How exactly do you say cheap in Italian?
In this lesson, we will take a look at the different words you can use to talk about being cheap in Italian. Read on to learn all you need to know!
Cheap
Economico
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Cheap in Italian
Economico
Economico is how you translate cheap into Italian. Let’s listen to how this adjective is pronounced.
Its pronunciation is similar to eh-koh-noh-MEE-koh and it comes from the Green word oikonomikós, meaning “relating to the management of a household, domestic”. Make sure the final -o has a clean sound, because Italian vowel sounds are clean!
Economico is also used to translate “economic”.
Economico
Cheap; economic
Like all other adjectives in Italian, economico needs to match the gender and number of the noun.
| Singular | Plural | |
| Masculine | Economico | Economici |
| Feminine | Economica | Economiche |
If a sofa is cheap, you would say economico because sofa, divano, is a masculine noun in Italian.
Likewise, you will say economica, if you’re talking about a cheap chair, sedia, which is a feminine noun.
Plural nouns behave the same way: if you want to describe some cheap earrings (orecchini, masculine plural), use economici. If you’re talking about some cheap apples (mele, feminine plural), use economiche instead.
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For example, you could say…
L’azienda vende prodotti economici di scarsa qualità.
The company sells cheap, low-quality products.
Vivono in un appartamento economico in un quartiere malfamato.
They live in a cheap apartment in a rough neighborhood.
La camera d’albergo era economica, ma anche sporca e scomoda.
The hotel room was cheap, but it was also dirty and uncomfortable.
Ho trovato un volo per l’Europa davvero economico a soli 300 dollari.
I found a really cheap flight to Europe for only $300.
A buon mercato is another common way to translate cheap in Italian. It literally means “at good market”.
Ho comprato questo paio di scarpe a buon mercato.
I bought this cheap pair of shoes.
Another adjective that is commonly used is conveniente, which can also translate into English as “affordable”.
| Singular | Plural | |
| Masculine | Conveniente | Convenienti |
| Feminine | Conveniente | Convenienti |
For example, you could say…
Il mercato di frutta e verdura del mio quartiere è molto conveniente.
The fruit and vegetable market in my neighborhood is very convenient.
Il negozio di articoli per la casa offre prodotti convenienti e di buona qualità.
The home improvement store offers affordable and good quality products.
If cheap has a negative meaning, use the adjective scadente, which can also mean “poor”.
| Singular | Plural | |
| Masculine | Scadente | Scadenti |
| Feminine | Scadente | Scadenti |
For example, you could say…
La qualità di questo legno è scadente.
The quality of this wood is poor.
Ho comprato dei pantaloni scadenti. Si sono strappati al primo utilizzo!
I bought some cheap pants. They ripped the first time I used them!
And that’s the end of our lesson on how to say cheap in Italian!
What next?
Now that you’ve seen how to say cheap in Italian, you might want to keep learning Italian online with these free Italian resources:
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