You know way more Italian words than you think! Because there are loads of Italian words which are actually English.
You can start adding these to your Italian right away—it's a quick way to learn some extra words.
You’ll also see how to pronounce them the Italian way. (Oh yes, they may be English words, but Italians say them with an Italian accent.)
Italian Words (that are actually English) for Travel
When you plan your next trip to Italy, you can use these travel-related words which are borrowed from English.
Il taxi | Eel TAK-see |
L’hotel | Loh-TEL |
Il tour | Eel TOOR |
L’info point | LEEN-foh point |
La location | Lah loh-KAY-shon |
La reception | Lah reh-SEP-shun |
Il weekend | Eel wee-KEND |
Il check-in | Eel chek-EEN |
Il check-out | Eel chek-OUT |
For example:
La colazione all’hotel è inclusa -Breakfast at the hotel is included
Prenotiamo un taxi alla reception - Let’s book a taxi at reception
A che ora è il check-in? -What time is check-in?
To make sure you’re covered with almost every travel phrase you need, you can also check out this post on travel phrases and how to pronounce them .
Italian Words (that are actually English) for Technology
Loads of Italian words related to technology are the same as English.
Il computer | Eel kohm-PYOO-tehr |
Internet | EEN-ter-net |
Online | On-LINE |
Il mouse | Eel MAO-ss |
Il link | Eel leenk |
Il WiFi | Eel WHY-fye |
Il bluetooth | Eel BLOO-tooth |
Lo smartphone | Loh SMART-fohn |
La foto* | Lah FOH-toh |
Il video | Eel VEE-deh-oh |
L’email | Lee-MEHL |
L’app | LAHpp |
La password | La PAHS-word |
I social* | Ee SOH-chahl |
Il/la follower | Eel/la FOH-loh-wehr |
Il post | Eel pohst |
* I social is the way Italians say “social media”.
* Foto is the word for “photo”, just with a slightly different spelling
For example:
Hai la password per il WiFi? -Do you have the WiFi password?
Il link per il tour è nell’email -The link for the tour is in the email
Posso fare una foto? -Can I take a picture?
Italian Words (that are actually English) for Business and Work
Italians love to use English words to talk about business. In fact, business itself can be used as an Italian word!
To chat about what you do for a living, or things you have to do for work, these Italian and English words are really useful.
Il meeting | Eel MEE-ting |
Il business | Eel BIZ-ness |
Il team building | Eel TEEM beel-deeng |
Il marketing | Eel MAHR-keh-teeng |
La start-up | La stahr-t UP |
L’influencer | LEEN-floo-en-ser |
Il budget | Eel BAH-jeht |
For example:
Lavoro in una start-up di tecnologia -I work in a tech start-up
Ho un meeting alle 10 -I have a meeting at 10
Questa influencer ha milioni di follower* -This influencer has millions of followers
💡Good to know
*In Italian, words which come from English stay the same in the singular and plural.
Italian Words (that are actually English) for Activities and Entertainment
You can start talking about your hobbies and interests in Italian by using these words.
Il film | Eel FEELM |
Il/La fan | Eel/La FAHN |
Lo show | Loh SHOW |
La playlist | Lah play-LIST |
Lo shopping | Loh SHOP-ping |
L’hobby | LOH-bee |
Il catering | Eel KAH-tehr-ing |
L’happy hour | LAP-pee OW-er |
For example:
Il mio hobby preferito è leggere -My favorite hobby is reading
Guardo sempre un film la sera -I always watch a film in the evening Sono un vero fan della musica italian a -I’m a real fan of Italian music
Italian Words (that are actually English) for Relationships
You can use these words to talk about your or your friends’ relationships.
Il/La partner | Eel/lah PART-ner |
Single | SEEN-gull |
L’ex | L’eks |
For example:
Io e il mio partner adoriamo l’Italia! -My partner and I love Italy!
Sono single e vorrei conoscere nuove persone -I’m single and I’d like to meet new people
How to pronounce Italian words that are actually English
It’s not a big deal at all if you don’t say these words with a perfect Italian accent. They are English words after all!
But if you want to sound really Italian, it’s worth trying to get the pronunciation right.
You can use these pronunciation rules to help. They work for any Italian word, not just the ones borrowed from English.
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Roll the “r” . This might seem easier said than done, but there is a way to get there. You can follow the tips in this blogpost on how to roll your r’s like an Italian .
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H’s are silent , like in the word hotel (“oh-tel”)
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Open your mouth wide! Italians open their mouths way more than in English and this makes their vowels sound crisp and clear. Like in the word “computer”. In English, the first “o” turns into more of a “u” sound: k u m-pyoo-tur . But in Italian, the “o” stays nice and clear, like “oh,” so it’s k o hm-pyoo-tur . You can click here to find out more tips on how to pronounce vowels the Italian way . (If anything just to have fun trying).
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Italian words (not borrowed from English) usually end in a vowel. If they’re saying an English word that doesn’t end in a vowel, they sometimes add one. For example, location or app sometimes come out more as loh-kay-shon-uh or lahpp-uh .
If you want to practice Italian pronunciation more in depth, you can also see how to pronounce these other common Italian sounds .
52 Common Italian Words That Are Actually English: Review
Let’s review some of the Italian-English words you’ve learned and how to use them!
Travel
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Il taxi: Eel TAK-see
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L’hotel: Loh-TEL
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Il check-in: Eel check-EEN
For example: Prenotiamo un taxi alla reception -Let’s book a taxi at reception.
Technology
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Il computer: Eel kohm-PYOO-tehr
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La password: Lah PAH-sword
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L’app: Lahpp
For example: Hai la password per il WiFi? -Do you have the WiFi password?
Business & Work
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Il meeting: Eel MEE-ting
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Il budget: Eel BAH-jeht
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Il marketing: Eel MAHR-keh-teeng
For example: Ho un meeting alle 10- I have a meeting at 10.