is on the first syllable.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Be careful with the spelling: sale means salt, but it is also the Italian word for climb or ascent. You must rely on the context of the sentence to know which meaning is intended.
Did you know?
- The word sale is a cognate of the English word 'salary'. In ancient Rome, salt was so valuable that soldiers were sometimes paid in it, leading to the Latin term 'salarium'.
- The phrase non avere sale in zuppa literally means 'to have no salt in the soup' and is used to describe someone who is naive or lacks common sense.
- In some Italian traditions, throwing sale over your left shoulder is believed to ward off bad luck or the 'evil eye'.
Examples in context
- Io so di sale.I taste of salt.This sentence is useful for describing how something tastes using sale.Tatoeba #4462118 by Guybrush88, translation #871569 by Kokoo
- Non c'è più sale.There's no more salt.This sentence is useful for expressing that salt has run out using sale.Tatoeba #475700 by Pharamp, translation #467337 by CK
- Mi diede il sale.He gave me the salt.This sentence is useful for describing someone giving salt to you using sale.Tatoeba #1246304 by Guybrush88, translation #297572 by CK
- Ho bisogno di sale per la ricetta.I need salt for the recipe.
- Preferisco il sale marino per condire i piatti di pesce.I prefer sea salt for seasoning fish dishes.
- Passami il sale da cucina, per favore.Please pass me the kitchen salt.
- Non dimenticare di mettere il sale comune nel sugo.Don't forget to add regular salt to the sauce.
- Metti un po' di sale da tavola sulla mia porzione di pasta.Put some table salt on my portion of pasta.
- 419 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Francesco and Chiara are eating dinner together.
- FrancescoPassami il sale, per favore.Pass me the salt, please.
- ChiaraEcco qui, Francesco.Here it is, Francesco.
- FrancescoGrazie, questa pasta ha bisogno di sale.Thanks, this pasta needs salt.
- ChiaraNon metterne troppo, Chiara ti avverte!Don't put too much, Chiara is warning you!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “salt” translations and entries sale, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
