How exactly do you say thin in Italian?
In this lesson, we will take a look at the different words you can use to talk about being thin in Italian. Read on to learn all you need to know!
Thin
Magro
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Thin in Italian
Magro
Magro is how you translate thin in Italian when you are talking about a slim person. It can also be translated as “slender, lean”. Let’s hear how this adjective is pronounced.
Its pronunciation is similar to mah-groh and it comes from the Latin word macrum, “meager”. Make sure that the final -o has a clean sound, because Italian vowel sounds are clean! If you have trouble pronouncing the rolled R sound, also check out the Italian pronunciation guide.
Magro
Thin
Like all other adjectives in Italian, magro needs to match the noun in both gender and number.
| Singular | Plural | |
| Masculine | Magro | Magri |
| Feminine | Magra | Magre |
If a man is thin, you will say magro because man, uomo, is a masculine noun in Italian.
Likewise, if you’re talking about a thin woman, donna, which is a feminine noun, you will say magra.
Plural nouns behave the same way: if you want to describe two very thin boys, ragazzi (masculine plural), use magri. If you’re talking about a group of two thin girls, ragazze (feminine plural), use magre instead.
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Language: English / Italian
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For example, you could say…
I miei cani corrono per ore al giorno. Per questo sono così magri.
My dogs run for hours every day. That’s why they are so thin.
Tutti i miei parenti sono di costituzione magra.
All my relatives have a lean constitution.
Era una ragazza alta e magra con lunghi e morbidi capelli castani.
She was a tall, thin girl with long, soft brown hair.
Sei troppo magra. Dovresti mangiare di più.
You are too thin. You should eat more. (female)
Sottile
You can’t call someone sottile. This Italian adjective also translates as thin in English, but sottile is reserved for things and objects.
Sottile has only two forms because adjectives ending in -e in Italian are the same for both genders, but have to agree with the number (singular/plural) of the noun they describe.
| Singular | Plural | |
| Masculine | Sottile | Sottili |
| Feminine | Sottile | Sottili |
For example, you could say…
Questa modella ha una vita davvero sottile.
This model has a very thin waist.
Il ghiaccio è troppo sottile per poterci camminare sopra.
The ice is too thin to walk on.
Prenderai freddo con quei vestiti così sottili.
You’ll catch a cold in such thin clothes.
Taglia la carne a fette sottili.
Cut the meat into thin slices.
And that’s the end of our lesson on how to say thin in Italian!
What next?
Now that you’ve seen how to say thin in Italian, you might want to keep learning Italian online with these free Italian resources:
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