Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA |
|---|---|
| inghiottire | /in.ɡjotˈti.re/ |
| ingerire | /in.d͡ʒeˈri.re/ |
| mandare giù | /manˈda.re ˈd͡ʒu/ (word by word) |
| ingoiare | /in.ɡoˈja.re/ |
The primary meaning of these words is to cause something to pass from the mouth into the stomach. Note that if you are referring to the bird known as a 'swallow' in English, you must use the word rondine instead.
Which one should you use?
While inghiottire is the standard way to say 'to swallow', the colloquial phrasal verb mandare giù is often used to mean 'to send down'. For a more voracious or quick intake of food or liquid, you might use trangugiare.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Inghiottire is the common, everyday term. In contrast, ingerire is a more formal or literary version of the verb and is often marked as archaic. Mandare giù is a colloquial expression.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The past participle of inghiottire is inghiottito.
How do you pronounce it?
The word inghiottire has 4 syllables, with the stress on the 3rd syllable. The IPA pronunciation is /in.ɡjotˈti.re/.
Did you know?
- The verb inghiottire shares a distant root with the English word 'glutton', as both stem from the Latin term for swallowing or swallowing greedily.
- The phrase mandare giù is used metaphorically to describe accepting a difficult piece of news or a hard truth, similar to the English 'hard to swallow'.
- The word inghiottire is used to describe a landscape or a hole that 'swallows' something up, such as a building being swallowed by a sinkhole.
Examples in context
- Non ingoiare quel pane.Don't swallow that bread.This sentence shows how to use ingoiare in a negative command regarding food.Tatoeba #13041923 by Guybrush88, translation #12688450 by Aghanim
- È difficile da ingerire.That's hard to swallow.This sentence uses ingerire to describe something that is difficult to swallow.Tatoeba #7271242 by Guybrush88, translation #7264509 by Hybrid
- Devi ingoiare il tuo orgoglio.You need to swallow your pride.This sentence uses ingoiare in a metaphorical sense regarding pride.Tatoeba #4721667 by Guybrush88, translation #2209753 by Hybrid
- Devi inghiottire la pillolaYou need to swallow the pill
- Non riesco ad inghiottire questo boccone!I can't swallow this mouthful!
- 17 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chiara is helping Francesco take his medicine at home.
- FrancescoQuesta pastiglia è molto difficile da inghiottire.This pill is very difficult to swallow.
- ChiaraProva a bere un sorso d'acqua, Francesco.Try to take a sip of water, Francesco.
- FrancescoSì, così riesco a inghiottire subito.Yes, that way I can swallow immediately.
- ChiaraBravo, hai fatto bene a chiedere a me.Good, you did well to ask me.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “swallow” translations and entries inghiottire, ingerire, mandare giù, ingoiare, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (mandare, giù) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries giù, ingerire, inghiottire, ingoiare, mandare, mandare giù, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
