racconto
/rakˈkon.to/masculine
The Italian word for short story is racconto.
A racconto is a work of fiction. While the word racconto can mean a story or an account on its own, adding the adjective breve (short) explicitly specifies the literary genre of a short story.
Meaning: work of fiction (noun)
Which one should you use?
While racconto can stand alone, adding the adjective breve (short) to create racconto breve explicitly specifies the literary genre of a short story. The word novella is often used in Italian to refer to a short story or a novella, depending on the length and literary context.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of racconto is racconti.
Did you know?
- A common Italian expression raccontare frottole means to tell nonsense or tall tales, using a word for 'shreds' or 'scraps' instead of 'stories'.
- The word novella shares a root with the Italian word for 'new', reflecting its origin as a collection of fresh tales told in social circles.
- While racconto is the modern term, the tradition of the novella was solidified in the 14th century by Giovanni Boccaccio, whose work influenced short fiction across Europe.
Examples in context
- Provò a scrivere un racconto breve.He tried writing a short story.This sentence shows the use of racconto.Tatoeba #3339433 by Guybrush88, translation #298231 by CK
- Tom sta leggendo un racconto breve.Tom is reading a short story.Tatoeba #3612679 by Guybrush88, translation #2592829 by WestofEden
- Sono stato occupato a scrivere un racconto breve.I've been busy writing a short story.Tatoeba #7726825 by Guybrush88, translation #7714851 by CK
- Ho letto un racconto breve molto interessante di un autore italiano contemporaneo.I read a very interesting short story by a contemporary Italian author.
- Ho scritto un breve racconto ispirato alle storie popolari italiane.I wrote a short story inspired by Italian folktales.
- Mi racconti una storiella interessante?Can you tell me an interesting short story?
- I ragazzi si sono divertiti ad ascoltare il raccontino.The kids enjoyed listening to the short story.
- Siccome mi piace scrivere, ho deciso di creare una storiella sulla mia città natale.Since I enjoy writing, I decided to create a short story about my hometown.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Matteo and Chiara are talking about a book they read.
- MatteoHai letto questo racconto?Did you read this short story?
- ChiaraSì, è un racconto molto triste.Yes, it is a very sad short story.
- MatteoChi ha scritto il racconto?Who wrote the short story?
- ChiaraNon ricordo il nome dell'autore.I don't remember the author's name.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “short story” translations and entries racconto, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
