Giorno and giornata are often confused by learners of Italian because they translate as “eventually”. But they are not the same. Let’s see how they are used with some example sentences.
Giorno in Italian: How to use it
Giorno refers to the 24-hour day as seen on a calendar. When referring to the days of the week, you say giorni della settimana, literally “days of the week”. You never use giornata to refer to a general 24-hour period.
Giorno
Day
For example, you can say…
Ci sono sette giorni in una settimana.
A week has seven days.
Un dipendente ha almeno 20 giorni di ferie all’anno.
An employee has at least 20 days off per year.
Faccio colazione alle 8 ogni giorno.
I eat breakfast at 8 a.m. every day.
Mio figlio è a casa ammalato da tre giorni.
My son has been home sick for three days.
Giornata in Italian: How to use it
Giornata is the time of day when you do your errands. The sun is visible in the sky and people are awake. Another difference between giorno and giornata in Italian is that you use giornata to talk about the weather and about a particular day.
Giornata
Day
Buongiorno is a greeting. Good day!
Buona giornata is a wish. Have a nice day!
For example, you can say…
Oggi è una bellissima giornata.
Today is a beautiful day.
Che giornata! Lavoro da stamattina e non ho ancora finito.
What a day! I’ve been working since this morning and haven’t finished yet.
Le giornate di sole sono ideali per passeggiare.
Sunny days are ideal for walking.
Famous holidays such as Mother’s day or Valentine’s day, however, are not translated as giornata in Italian. They use festa, feast, or party, such as:
- la festa della mamma (Mother’s day)
- la festa della donna (Women’s day)
- la festa della Repubblica (Republic Day)
- la festa di San Valentino, also called il giorno di San Valentino (Saint Valentine’s day)
You use giornata for smaller holidays, such as:
- la giornata della Terra (Earth day)
- la giornata internazionale della pace (International day of peace)
Giorno and giornata in Italian: Common expressions
There are a number of common idiomatic expressions featuring the words giorno and giornata in Italian. Some of these are…
- tutto il santo giorno (the whole darn day)
- da un giorno all’altro (from one day to the next)
- il buon giorno si vede dal mattino (a good beginning bodes well)
- vivere alla giornata (to live day to day)
Giorno and giornata: Let’s recap the difference
The main difference between giorno and giornata in Italian is the following:
| Giorno | 24-hour day as seen on a calendar |
| Giornata | Usually refers to the time that the sun is out and about |
I hope that giorno and giornata will have no secrets for you from now on! 😊
More free Italian resources
You might want to keep learning Italian online with these free Italian resources:
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