tartaruga
/tar.taˈru.ɡa/feminine
The English word turtle is tartaruga in Italian. Wiktionary also lists testuggine.
Meaning: land or marine reptile with a shell (noun)
Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| tartaruga | /tar.taˈru.ɡa/ | feminine |
| testuggine | /tesˈtud.d͡ʒi.ne/ | feminine |
Both forms refer to a land or marine reptile with a shell. The word tartaruga is the standard, everyday term used for both land turtles and sea turtles.
Which one should you use?
tartaruga is the common, everyday word for both turtles and tortoises, whereas testuggine is a more formal or scientific term.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine noun tartaruga becomes the plural tartarughe. The feminine noun testuggine becomes the plural testuggini.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /tar.taˈru.ɡa/. It has 4 syllables, with the stress on the 3rd syllable.
Did you know?
- In historical military contexts, the Latin root of testuggine gave rise to the 'testudo' formation, where soldiers locked shields over their heads like a turtle shell.
- The common word tartaruga has a surprisingly dark mythological origin, tracing back to the Greek word for the inhabitant of Tartarus, the deep abyss of the underworld.
- The word tartaruga belongs to a family of words found across Romance languages, such as the French tortue and the Spanish tortuga.
Examples in context
- La tartaruga è morta.The turtle died.This sentence is useful for describing the death of a tartaruga.Tatoeba #6879091 by dnnywld, translation #6466702 by Eccles17
- Ha comprato una tartaruga?Did you buy a turtle?This sentence is useful for asking if someone bought a tartaruga.Tatoeba #9935981 by Guybrush88, translation #9934840 by ddnktr
- La mia tartaruga è scappata.My turtle ran away.This sentence is useful for stating that a tartaruga ran away.Tatoeba #9161758 by Bethanielle, translation #6029181 by Huskion
- La tartaruga è un rettile che vive a lungo.The turtle is a reptile that lives a long time.
- Ho visto una tartaruga marina durante la mia vacanza in Sardegna.I saw a sea turtle during my vacation in Sardinia.
- Buon compleanno, piccola tartarughina! Prepariamo un dolce per festeggiare.Happy birthday, little turtle! Let's make a cake to celebrate.
- I tartarugotti sono così adorabili! Vorrei poterne adottare uno come animale domestico.The little turtles are so adorable! I wish I could adopt one as a pet.
- 12 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Martina and Francesco are visiting an aquarium.
- MartinaGuarda che bella quella tartaruga!Look how beautiful that turtle is!
- FrancescoSì, è davvero grande.Yes, it is really big.
- MartinaSecondo te, quanti anni ha la tartaruga?How old do you think the turtle is?
- FrancescoForse ha cento anni.Maybe it is a hundred years old.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “turtle” translations and entries tartaruga, testuggine, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries tartaruga, testuggine, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
