Italian extensively borrows English vocabulary. Estimates put the number of anglicisms in modern Italian at between 1,500 and 3,000 — a striking figure for a language with such a long literary tradition and an active language academy. Walk into an Italian office and you will hear meeting, briefing, target, deadline, manager, marketing, business. Open an Italian newspaper and you will read spread, leader, premier, party, lobby. Ask a teenager about their phone and you will hear smartphone, app, link, cloud, fitness, look, outfit. The borrowings are everywhere, and the Italian language has accommodated them without — for the most part — adapting them to native morphology. Computer stays computer; manager stays manager; email stays email. The result is a vocabulary that is simultaneously deeply rooted in Latin tradition and densely sprinkled with English imports.
This page is the systematic reference. It covers the main categories of anglicism, the grammatical rules that govern their behavior in Italian, the false anglicisms (Italian inventions that look English), and the ongoing cultural debate. For the broader word-formation context, see Word Formation: Overview.
1. Categories of anglicism
Italian's English borrowings cluster around specific semantic domains, reflecting the historical and cultural channels through which English vocabulary has entered. Six main categories account for the bulk of contemporary anglicisms.
Technology and computing
The largest single category. Computing vocabulary entered Italian wholesale in the late 20th century, and most computer terms remain English.
computer, smartphone, tablet, email, wi-fi, app, link, cloud, software, hardware, file, browser, password, login, download, upload, click, mouse, server, host, hashtag
Tech anglicisms: imported wholesale, masculine in Italian, often invariable in plural.
Il mio smartphone non si connette al wi-fi di casa.
My smartphone won't connect to the home wi-fi. — smartphone and wi-fi, both masculine, both treated as Italian nouns by everyone.
Cliccare su questo link per scaricare il file.
Click on this link to download the file. — Notice the verb 'cliccare' (Italianised from 'click' + -are) but 'link' and 'file' kept in English form.
Hai dimenticato la password della tua email.
You forgot the password for your email. — password (feminine in Italian, derived from 'la parola d'ordine'), email (often feminine, derived from 'la posta elettronica').
A few tech terms have Italian alternatives that compete with the English: scaricare (to download — fully nativised), caricare (to upload), salvare (to save), cancellare (to delete). These coexist with the English-derived alternatives (downloadare, uploadare) in informal speech.
Business, management, and economics
The second largest category. Italian business vocabulary is heavily anglicised, especially in white-collar and corporate contexts.
manager, marketing, meeting, briefing, target, deadline, business, leader, top management, CEO, CFO, marketing, branding, networking, freelance, business plan, startup, mission, vision
Business anglicisms: nearly universal in corporate Italian.
Abbiamo un meeting alle dieci con il marketing manager.
We have a meeting at ten with the marketing manager. — meeting, marketing, manager: three anglicisms in one phrase.
La deadline del progetto è giovedì prossimo, dobbiamo essere pronti.
The project deadline is next Thursday, we have to be ready. — deadline, treated as feminine in Italian.
Il nostro target è il pubblico tra i 25 e i 40 anni.
Our target is the audience between 25 and 40 years old. — target, masculine in Italian.
The use of business anglicisms is sometimes mocked as affettazione (affectation) — corporate Italians piling on English buzzwords to sound modern. Engagare il team per il deliverable del Q3 would be hyperbole, but it captures a real linguistic culture.
Sports and fitness
Italian inherits much of its sports vocabulary from English, partly because many modern sports were codified in 19th-century Britain.
basket (basketball), tennis, fitness, beach volley, hockey, baseball, golf, surf, snowboard, jogging, running, cross-fit, body building, nordic walking, footing (false anglicism!)
Sports anglicisms: most modern sports keep their English names.
Mio fratello gioca a basket due volte alla settimana.
My brother plays basketball twice a week. — basket = basketball, the standard Italian form is the shortened English.
Il fitness è diventato uno stile di vita per molti italiani.
Fitness has become a lifestyle for many Italians. — fitness, masculine, invariable.
Faccio jogging tutti i sabati nel parco.
I go jogging every Saturday in the park. — jogging, masculine, the English word with Italian pronunciation.
A few sports have native Italian names competing with English: calcio (soccer/football, the universal Italian word) competes with no English equivalent in Italy itself; ginnastica (gymnastics) is fully Italian. But basket, tennis, golf, surf are all English-derived.
Fashion and lifestyle
A category that has expanded dramatically with global media and social-media influence.
trendy, glamour, casual, look, outfit, vintage, style, dress code, fashion, lookbook, influencer, beauty (false anglicism in some senses)
Fashion anglicisms: dominate Italian style vocabulary.
Il suo outfit di stasera è davvero trendy.
Her outfit tonight is really trendy. — outfit and trendy, both fully naturalised in Italian fashion-speak.
Cerco un look casual per il fine settimana.
I'm looking for a casual look for the weekend. — look (masculine), casual (invariable adjective).
Quell'influencer ha più di un milione di follower su Instagram.
That influencer has more than a million followers on Instagram. — influencer (gender-neutral), follower (invariable plural).
Food and gastronomy
A more limited category, since Italian gastronomy is internationally exported, not imported. But fast-food and international cuisine have brought a few anglicisms.
brunch, fast food, hamburger, hot dog (rare; preferred 'panino con wurstel'), sandwich, brioches (French actually), bagel, muffin, milkshake, cocktail, drink
Food anglicisms: limited but present, especially in fast-food and international contexts.
Domenica andiamo a fare brunch al solito posto.
Sunday we're going for brunch at the usual place. — brunch, masculine, naturalised.
In gita ho mangiato due hamburger e una porzione di patatine.
On the trip I ate two hamburgers and a portion of fries. — hamburger, masculine, invariable: 'i due hamburger'.
A semantic note: many "English" food words (brioche, croissant) are actually French; Italian has imported them through both English and French channels. Brioches with the -s is felt as French.
Politics, economics, and journalism
A category that has grown with the globalisation of political discourse.
leader, party (in some senses), spread (Italian-Italian usage: bond yield differential), premier, lobby, summit, election day, exit poll, governance, default, stakeholder, target (in policy contexts)
Political anglicisms: dominate Italian newspaper and political discourse.
Il leader del partito ha annunciato le dimissioni.
The party leader announced his resignation. — leader, masculine, invariable.
Lo spread tra BTP e Bund tedeschi è salito a 200 punti.
The spread between Italian BTPs and German Bunds rose to 200 points. — spread, masculine, technical term in Italian financial journalism.
Il summit del G20 si è tenuto a Roma lo scorso anno.
The G20 summit was held in Rome last year. — summit, masculine, in political journalism.
The Italian word spread has acquired a specific meaning ("the yield differential between Italian and German government bonds") that is narrower than its English meaning. This kind of semantic specialisation is common: an English word borrowed into Italian often means something more specific than in English.
2. Grammatical behavior of anglicisms
Italian anglicisms are not simply English words inserted into Italian sentences. They are integrated into Italian morphosyntax, with specific rules for gender, plural, pronunciation, and spelling.
Gender assignment
By default, anglicisms in Italian are masculine: il computer, il manager, il bar, il film, lo sport, il bus, il flirt. The masculine default applies to most categories.
Exceptions arise when:
The Italian word covering the same meaning is feminine: the borrowing then sometimes inherits feminine. La mail / l'email is often feminine, by analogy with la posta (mail) or la posta elettronica (email). La password is sometimes feminine, by analogy with la parola (word). The usage varies.
The English word ends in -ation, -tion: these are sometimes felt as feminine, by analogy with Italian -zione. La performance (more often feminine), la lobby (feminine, by analogy with la associazione).
Reference to a female person: la manager (a female manager), la leader (a female leader). The article changes; the noun stays the same.
Il computer di mio fratello è nuovo, ma il suo smartphone è vecchio.
My brother's computer is new, but his smartphone is old. — Both anglicisms masculine, default gender.
Mia sorella è la marketing manager dell'azienda.
My sister is the marketing manager of the company. — La manager, with feminine article for a female referent; the noun form is invariable.
L'email che mi hai mandato non è arrivata.
The email you sent me didn't arrive. — l'email here is feminine ('la email'); the alternative is masculine ('l'email' as masculine, by analogy with 'il messaggio') — usage varies.
Plural: usually invariable
Italian anglicisms are typically invariable in the plural: il computer / i computer, il manager / i manager, il film / i film. The English plural in -s is avoided in formal Italian, though it appears in informal writing and in some specific terms (i computers, i managers).
Nel reparto IT ci sono dieci computer e cinque stampanti.
In the IT department there are ten computers and five printers. — computer is invariable: 'dieci computer', not 'dieci computers'.
I manager dell'azienda si sono riuniti per discutere il budget.
The company managers met to discuss the budget. — manager invariable in plural; same form as singular.
Ho visto tre film stranieri questa settimana.
I saw three foreign films this week. — film is invariable in Italian.
The modern tendency in journalism and informal speech is to use English-style plurals (i computers, i managers, i films), especially for words that are more recent borrowings. Linguistic conservatism (Accademia della Crusca) prefers the invariable form. Both are used; the invariable form is safer.
A few patterns to note: il bar / i bar (invariable, fully naturalised), il marketing (uncountable, no plural), il film / i film (invariable). The invariable plural is the dominant pattern across all categories.
Pronunciation: Italianised
Italian anglicisms are usually pronounced with Italian phonology, not English phonology. The vowel system is different, the stress is different, and the consonants follow Italian rules.
- Vowels: English /æ/ becomes Italian /a/ (manager /maˈnadʒer/, not /ˈmænɪdʒə/). English /ʌ/ becomes Italian /a/ (bus /bus/, not /bʌs/). English /ə/ becomes the corresponding stressed vowel.
- Consonants: English /θ/ becomes Italian /t/ or /s/. English /h/ disappears (Italian has no /h/, so hot dog becomes /ot dog/). English /r/ becomes Italian /r/ (a rolled trill, not the English approximant).
- Stress: English stress is often preserved, but Italian phonology imposes its own preferences. Computer is /komˈputer/ (Italian stress) or /komˈpjuːter/ (closer to English).
Il manager ha presentato il budget al CEO.
The manager presented the budget to the CEO. — Pronunciation: /il maˈnadʒer a ppreˈzenːtato il ˈbadʒet al ˌtʃe.ˈo/, with full Italian phonology (CEO is read letter by letter as 'ce-o' or sometimes 'si-i-o').
The Italianised pronunciation is so consistent that English speakers learning Italian sometimes have to deliberately Italianise their pronunciation of English words to be understood: a fully English /ˈkəmpjuːtə/ would be missed; Italian /komˈputer/ is what the listener expects.
Spelling: usually preserved
Italian anglicisms are typically spelled as in English: computer, smartphone, manager, weekend. There are exceptions for very old borrowings (tram — kept) and for verbs derived from English roots, which are always Italianised through -are (loggarsi "to log in," taggare "to tag," cliccare "to click") even when the corresponding noun keeps its English form.
The Italianised plural -s is sometimes added in informal writing (i computers, i fans), but conservative usage prefers the invariable form.
3. False anglicisms: Italian inventions
A particularly interesting category: false anglicisms (pseudo-anglicismi) — words that look English but were invented in Italian (or French → Italian) and don't exist with the same meaning in English.
| Italian word | Italian meaning | What English actually says |
|---|---|---|
| footing | jogging, light running | jogging |
| smoking | tuxedo, dinner jacket | tuxedo, dinner jacket (for the garment); 'smoking' in English means cigarettes |
| beauty / beauty case | makeup bag, toiletry bag | cosmetic bag, toiletry case |
| parking | parking lot, car park | parking lot (US), car park (UK); 'parking' alone means the act |
| flipper | pinball machine | pinball machine; 'flipper' in English is the rubber paddle |
| spider | convertible (car body type) | convertible, roadster; 'spider' in English is the arachnid or specific tech term |
| autostop | hitchhiking | hitchhiking; 'autostop' is not English |
| baby pensione | early retirement | early retirement; not English |
Stamattina ho fatto un'ora di footing nel parco.
This morning I did an hour of jogging in the park. — footing is a false anglicism: Italian invention, not used in English to mean jogging.
Per il matrimonio mi metto lo smoking.
For the wedding I'm wearing my tuxedo. — smoking in Italian = tuxedo; in English, 'smoking' means consuming cigarettes.
Il parking del centro commerciale è gratuito.
The shopping center parking lot is free. — parking in Italian = parking lot; in English, 'parking' alone usually refers to the activity, not the place.
Da bambino giocavo per ore al flipper.
As a kid I played pinball for hours. — flipper = pinball machine in Italian; in English, 'flipper' is the paddle on the machine, not the machine itself.
False anglicisms are a source of confusion for English speakers in Italy: the words look familiar but mean something different. The list above includes the most common ones; learners should memorise them as Italian-specific terms.
4. The Anglicism debate
Italian's heavy borrowing from English has sparked a long-running cultural debate.
The conservative position: Accademia della Crusca
The Accademia della Crusca (founded 1583), the historical authority on the Italian language, has taken a moderate but cautionary stance toward anglicisms. The Crusca's working group Incipit monitors emerging anglicisms and proposes Italian alternatives, sometimes successfully (e.g., navigatore satellitare over GPS in some contexts), more often with limited reach.
The Crusca's argument:
- Italian has the resources to coin its own terms; reflexive borrowing impoverishes the language.
- Excessive anglicism creates class divisions: those who know English understand the corporate jargon; those who don't are excluded.
- Languages thrive on internal productivity, not on the importation of foreign vocabulary.
The pragmatic position
Most Italian linguists and editors take a more pragmatic view:
- English is the international language, and its terminology is everywhere. Resisting it costs effort with little gain.
- Some borrowings fill genuine lexical gaps (no Italian word for spread in the financial sense; target in marketing).
- Borrowing is a normal historical process: Italian itself has heavily borrowed from Greek (medicine, philosophy), Arabic (mathematics, agriculture), French (cuisine, fashion) over centuries.
The compromises
Most Italian speakers settle on a middle position:
- Use English terms when they have specific technical meanings.
- Prefer Italian terms when both are available with similar meaning.
- Be aware of register: heavy anglicism marks corporate or youth speech; sparing use marks formal Italian.
A few Crusca-proposed alternatives that didn't catch on: scampo for spam (failed); navigatore for browser (only partially adopted); connettività for connectivity (partial). The borrowed terms tend to win.
A few that did catch on: fine settimana (alongside weekend); bar (fully naturalised — though it's a 19th-century loanword); cellulare (for mobile phone, alongside smartphone).
5. Recent and rising borrowings
Italian continues to absorb English vocabulary at a high rate. Recent additions (2010s–2020s) include:
lockdown, smart working, e-learning, streaming, gaming, podcast, NFT, blockchain, cyberbullismo (hybrid: cyber + bullismo from English bullying), influencer marketing, fact checking
2020s anglicisms: continuing the pattern of absorbing English tech and lifestyle vocabulary.
Durante il lockdown ho lavorato in smart working da casa.
During lockdown I worked remotely from home. — lockdown and smart working: pandemic-era borrowings.
Faccio fitness in palestra e seguo un podcast durante il workout.
I do fitness at the gym and listen to a podcast during my workout. — fitness, podcast, workout: three borrowings in one sentence, none with adopted Italian alternatives.
The category of hybrid coinings is interesting: words that combine an English root with an Italian suffix, often producing something not found in English. Cyberbullismo (English cyber + Italian -ismo) names a phenomenon that exists in English as cyberbullying but with a different morphology. Stalkerare (English stalker + Italian -are) is a verb meaning "to stalk online," fully Italianised in form.
6. English-comparison: the differences
For an English speaker, Italian anglicisms feel familiar but with important differences.
Italian anglicisms are pronounced Italian, not English. Computer is /komˈputer/, not /kəmˈpjuːtər/. Get the Italian pronunciation right or you'll be misunderstood.
Italian anglicisms are usually masculine, even when the English referent has no gender. Il computer, il manager, il bar. Use masculine articles by default.
Italian plurals are invariable for most anglicisms. Due computer, not due computers; cinque manager, not cinque managers. Modern usage allows both, but invariable is safer.
Italian semantic narrowing: many anglicisms have a more specific meaning in Italian than in English. Spread in Italian = "Italian-German bond yield differential," not the general English "spread." Be aware of this.
False anglicisms are real: footing (jogging), smoking (tuxedo), parking (parking lot), flipper (pinball machine), autostop (hitchhiking). Learn these as Italian-specific.
Italian doesn't usually Italianise spelling: it keeps English orthography. Smartphone, weekend, software are spelled as in English. (Some old loans have been Italianised: tram < tramway; bar with full naturalisation.)
The verb-forming suffix -are is added freely to English roots: chattare (to chat), googlare (to google), taggare (to tag), postare (to post). These verbs follow Italian -ARE conjugation patterns. See Verb-Forming Suffixes for the full treatment.
Common Mistakes
Mistakes English speakers make with Italian anglicisms:
❌ Devo prendere due computers per l'ufficio.
Wrong — Italian anglicisms are typically invariable in plural. The form is 'due computer', not 'due computers'.
✅ Devo prendere due computer per l'ufficio.
I have to get two computers for the office.
❌ Stamattina ho fatto un'ora di jogging.
Not wrong, but more typical Italian usage is 'footing' (the false anglicism) for the act of jogging. 'Jogging' is gaining ground but 'footing' is still common.
✅ Stamattina ho fatto un'ora di footing.
This morning I did an hour of jogging.
❌ Vado a fumare uno smoking dopo cena.
Wrong — 'smoking' in Italian means tuxedo (a false anglicism). To smoke is 'fumare'. The intended meaning is probably 'I'm going to smoke' (Vado a fumare una sigaretta) — which would be standard.
✅ Vado a fumare una sigaretta dopo cena.
I'm going to smoke a cigarette after dinner.
❌ Il mio computer è veloce, sono piu computer veloci.
Wrong — multiple errors: agreement, ad hoc plural. The correct form: 'i miei computer sono veloci' or 'ho computer veloci'. Computer is invariable in plural.
✅ I miei computer sono veloci.
My computers are fast.
❌ Ho parcheggiato l'auto al parchiaggio.
Wrong spelling — the Italianised form is 'parcheggio' (with the standard -aggio suffix). The English-based form 'parking' is also possible: 'al parking'.
✅ Ho parcheggiato l'auto al parcheggio.
I parked the car at the parking lot. (Or: 'al parking' for the anglicised version.)
❌ Mia sorella è una marketing manager.
Not strictly wrong, but 'manager' as a noun is invariable in form regardless of gender. The article changes: 'la marketing manager' (feminine article + invariable noun). Some speakers use 'manageress' but this is rare in Italian.
✅ Mia sorella è la marketing manager dell'azienda.
My sister is the marketing manager of the company.
Key takeaways
Italian heavily borrows English vocabulary (1,500–3,000 anglicisms), clustered in technology, business, sports, fashion, food, and politics. Most borrowings are wholesale: kept in English form, integrated into Italian morphosyntax.
Default behavior: anglicisms are masculine (il computer, il manager), have invariable plurals (i computer, not i computers), keep English spelling (smartphone, weekend), and have Italianised pronunciation (/komˈputer/, not /kəmˈpjuːtər/).
Categories: tech (computer, smartphone, app, link); business (manager, marketing, meeting, target); sports (basket, tennis, fitness, jogging); fashion (trendy, look, outfit, vintage); food (brunch, hamburger, fast food); politics (leader, party, spread, summit).
False anglicisms (Italian inventions): footing (jogging), smoking (tuxedo), beauty (makeup bag), parking (parking lot), flipper (pinball machine), spider (convertible). Learn these as Italian-specific.
Hybrid coinings: English roots + Italian suffixes are common. Stalkerare (to stalk), cyberbullismo (cyberbullying), googlare (to google). The verb-forming suffix -are attaches freely to English roots.
The Anglicism debate: Accademia della Crusca's Incipit group proposes Italian alternatives, often without success. Pragmatic linguists view anglicisms as a normal phase of language contact. Most speakers settle on a middle position: technical and youth speech absorbs anglicisms freely; formal writing uses fewer.
Semantic narrowing is common: many anglicisms have a narrower meaning in Italian than in English. Spread = bond yield differential; target = marketing audience; not the general English meanings. Be alert to this.
Recent additions (2020s): lockdown, smart working, e-learning, streaming, gaming, podcast, NFT, blockchain. The pattern continues; new English vocabulary is absorbed monthly.
For English speakers: pronounce Italian anglicisms with Italian phonology. Don't assume English meanings transfer. Watch for false anglicisms (footing, smoking, parking). Plurals are invariable by default.
Understanding Italian's relationship with English is part of understanding modern Italian culture: a tension between linguistic tradition and global integration, with the borrowings continuing to win at the margin while the core vocabulary remains deeply Italian.
For the broader word-formation context, see Word Formation: Overview. For verb-forming patterns that absorb English roots, see Verb-Forming Suffixes. For the specifically cultural/political dimensions of the anglicism debate, see The Anglicismi Debate. For compound-style borrowings (smartphone, weekend) in the broader compounding system, see Compound Words (Parole Composte).
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