spagnolo
/spaɲˈɲɔ.lo/masculine
In Italian, the word for Spanish is spagnolo.
spagnolo is used to refer to the Spanish language or as an adjective meaning of or pertaining to Spain or the Spanish language.
Meaning: Romance language of Spain and the Americas (name)
Which one should you use?
While spagnolo is the common term used for the language, castigliano is a more formal or precise way to refer specifically to the Castilian language or dialect.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The word changes depending on the gender and number of what it describes: spagnolo is the masculine singular form, spagnola is the feminine singular form, spagnoli is the masculine plural form and spagnole is the feminine plural form.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables, with the stress on the second syllable. The IPA is /spaɲˈɲɔ.lo/.
Did you know?
- The word spagnolo is a linguistic 'cousin' to the French word épagneul, which refers to a type of spaniel dog.
- In Italian, the spelling of spagnolo uses the gn combination to create a sound similar to the ñ in the Spanish word español.
- Historically, the influence of the Spanish empire in Italy led to various loanwords and phrases that exist alongside the formal term spagnolo.
Examples in context
- Io amo lo spagnolo!I love Spanish!This sentence uses spagnolo to express a love for the language.Tatoeba #1714805 by Guybrush88, translation #1714312 by shanghainese
- È un nome spagnolo.It's a Spanish name.This sentence uses spagnolo as an adjective to describe a name.Tatoeba #5927251 by Guybrush88, translation #5927087 by mailohilohi
- È un pane spagnolo.It's a Spanish bread.This sentence uses spagnolo as an adjective to describe bread.Tatoeba #13730686 by Guybrush88, translation #13645468 by mervert1
- Parlo lo spagnolo fluentemente.I speak Spanish fluently.
- Ho studiato la lingua spagnola per sei anni.I studied the Spanish language for six years.
- 291 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Giulia and Alessandro are talking about their language classes.
- GiuliaQuale lingua studi quest'anno, Alessandro?Which language are you studying this year, Alessandro?
- AlessandroStudio lo spagnolo da due mesi.I have been studying Spanish for two months.
- GiuliaÈ difficile imparare lo spagnolo?Is Spanish difficult to learn?
- AlessandroNo, è molto simile all'italiano.No, it is very similar to Italian.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “spanish” translations and entries spagnolo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries spagnolo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
