Panini, al fresco, latte, bolognese… There are many borrowed Italian words used in English. However, we don’t always pronounce them correctly and use them according to their original Italian meaning.
As learners of Italian, it’s fascinating to see how Italian words used in English often get misinterpreted, mispronounced, or completely transformed. This blending of languages is a natural part of linguistic evolution, but it can sometimes lead to funny or confusing situations.
Keep reading to learn about the most common Italian words used in English and how to pronounce them correctly, as well as about how Italians sometimes get creative with English words.
The Coffee Break Italian Show is the podcast series in which we discuss interesting topics for Italian learners. In this episode, Francesca and Maurizio talk about the most commonly used Italian words in English and explain how their meaning or usage changes when transferred from Italian to English. They also explain how to pronounce Italian words that are commonly used in English, such as gnocchi and bruschetta.
We’d recommend watching the video episode as you read this article, in order to get the most out of it. And don’t forget to look out for your free worksheet download at the end, which will allow you to put your knowledge of Italian words used in English to the test.
Iniziamo!
Italian words used in English
As an Italian learner, we’re sure you’ve noticed that, sometimes, Italian words used in English don’t match their original Italian counterpart.
Let’s start by looking at some of the most common Italian words used in English – incorrectly, in some sense or another.
Latte
Used in English to refer to: a milky coffee
Actual meaning in Italian: “milk”
Italian equivalent: “a latte” = un caffellatte / un caffè latte
The first word in our list of Italian words used in English is a very common mistake that English speakers make when they travel to Italy and want to order a coffee in a café, or bar.
As Maurizio explains in the episode, if you order a latte in an Italian bar, you will be served a glass of milk!
Instead, if you want to drink a “latte”, as in a coffee with milk, you should ask for un caffellatte.
Espresso
Used in English to refer to: a short, single shot of coffee
Actual meaning in Italian: “quick”
Italian equivalent: “an espresso” = un caffè
Sticking with the theme of coffee, in Italy people don’t tend to order un espresso in unbar.
Instead, you can simply ask for un caffè, per favore, and it is implied that you mean an espresso.
Al fresco
Used in English to refer to: eating in an outdoor area
Actual meaning in Italian: “in a cool place”
Italian equivalent: “eat al fresco” = mangiare all’aperto or mangiare fuori
In Italian, al fresco simply means “in a cool place”, one that isn’t too warm. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the place is outside – for instance, it could be a room indoors which is cooler than the others.
For example, you may find the phrase on a food label, saying conservare al fresco. This means that it is to be stored in a cool, dry place.
In this episode of The Coffee Break Italian Show, Francesca teaches Maurizio a new phrase from her region of Italy, Piemonte, which is used to refer to an al fresco eating area. Watch the video lesson to learn the phrase, too.
Biscotti
Used in English to refer to: a specific type of crunchy, almond biscuit, usually accompanying a coffee
Actual meaning in Italian: a general word for “biscuits” or “cookies”
Italian equivalent: “a biscotti” = un cantuccio or un cantuccino
There are two ways that the word “biscotti” is used differently in English, compared to its original usage in Italian.
First of all, note that biscotti is simply the general word for any “biscuits” or “cookies”, rather than the specific type that we tend to associate with the word in English. In fact, what we think of as “biscotti” in English are actually called cantucci or cantuccini (which are smaller) in Italian.
Secondly, note that biscotti is the plural form of biscotto. So, while we may say “a biscotti” in English, this isn’t grammatically correct, as in Italian the singular form is un biscotto (“a biscuit / cookie”), and the plural form is dei biscotti (“some biscuits / cookies”).
Panini
Used in English to refer to: a specific type of sandwich
Actual meaning in Italian: “sandwiches”
Italian equivalent: “a panini” = un panino (but this could refer to any type of sandwich)
Another case where a plural Italian noun is incorrectly used in English is panini.
Panini is the plural form in Italian, meaning “sandwiches.” The singular form is panino. For example, you could say:
Vado a comprare un panino.
I am going to buy a sandwich.
Io e Francesca mangiamo dei panini.
Francesca and I eat (some) sandwiches.
So, attenzione! If you just want one sandwich, make sure to use the word panino, instead of panini.
Also note that the word panino in Italian doesn’t refer to any specific type of sandwich, but is instead the general word for “sandwich”.
Lasagna
Used in English to refer to: a layered pasta dish
Actual meaning in Italian: an individual sheet of pasta
Italian equivalent: “lasagna” = le lasagne
The next one of Italian words used in English often incorrectly is lasagna.
So, while in English we use the word “lasagna” to refer to the full dish, in Italian the dish is thought of as a plural noun, le lasagne – referring to the multiple sheets of pasta. For example:
Mia nonna cucina le lasagne la domenica a pranzo.
My grandmother cooks lasagna for lunch on Sundays.
Also watch out for the pronunciation of the gn sound, as it can be tricky to know how to pronounce Italian words such as lasagna, when they are commonly used in English.
Bolognese
Used in English to refer to: a sauce made with tomato and minced meat
Actual meaning in Italian: of or from Bologna
Italian equivalent: “spaghetti bolognese” or “spagbol” = spaghetti al ragù
In Italy, to order what we know as “spaghetti bolognese”, you should ask for spaghetti al ragù. The word bolognese would only be included if the sauce were specifically Bologna-style, in which case it would be ragù alla bolognese (“Bologna-style ragù”).
Peperoni
Used in English to refer to: a type of spicy salami used on pizza (“pepperoni”)
Actual meaning in Italian: “peppers” or “bell peppers”
Italian equivalent: “pepperoni” = salame piccante
The next of our food-related Italian words used in English is “pepperoni”. Note that pepperoni with the double consonant doesn’t exist in Italian, and the correct spelling is with a single p: peperoni.
So, if you want to order a pepperoni pizza in Italy (that is to say a pizza with spicy sausage on it), you should order una pizza con salame piccante.
However, una pizza con peperoni in Italy would be “a pizza with peppers”.
How to pronounce Italian words used in English
Let’s now have a look at some other Italian words used in English, but which are often pronounced differently from their original, correct pronunciation in Italian.
Gnocchi
When used in English, the word gnocchiis often pronounced differently to the original Italian word.
Gnocchi is a plural noun (the singular form is uno gnoccho) and in Italian it refers to the small potato dumplings that are eaten with a sauce.
So, when you’re using the word “gnocchi” to refer to this dish, watch out for the pronunciation of the gn and ch sound in Italian.
Bruschetta
Similarly, do you know how the word bruschetta should be pronounced in Italian?
Bruschetta is another word that is frequently used in English, and it refers to a small dish that consists of toasted bread with tomatoes, olive oil and often other ingredients.
However, while it is often pronounced with a “sh” sound, when it is used in English, the correct Italian pronunciation actually contains a hard C sound – something like “broo-sket-tah”.
Tagliatelle
Tagliatelleis another of our Italian words used in English in the context of food, and it refers to the type of pasta in long, flat strands.
However, the correct Italian pronunciation doesn’t contain a hard G sound. Instead, make sure to pay attention to the gli sound in Italian when pronouncing this word.
English words used in Italian
Just as there are many Italian words used in English that change their meaning as they are transferred from one language to the next, there are also many words in Italian that are based on English words and that change their original English meaning significantly in the process.
Let’s take a look at some of the most common ones, along with some example phrases and sentences.
Smart working
lo smart working
remote working
lavorare in smart working, lavorare in smart
to work remotely
Mister
il mister
the (sports team) coach
Camping
un camping
a campsite
C’è un camping in questa zona?
Is there a campsite in this area?
Footing
il footing
jogging
Smoking
uno smoking
a tuxedo, a dinner jacket
We hope this has helped you see how understanding the correct usage and pronunciation of Italian words used in English can be important in order to avoid confusion and to communicate more effectively, but also be interesting and entertaining!
For more information about all of these Italian words used in English and, in particular, to hear how to pronounce Italian words that are borrowed into English, make sure to watch the video episode, or listen to the podcast version, with Francesca and Maurizio on The Coffee Break Italian Show. You can also subscribe to our podcast feed or our YouTube channel while you’re there, so that you know new episodes from Coffee Break Italian are available.
Looking for more ways to improve your Italian? We send out regular, free email lessons to all of our Coffee Break Italian community who are subscribed to our email list. Look out for the sign-up box and we hope that you enjoy your mini lessons.
In the meantime, we hope that you now feel you know more about common Italian words used in English, and how to use and pronounce them correctly.
Happy Coffee Breaking!
