Economico

Italian word of the day

Pronunciation
English translationCheap; economic
OriginFrom the Greek word oikonomikós, meaning “relating to the management of a household, domestic”

Different forms of economico

Like most adjectives in Italian, economico has two articles (definite or indefinite articles) and two numbers (singular or plural).

SingularPlural
MasculineEconomicoEconomici
FeminineEconomicaEconomiche

Examples

L’azienda vende prodotti economici e 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.
airplane with green band

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”.

SingularPlural
MasculineConvenienteConvenienti
FeminineConvenienteConvenienti
man surrounded by many working tools

For example, you can 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”.

SingularPlural
MasculineScadenteScadenti
FeminineScadenteScadenti

For example, you can 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!
worker cutting a tree

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