piccolina
The Italian word for shorty is piccolina.
piccolina is used to refer to a short person or to act as a term of endearment such as 'little one' or 'sweetie'.
Meaning: a short person (noun)
Which one should you use?
While piccolina can mean a short person, it is more commonly used as a term of endearment meaning 'little one' or 'sweetie'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine form of the word is piccolino.
Did you know?
- The word piccolo is used in Italian to describe both a person's height and their age, meaning it can translate to both 'short' and 'young'.
- If you want to describe someone as short in a strictly clinical or neutral way, di bassa statura is used instead of piccolo to avoid the connotations of being 'little' or 'childlike'.
- The suffix '-ina' used in piccolina is a common way in Italian to create 'small' versions of words, a process known as creating diminutives.
Examples in context
- Guarda quella piccolina con il vestito rosso.Look at that little shorty in the red dress.
Example conversation
Martina and Matteo are looking at a photo of a child.
- MartinaChi è questa piccolina nella foto?Who is this shorty in the photo?
- MatteoÈ mia nipote, è molto bassa.That is my niece, she is very short.
- MartinaÈ davvero una piccolina adorabile!She really is an adorable shorty!
- MatteoSì, è la più piccola della famiglia.Yes, she is the shortest in the family.
