Sano

Italian word of the day

OriginFrom the Latin word sanum, “healthy”
TranslationHealthy
IPA pronunciation/saːno/

Sano
Healthy

Different forms of sano

Like all other adjectives in Italian, sano needs to match the gender (masculine or feminine) and the number (singular or plural) of the noun.

SingularPlural
MasculineSanoSani
FeminineSanaSane
three olympic winners

Examples

Paolo è un ragazzo sano.
Paolo is a healthy boy.

Fumare e bere non sono abitudini sane.
Smoking and drinking are not healthy habits.

Respirare aria sana fa bene.
Breathing healthy air is good for you.

boy breathing healthy air

As you have seen, sano in Italian can also be used to describe things like air and habits. For example, you can say:

Cerco sempre di seguire una dieta sana.
I always try to eat a healthy diet.

Uno stile di vita sano può prevenire molte malattie.
A healthy lifestyle can prevent many diseases.

A famous Latin saying goes mens sana in corpore sano, translated into Italian as mente sana in corpo sano: “sound mind in sound body”.

There are some synonyms you can use instead of sano. The most common are…

Salutare
Healthy (“promoting good health”)

In buona salute
In good health

For example, you can say…

L’esercizio fisico è necessario per mantenersi in buona salute.
Exercise is necessary to maintain good health.

Un’alimentazione salutare comprende molta frutta e verdura.
A healthy eating includes lots of fruits and vegetables.

Depending on context, healthy can also be translated as robusto (healthy appetite, robusto appetito) or even salubre (healthy climate, clima salubre).

For example, you can say…

Molti preferiscono trascorrere le vacanze al mare per godere del clima salubre e dell’aria fresca.
Many prefer to spend their holidays by the sea to enjoy the salubrious climate and fresh air.

climate change - a polar bear and a penguin

More free Italian resources

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