Have you ever come across an Italian word and thought, “It looks just like English!”? That’s the magic of cognates, and Italian has plenty of them for native English speakers!
Italian cognates are words that resemble English so much that they are easy to understand even without context. They’re a great shortcut to expanding your vocabulary and boosting your confidence as you learn Italian. So, let’s explore their patterns and how to spot false cognates along the way.
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What is a cognate?
Cognates are words with similar or identical spelling and meaning in two languages. They exist because the languages either share a common origin or have influenced each other over time, borrowing and adapting words as they evolved.
When you start noticing cognates, it’s like hitting the jackpot: You can understand easy Italian phrases without being fluent! For example, look at how easy it is to understand this sentence:
- La famiglia è importante. = Family is important.
The words famiglia (family) and importante (important) are Italian cognates with the same roots as their English counterparts. Other cognates might have small spelling changes in the middle of the word, but they are still very similar:
- Abbiamo scoperto un ristorante buonissimo a Roma. = We discovered a very good restaurant in Rome.
Be careful that you don’t confuse cognates with loanwords. Loanwords are words taken directly from one language and adopted into another without significant changes. The Italian language borrowed many words from English, such as bar, hotel, and computer. So did English, when it absorbed words from Italian like soprano, maestro, and pizza.
Almost-perfect Italian cognates
Since Italian words rarely end with a consonant, Italian cognates are never identical to their English counterparts. But don’t worry! Most are super easy to recognize because they simply have an extra vowel at the end. We’ve included a chart of the most recognizable Italian cognates before explaining a few notable ones.
| Italian | English |
| animale | animal |
| capitale | capital |
| classico | classic |
| differente | different |
| finale | final |
| generale | general |
| globale | global |
| importante | important |
| intelligente | intelligent |
| locale | local |
| moderno | modern |
| musica | music |
| naturale | natural |
| originale | original |
| passione | passion |
| persona | person |
| problema | problem |
| speciale | special |
| universale | universal |
| visione | vision |
Arte (art)
From Latin: ars, artis
Arte (art) is one of the first cognates in Italian you can learn. It refers to painting, sculpture, music, and other forms of creative expression.
- Sono appassionato/a d’arte. = I am passionate about art.
- L’arte italiana è famosa in tutto il mondo. = Italian art is famous worldwide.
However, remember that in Italian, arte is also used more broadly to describe any skillful practice, usually followed by Italian prepositions:
- l’arte della cucina = the art of cooking
- l’arte del saper vivere = the art of knowing how to live well
Colore (color)
From Latin: color, coloris
Both the word colore (color) and many colors in Italian have names that are cognates themselves, like violetto (violet) and blu (blue). Since colors are one of the first vocabulary words you’ll learn in Italian, you’ll feel more confident about the language, thanks to the cognates!
Additionally, if you know how to use the word colore in figurative expressions, your Italian will sound immediately more sophisticated.
- dare colore a una storia = to add color to a story (meaning to make it more vivid or engaging)
- (qualcosa) senza colore = (something) without color (meaning dull, lifeless)
Regione (region)
From Latin: regio, regionis
Like in English, una regione (a region) can indicate a specific part of a country or, in some cases, a part of the body.
Regione is also the generic name to indicate each of the twenty geographical areas that divide Italy. Italian regions have political autonomy in some matters, so you can also refer to la Regione as the governing body operating in each area.
- La Toscana è una regione bellissima. = Tuscany is a beautiful region.
- Quello è il palazzo della Regione. = That is the headquarters of the regional government.
Reale (real)
From Latin: regalis (Latin)/realis (Medieval Latin from res, meaning “thing”)
This word needs extra attention because it has two meanings in Italian. From Medieval Latin, Italians got the word reale, which means “real,” like in English:
- Questa è una situazione reale. = This is a real situation.
However, reale can also mean “royal” in Italian.
- La famiglia reale vive a Buckingham Palace. = The royal family lives at Buckingham Palace.
It’s a perfect example of how Romance languages influenced each other. The Latin word regalis (meaning “of the king”) evolved into different forms across languages:
- regale in Italian
- “regal” in English
- reial in Old French
Old French then influenced Italian, creating the English word “royal” and the alternative meaning of the Italian reale.
Italian cognates with different endings
A study on Italian cognates from the University of Wisconsin-Madison identified 18 recognizable patterns in word endings. You can see the most relevant in the chart included below. Having a general idea of them can help you recognize English to Italian cognates more easily.
You will notice that some groups can correspond to specific parts of speech in Italian, which makes it a practical way to become more familiar even with them.
Cognates ending with -bile
Italian words ending in -bile usually correspond to English words ending in “-ible” or “able.” This is an important category because it includes many Italian adjectives you will use all the time.
| Italian | English |
| accettabile | acceptable |
| accessibile | accessible |
| adorabile | adorable |
| credibile | credible |
| curabile | curable |
| flessibile | flexible |
| impossibile | impossible |
| incredibile | incredible |
| inevitabile | inevitable |
| memorabile | memorable |
| possibile | possible |
| probabile | probable |
| visibile | visible |
Cognates ending with –zione
Other important cognates Italian has are all the words ending in -zione, corresponding to “-tion” in English.
Words ending in -zione are very useful in Italian because they are nomi d’azione (names that indicate an action). In fact, most of them are some of the most common verbs in Italian. Here’s how these cognates are formed:
- the verb ambire (to aspire) + -zione = the noun ambizione (ambition)
| Italian | English |
| ambizione | ambition |
| attenzione | attention |
| celebrazione | celebration |
| composizione | composition |
| conversazione | conversation |
| educazione | education |
| emozione | emotion |
| informazione | information |
| intenzione | intention |
| invenzione | invention |
| organizzazione | organization |
| presentazione | presentation |
| tradizione | tradition |
This group of cognates might also have some exceptions just before the suffix.
- doubling the letter “z” in Italian
- organizzazione = organization
- replacing with the letter “p” or “c” in English
- descrizione = description
- collezione = collection
Cognates ending with -sione
Italian nouns ending in -sione end with “-sion“ in English. They behave similarly to the -zione ending cognates.
| Italian | English |
| conclusione | conclusion |
| confusione | confusion |
| decisione | decision |
| delusione | delusion |
| dimensione | dimension |
| discussione | discussion |
| diversione | diversion |
| illusione | illusion |
| impressione | impression |
| inclusione | inclusion |
| professione | profession |
| versione | version |
Cognates ending with -mente
Almost all Italian adverbs derived from descriptive adjectives have the suffix -mente. This is a characteristic feature of many Romance languages and has its corresponding suffix in English, “-ly.”
| Italian | English |
| apparentemente | apparently |
| automaticamente | automatically |
| correttamente | correctly |
| costantemente | constantly |
| direttamente | directly |
| finalmente | finally |
| generalmente | generally |
| inizialmente | initially |
| logicamente | logically |
| naturalmente | naturally |
| originariamente | originally |
| probabilmente | probably |
| rapidamente | rapidly |
| recentemente | recently |
| totalmente | totally |
Cognates ending with -tà
In Italian, many nouns end in -tà, corresponding to “-ty” in English. Keep an eye on this group because it includes many common Italian nouns you need in many conversations with your coworkers or your friends.
| Italian | English |
| abilità | ability |
| attività | activity |
| autorità | authority |
| città | city |
| comunità | community |
| dignità | dignity |
| identità | identity |
| libertà | liberty |
| opportunità | opportunity |
| qualità | quality |
| realtà | reality |
| responsabilità | responsibility |
| società | society |
| vanità | vanity |
Italian cognates that don’t follow any patterns
Every rule has its exceptions and so do cognate patterns. Thousands of Italian words don’t fit any of these patterns. Some might be described as “imperfect” cognates, but they’re still very easy to understand.
| Italian | English |
| appetito | appetite |
| articolo | article |
| atmosfera | atmosphere |
| caffè | coffee |
| coccodrillo | crocodile |
| commedia | comedy |
| famoso | famous |
| genuino | genuine |
| giustizia | justice |
| medicina | medicine |
| ombrello | umbrella |
| pinguino | penguin |
| sigaretta | cigarette |
| virtù | virtue |
Fun fact: Italian cognates don’t always have Latin origins! For example, the word caffè (coffee) comes from the Turkish word kahve, which itself originates from the Arabic word qahwa. The drink, however, was introduced to the west by the Venetians in the 16th and 17th centuries. Thanks to them, Italian coffee became extremely popular everywhere!
Italian verbs as cognates
Verbs can also be Italian cognates! In particular, Italian verbs in their infinitive form are easy to recognize because they are almost identical to their English counterparts. Some of them only change the suffix -are to the English “-ate” ending in the infinitive form.
- participare = to participate
Other verbs from the first, second (infinite ending in -ere), or third conjugation (ending in -ire) share the same root, so they are very easy to spot, even with different endings.
| Italian | English |
| accettare | to accept |
| arrestare | to arrest |
| apparire | to appear |
| connettere | to connect |
| consultare | to consult |
| contemplare | to contemplate |
| contribuire | to contribute |
| definire | to define |
| determinare | to determine |
| evolvere | to evolve |
| importare | to import |
| informare | to inform |
| irritare | to irritate |
| motivare | to motivate |
| organizzare | to organize |
| partecipare | to participate |
| realizzare | to realize |
| servire | to serve |
What are the Italian false cognates?
False cognates, or false friends, are the tricky part of the similarities between English and Italian. Italian false friends look like cognates because their spellings are similar to English but have different meanings. When used in the wrong context, you could say something embarrassing or potentially offensive. The best way to avoid mistakes is to memorize the most common false friends and learn how to use them correctly.
| False Cognate | English Meaning | Likely Word Choice | English Meaning |
| abusivo | illegal | violento (physically), offensivo (verbally) | abusive |
| allegato | attached/attachment | accusa | allegation |
| attuale | current | reale/effettivo | actual |
| calamita | magnet | calamità | calamity |
| caldo | hot | freddo (temperature), raffreddore (sickness) | cold |
| cognato/a | brother-in-law/sister-in-law | parola affine | cognate |
| confetto | comfit | coriandoli | confetti |
| educato | well-mannered | istruito/colto | educated |
| fabbrica | factory | tessuto | fabric |
| libreria | bookstore | biblioteca | library |
| parenti | relatives | genitori | parents |
| pretendere | demand/expect | fingere | to pretend |
| rumore | noise | pettegolezzo | rumor |
| terrificante | terrifying | magnifico | terrific |
Why are there so many English-Italian cognates?
Italian and English are very different languages. Still, they come from the same Indo-European language family but belong to two distinct branches. English is a Germanic language, like German and Dutch, while Italian belongs to the Romance languages that evolved from Latin, such as Spanish, French, and Portuguese.
However, nearly 60% of the English vocabulary has Latin origins! That’s why there are so many Italian cognates.
So, how did it happen? It’s all thanks to the Old French spoken by the Normans. When they conquered England in 1066, they introduced their language to the island. As a result, thousands of Latin-based words entered English, making Italian one of the easiest languages to learn for English speakers.
However, relying on cognates and loanwords isn’t enough to speak Italian. Make sure to practice whenever you can, and take every opportunity to immerse yourself in the language. You can do things like:
- talk to yourself in Italian
- watch Italian TV and listen to Italian music
- order food in Italian at your favorite restaurant
- label your household appliances and goods with their Italian name
Also, choose a learning method like Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion, which can guide you through the most challenging parts of grammar and support your progress with a complete cultural immersion. You’ll start speaking Italian from day one.
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