Fra Noi Embrace Your Inner Italian
As discussed in a previous blog, “Italian Language Friends,” many Italian words are similar to English. This is because most words used today in modern Italian, and many words in English, have their roots in the Latin language spoken long ago by the Romans.*
In linguistic terms, words in two different languages that have a common origin and a similar meaning are called “cognates.” In general, when two words are cognates, the stem of each word will provide a clue to the actual meaning. The ending of each word in both languages will also follow a common pattern.
Memorizing a vocabulary list is not very interesting and can be time consuming.
But recognizing Italian cognates can increase
a student’s knowledge of Italian with very little effort!
Many of the words that describe the professions in Italian and English are cognates. The Italian ending will be invariable for some professions, as it in English, but for others it can change to reflect the gender of the professional. Read to the end of this blog to discover which feminine endings are actually used in Italy today!
The ending –ista in Italian is equivalent to the ending –ist in English. The –ista ending is invariable, but the definite article (il, la, or l’) will change to reflect gender. For more than one professional, change the –a ending to the plural –i for men and –e for women. Use the singular (il, lo, la, l’) or plural definite articles (i, gli, le).
l’artista = artist
il farmacista = pharmacist = la farmacista
il pianista = pianist = la pianista
il professionista = professional = la professionista
il socialista = socialist = la socialista
il turista = tourist = la turista
The masculine ending –ologo and the feminine ending –ologa in Italian are also equivalent to the ending –ist in English. For words that describe a profession and end in –ologo/–ologa keep in mind that there are words with the same stem and an -ia ending that describe the field itself, as in radiologia (radiology), psicologia (psychiatry), geologia (gelology), chimica (chemistry), and fisica (physics).
il biologo = biologist = la biologa
il geologo = geologist = la geologa
lo psicologo = psychologist = la psicologa
il radiologo = radiologist = la radiologa
The ending –ore in Italian is equivalent to the ending –or in English and the Italian nouns with an -ore ending refer to masculine professions. The corresponding profession in the feminine is either –essa or -ice.
l’attore = actor = l’attrice
il conduttore = driver/chauffeur = la conduttrice
il dottore = doctor = la dottoressa
il professore = professor = la professoressa
The endings -aria and –ario in Italian are equivalent to the ending –ary in English.
il segretario = secretary = la segretaria
l’universitario = student at the University = l’universitaria
il salario = salary
A note about Italian government professions…
Most Italian professions did not have feminine forms until the last few decades, and the recent trend has been to go back to using only the masculine form, even when addressing a woman. The current thinking is that the position is the same, whether held by a man or a woman, and therefore the title should also be the same.
This holds true especially when addressing women in the government or in public service. Although feminine forms do exist for many of these positions, in general, both men and women are addressed with the masculine title, followed by their last name, as follows:
il presidente = the presdent
il primo ministro = the prime minister
il senatore = the senator
il governatore = the governor
il sindaco = the mayor
il soldato = the soldier
il poliziotto = the policeman
il postino = the postal worker
il pompiere = the fireman
A few facts about doctors and lawyers in Italy…
In Italy, individuals with a college degree are often addressed as “dottore” by those who work under them as a sign of respect. The feminine form, “dottoressa” is heard less often but is still used in Italy today, depending on the preference of the professional woman.
In some regions, a college graduate may be addressed as “ingegnere” to show respect, even though the individual does not have an engineering degree.
A physician is most often addressed as “dottore” followed by their last name, although dottoressa is also used, as mentioned above. When describing a physician in the third person, “il medico” is the more specific term.
A lawyer is most often addressed as “avvocato” followed by their last name, whether male or female.
When one is stating their profession in Italian, the indefinite article (un, uno, una, un’) is left out of the sentence. In America, we say, “I am a doctor“ or “I am a lawyer,” but in Italy they say simply, “Sono medico” or “Sono avvocato.”
This is an easy rule to remember, since the sentence, “Sono un avocato” means, “I am an avocato” in Italian! Of course, the words avocato and avvocato are spoken a bit differently, with emphasis on the double consonant “vv” in Italian for the word lawyer. But, to avoid any misunderstanding, simply leave out the Italian definite article when speaking about your profession!
il dottore = the doctor (college graduate, male)
la dottoressa = the doctor (college graduate, female)
l’ingegnere = the engineer (college graduate)
il medico = the physician
l’avvocato = the lawyer
And finally, some additional Italian terms that describe if one is working… or not!
Lavoro in proprio.
I am self-employed.
Sono disoccupato(a).
I am unemployed.
Sono in pensione.
I am retired.
If you learn how to use Italian cognates
to describe the professions,
I guarantee you will use
these Italian language friends every day!
For “All the Italian you need to enjoy your trip to Italy,”® click on the links below to purchase my Conversational Italian for Travelers books – and then listen to the audiobook “Just the Important Phrases” on your favorite streaming platform! —Kathryn Occhipinti
Conversational Italian for Travelers “Just the Important Phrases” pocket travel book with audio
on your favorite streaming platform from Amazon.com and www.LearnTravelItalian.com
New! Practice short Italian phrases with this Audio Dialogue Practice Book.
Check out how to pronounce restaurant vocabulary in Volume 2!
Download the audio from your favorite audio platform today!
Check them out on Amazon.com and Spotify.
Thank you for all the correct Italian phrases and uses of Italian words. I am profoundly deaf in both ears, but with my VA hearing aids, I can understand men within 5 feet; women are very, very difficult to understand. I cannot understand my wife. It seems to me that everyone talks too fast for me to process and understand them.
I can still read, learn, and speak, but it is difficult to carry on a normal conversation or even watch and understand television, even the subtitles are too fast for me to comprehend.
At me age, 88 in April, I just don’t get around much anymore.
I still like to learning Italian even though I cannot speak with anyone.
Thank you again for all your information.
Thank you for your comment! Learning another language has so many benefits other than just communication, and I try to stress this in my blogs. Those who take it upon themselves to learn another language are really learning about another culture and another way of thinking; in short, another view of the world. That is why language is so fascinating — it gives us insight to those around us.
I am glad you are still able to enjoy Italian, even if not it is mostly through reading. This keeps your mind active as wel! Also, if you really do want to practice a bit, there are many very nice, patient Italian teachers in the Chicago area who would be glad to spend an hour or so with you just speaking in Italian. And thank you again for spending time reading my blog and commenting. – Kathryn