A cognate is a word that can be found in two or more different languages with similar, though not always exact, spellings and the same meaning. These look-alike words have the same root or origin. Learning to recognize the many Italian/English cognates can help Italian language students increase vocabulary quickly.
A note of caution: even though an Italian word may look similar to its English counterpart, it might not sound the same. Be sure to review Italian pronunciations or listen to an Italian speaker pronounce the words. The following Italian/English cognates are grouped into categories to put them into useful contexts.
People and Animal Cognates
il bambino – baby ……. la famiglia – family …….il medico – medic/doctor ……. il / la dentista – dentist ……. il paziente – the patient ……. la polizia – police ……. la turista – tourist ……. l’artista – artist . . . . . . . il professore - professor/teacher . . . . . . . l'autore - author . . . . . . . l'attore - actor . . . . . . . la nazione - nation
l’ elefante – elephant ……. la tigre– tiger ……. il leone – lion ……. il leopardo – leopard ……. il gorilla – gorilla ……. la giraffa – giraffe ……. la panda – panda ……. il ippopotamo – hippopotamus …….. il cammello – camel …….. il canguro – kangaroo ……. il pinguino – penguin ……. il delfíno – dolphin …….il dinosauro - dinosaur
Clothing, Musical Instruments, and Other Useful Items Cognates
i sandali – sandals ……. il pigiama – pajama ……. i pantaloni – pants ……. i jeans - jeans
la chitarra – guitar ……. il piano – piano ……. il violino – violin ……. la tuba – tuba …….. il trombone – trombone ……. strumenti musicali – musical instruments ……. l’opera – opera ……. la sinfonia – the symphony
la lampada – lamp ……. il telefono – telephone ……. il calcolatore – calculator…….la televisione – television ……. la radio – radio …….il calendario – calendar ……. il dizionario – dictionary ……. le lettere – the letters (as in mail) ……. lettere di alfabeto – alphabet letters ……. la lista – list ……. la fotografia – photograph ……. la copia – copy ……. la riproduzione – the reproduction ……. istruzioni – instructions ……. il microscopio – microscope ……. l’acquario – aquarium ……. il satellite – satellite ……. la medicina – medicine ……. il puzzle – puzzle ……. la candela – candle ……. uno minuto – a minute ……. uno secondo – a second ……. un’ora – an hour
Food Cognates
un’insalata – a salad …….la banana – banana ……. il melone – melon ……. il limone – lemon ……. la pera – pear ……. la frutta – fruit ……. il yogurt - yogurt ……. il cereale – cereal ……. il tè - tea ……. il caffè – coffee ……. la cioccolata – chocolate ……. l’hamburger – hamburger …….il sale – salt ……. il pepe - pepper ....... il barbecue – barbeque ……. il picnic - picnic
Places To Go and Transportation Cognates
il ristorante – restaurant ……. la banca – bank ……. il parco – park ……. l’ospedale – hospital ……. il capitale – capital ……. il cinema – the cinema ……. la montagna – mountain ……. la foresta – the forest
l'autobus – bus …….. il tassì – taxi ……. il treno – train ……. la canoa – canoe ……. il sommergibile – submergible/submarine ……. il motociclo – motorcycle ……. la bicicletta – bicycle ……. el triciclo – tricycle ……. il getto – jet ……. l’elicottero – helicopter ……. il trattore – tractor ……. l’ambulanza - ambulance
Descriptive Cognates
importante – important ……. corretto – correct ……. fantastico - fantastic ....... orribile – horrible ……. ambizioso – ambitious ……. temperatura – temperature ……. tardo – tardy ……. terribile – terrible ……. tradizionale – traditional ……. classico – classical ……. equilibrio – equilibrium/balance ....... un incidente – an accident ……. di talento – talented ….. imbarazzante - embarrassing
False Italian/English Cognates
Beware of look-alike words that aren’t really cognates. These Italian words may look like English words, but they mean something else entirely.
la carta – not a cart, but paper
la tromba – not a trombone, but a trumpet
Identifying cognates can help the Italian language student build usable vocabulary quickly. The above cognate inventory is by no means a complete list; but it provides a starting place to increase functional vocabulary. The list can be added to as new cognates are discovered.
Buona fortuna! (Good luck!)
Check out useful French/English and Spanish/English cognates, too.
Margaret M. Williams - Margaret M. Williams (Peggy) has been a teacher for over 25 years. She currently teaches first grade in a classroom that combines native ...
Join the Conversation