How do you say thin in Italian?
Magro
Use magro to say thin in Italian when you are talking about a slim person. It can also be translated as “slender, lean”.
| Origin | From the Latin word macrum, meaning “meager” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈmagro/ |
Magro
Thin
Thin in Italian: Different forms
Like all other adjectives in Italian, magro needs to match the gender (masculine or feminine) and the number (singular or plural) of the noun.
| Singular | Plural | |
| Masculine | Magro | Magri |
| Feminine | Magra | Magre |
Thin in Italian: Examples
I miei cani corrono per ore al giorno. Per questo sono così magri.
My dogs run for hours every day. That’s why they are so thin.
Tutti i miei parenti sono di costituzione magra.
All my relatives have a lean constitution.
Era una ragazza alta e magra con lunghi e morbidi capelli castani.
She was a tall, thin girl with long, soft brown hair.
Sei troppo magra. Dovresti mangiare di più.
You are too thin. You should eat more. (female)
Sottile
You can’t call someone sottile. This Italian adjective also translates as thin in English, but sottile is reserved for things and objects.
Sottile has only two forms because adjectives ending in -e in Italian are the same for both genders, but have to agree with the number (singular/plural) of the noun they describe.
| Singular | Plural | |
| Masculine | Sottile | Sottili |
| Feminine | Sottile | Sottili |
For example, you can say…
Questa modella ha una vita davvero sottile.
This model has a very thin waist.
Il ghiaccio è troppo sottile per poterci camminare sopra.
The ice is too thin to walk on.
Prenderai freddo con quei vestiti così sottili.
You’ll catch a cold in such thin clothes.
Taglia la carne a fette sottili.
Cut the meat into thin slices.
More free Italian resources
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