mare
/ˈma.re/masculine
The English word "sea" is mare in Italian.
mare is the general term that Italians use to refer to the sea.
Meaning: body of water (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of mare is mari. When you want to say "of the sea", the preposition di and the article il combine to form del.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 2 syllables, with the stress on the first syllable. It is pronounced /ˈma.re/.
Did you know?
- The expression essere in alto mare means to be far from finishing a task or to be in a difficult situation, literally meaning 'to be in the open sea'.
- While mare means sea, the Italian word for 'seafood' is frutti di mare, which literally translates to 'fruits of the sea'.
- In Italian, the phrase fare il bagno is commonly used when spending a day at the mare, meaning 'to take a bath' but actually referring to swimming in the ocean.
Examples in context
- Il mare è blu.The sea is blue.This sentence is useful for describing the color of the mare.Tatoeba #2698938 by Guybrush88, translation #2396999 by Hayabusa
- Io amo il mare.I love the sea.This sentence is useful for expressing a feeling toward the mare.Tatoeba #13298203 by Guybrush88, translation #8493194 by Luiaard
- Ha paura del mare.He's afraid of the sea.This sentence is useful for expressing a fear of the mare.Tatoeba #375266 by Pharamp, translation #294675 by CK
- Il mare è calmo oggiThe sea is calm today
- L'oceano AtlanticoThe Atlantic Ocean
- Andiamo al mareLet's go to the sea
- 250 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Giulia and Lorenzo are planning a summer trip.
- GiuliaAndiamo al mare quest'estate?Shall we go to the sea this summer?
- LorenzoSì, mi piacerebbe molto.Yes, I would like that very much.
- GiuliaPreferisci il mare della Sardegna?Do you prefer the sea in Sardinia?
- LorenzoÈ il posto più bello di tutti.It is the most beautiful place of all.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sea” translations and entries mare, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
