Italian word of the day
| Pronunciation | |
| English translation | Fat |
| Origin | From the Latin word grassum, “fat” |
Different forms of grasso
Like most adjectives in Italian, grasso has two articles (definite or indefinite articles) and two numbers (singular or plural).
| Singular | Plural | |
| Masculine | Grasso | Grassi |
| Feminine | Grassa | Grasse |
Examples
| Quest’oca è molto grassa. Cosa le date da mangiare? | This goose is very fat. What do you feed her? |
| Non sono grasso… sono solo robusto! | I’m not fat… I’m just strong! |
| Nel cortile razzolavano tre grasse galline. | Three fat chickens were scratching about in the yard. |
| Nel porcile dormivano tre grassi maiali. | Three fat pigs were sleeping in the pigsty. |
Related words
There are a number of synonyms that you can use instead of grasso (keep in mind, however, that these words are all very offensive to use; they are useful to know because you will often find them in movies, but don’t use them in real life!). The most common are…
| Palla di lardo | Fat ball | |
| Ciccione | Fatso | |
| Grassone | Big fatso |
For example, you can say…
| Muoviti, palla di lardo! Sali quelle scale! | Move it, lardball! Get up those stairs! |
| Un ciccione mi ha appena tagliato la strada. | A fatso has just cut me off. |
| Mio fratello è un grassone. Sta sempre seduto sul divano. | My brother is a fatso. He always sits on the couch. |
When you analyze a nutrition label on your favorite dairy product, you will see fat. As a noun on food labels, fat is translated into Italian as grassi, in its plural form.
| Quanti grassi ci sono in un etto di burro? | How much fat is in 2 ounces of butter? |
Grasso, as a singular noun, is used to translate grease, so it’s a synonym for “oily” and “greasy”.
| Questo filtro è sporco di grasso. C’è qualcosa con cui pulirlo? | This filter is dirty with grease. Is there anything I can use to clean it? |
Expressions
There are a number of idiomatic expressions and collocations featuring the word for fat in Italian. Among them are…
- è grasso che cola (so much the better!)
- martedì grasso (Mardi Gras)
- formaggio grasso (fatty cheese)
- cucina grassa (fatty cuisine)
- pianta grassa (succulent plant)
For example, you can say…
| Non mi piacciono i formaggi grassi. Preferisco i formaggi magri. | I don’t like fatty cheeses. I prefer low-fat cheeses. | |
| Le piante grasse vanno innaffiate poco. | Succulents should be watered sparingly. |
More free Italian resources
You might want to keep learning Italian online with these free Italian resources:
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