Italian word of the day
Pronunciation | |
English translation | Ghost |
Origin | From the Greek word phántasma, which comes from phaínō, “monster” |
Different forms of fantasma
Like most nouns in Italian, fantasma has two articles (definite or indefinite articles) and two numbers (singular or plural).
Un fantasma
A ghost
Dei fantasmi
Some ghosts
Il fantasma
The ghost
I fantasmi
The ghosts
Examples
I fantasmi non esistono. | Ghosts don’t exist. |
Hai mai visto un fantasma? | Have you ever seen a ghost? |
La villa sulla collina è infestata dai fantasmi. | The mansion on the hill is haunted by ghosts. |
Si dice che ci siano dei fantasmi in quel cimitero. | It is said that there are ghosts in that graveyard. |

Expressions
There are a number of idiomatic expressions featuring the word for ghost in Italian. For example:
Arto fantasma | Phantom limb | |
Governo fantasma | (A government that is not officially recognized, a shadow government) | |
Città fantasma | Ghost town |

There is also the expression essere il fantasma di sé stessi, to be the shadow of one’s self.
Dopo la lunga malattia, Michele è diventato il fantasma di se stesso. | After the long illness, Michele became the ghost of himself. |
We also describe people as being ghosts when they are exceptionally pale with the expression sembrare un fantasma, “to look like a ghost”.
Perché sei così pallido? Sembri un fantasma! | Why are you so pale? You look like a ghost! |
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