Italian word of the day
Pronunciation | |
English translation | Cheap; economic |
Origin | From 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).
Singular | Plural | |
Masculine | Economico | Economici |
Feminine | Economica | Economiche |
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. |
Related words
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 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”.
Singular | Plural | |
Masculine | Scadente | Scadenti |
Feminine | Scadente | Scadenti |
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! |
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