insegnante
/in.seɲˈɲan.te/masculine
The Italian word for teacher is insegnante. If unsure, use insegnante. Wiktionary also lists professore and maestro.
Meaning: person who teaches (noun)
Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| insegnante | /in.seɲˈɲan.te/ | masculine |
| professore | /pro.fesˈso.re/ | masculine |
| maestro | /maˈɛs.tro/ /maˈes.tro/ |
masculine |
| aio | /ˈa.jo/ | masculine |
| educatore | /e.du.kaˈto.re/ | masculine |
| precettore | masculine |
The term insegnante is the most straightforward and widely used word for a person who teaches, regardless of the educational level.
Which one should you use?
While insegnante is the neutral, general term, professore is used specifically for teachers in secondary schools or universities. In higher education contexts, the term docente is also commonly used to refer to lecturers or professors.
How does it change in a sentence?
Insegnante is an epicene noun, which means the spelling of the word remains the same whether you are referring to a male or a female teacher. In contrast, professore is the masculine form and you must use professoressa to refer to a female professor.
How do you pronounce it?
/in.seɲˈɲan.te/
Did you know?
- The term professore comes from the Latin prŏfessōrem, which originally meant someone who makes a public declaration.
- The word maestro is used for a teacher of music or art, even if they are teaching at a university level.
- In Italy, students in middle and high school typically address their teachers using the formal Lei instead of the informal tu.
Examples in context
- Lui è un insegnante?Is he a teacher?This sentence is useful for asking if someone's profession is an insegnante.Tatoeba #823442 by Guybrush88, translation #300638 by CK
- Il maestro è cinese.The teacher is Chinese.This sentence is useful for identifying the nationality of a maestro.Tatoeba #2337458 by Guybrush88, translation #1098150 by cntrational
- È il mio insegnante.He is my teacher.This sentence is useful for identifying one's own insegnante.Tatoeba #2594146 by Guybrush88, translation #297929 by CK
- Grazie, docente, per la sua interessante lezioneThank you, professor, for your interesting lecture.
- Mi scusi, maestra, posso uscire per un momento?Excuse me, teacher, can I go out for a moment?
- Ciao, prof! Ci vediamo dopo scuolaHi, prof! See you after school
- Mi ricordo ancora del mio maestro di terza elementare. Ciao, maestro!I still remember my third-grade teacher. Hello, maestro!
- 2896 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Giulia and Alessandro are talking about a new colleague at school.
- GiuliaConosci il nuovo insegnante?Do you know the new teacher?
- AlessandroSì, è un insegnante molto bravo.Yes, he is a very good teacher.
- GiuliaAlessandro, è molto gentile con gli studenti?Alessandro, is he very kind to the students?
- AlessandroSì, l'insegnante è molto disponibile.Yes, the teacher is very helpful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “teacher” translations and entries insegnante, professore, maestro, aio, educatore, precettore, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aio, maestro, professore, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
