Which one should you use?
While dritto can mean straight in a physical sense, it can also specifically mean upright or erect when describing a person's posture. Note that while dritto refers to physical straightness, the word rettitudine is used when referring to moral straightness or integrity and diritto can express both straight and right in certain contexts.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Sicilian dialect, drettu is used instead of dritto.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adjective, dritto must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. The feminine singular form is dritta, the masculine plural form is dritti and the feminine plural form is dritte. Additionally, the word dritto can function as an adverb meaning directly, without pause, delay or detour, in which case it is related to direttamente.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has two syllables, and the first syllable is stressed: /ˈdrit.to/.
Did you know?
- In Italian, the law is called il diritto. This uses the same root as dritto because the law is conceptualized as the 'straight' or 'right' path.
- The word dritto is a linguistic sibling to the English word 'direct'. Both descend from the Latin dīrēctus, which described something stretched out or straight.
Examples in context
- Tom era seduto dritto.Tom was sitting up straight.This sentence is useful for describing a person sitting up straight using dritto.Tatoeba #5335635 by Guybrush88, translation #3223031 by CK
- Continua ad andare dritto.Keep going straight.This sentence is useful for giving directions to go straight using dritto.Tatoeba #1246544 by Guybrush88, translation #449158 by CK
- Fissava dritto davanti a sé.He was staring straight ahead.This sentence is useful for describing someone staring straight ahead using dritto.Tatoeba #11814710 by Nuel, translation #11814709 by Nuel
- Vai drittoGo straight
- Andiamo dirittoLet's go straight
- Vai sempre drittoKeep going straight ahead
- 34 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lorenzo and Chiara are looking at a new wooden table.
- LorenzoQuesto tavolo è proprio dritto.This table is perfectly straight.
- ChiaraSì, sembra molto ben fatto.Yes, it looks very well made.
- LorenzoIl bordo è dritto e pulito.The edge is straight and clean.
- ChiaraSpero che duri a lungo.I hope it lasts a long time.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “straight” translations and entries dritto, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dritto, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
