Il relatore prende la parola.

Il relatore usually means the speaker, the presenter, or the person giving the talk/report, depending on context.

In different situations, relatore can refer to:

• a conference speaker
• someone presenting a report
• a lecturer or presenter
• in some institutional contexts, even a rapporteur

So it is not always exactly the same as English speaker, but in this sentence that is usually the most natural translation.

Prende is the third-person singular present tense of prendere.

The verb prendere means to take. Its present-tense forms include:

• io prendo
• tu prendi
• lui/lei prende
• noi prendiamo
• voi prendete
• loro prendono

Since the subject is il relatore = he / the speaker, Italian uses prende.

Yes, literally it does, but it is an idiomatic expression.

Prendere la parola means:

• to take the floor
• to begin speaking
• to speak in front of others, especially in a formal setting

So you should usually understand the whole expression as one unit, not word by word.

Because in this fixed expression, Italian normally says prendere la parola, with the definite article la.

This is very common in Italian: some expressions require an article where English would not. Here, la parola is part of the idiom, so learners should memorize the whole phrase:

• prendere la parola = to take the floor
• dare la parola = to give someone the floor

You would not normally say prendere parola in standard Italian.

Yes, it is usually fairly formal or at least suited to organized speaking situations.

You often hear it in contexts like:

• meetings
• conferences
• debates
• public events
• academic presentations

In casual conversation, Italians would more often just use a verb like parlare or another simpler phrase, depending on the context.

So Il relatore prende la parola sounds natural in a formal or semi-formal setting.

Parla simply means he/she speaks or is speaking.

Prende la parola has a more specific nuance:

• it suggests that the person starts speaking
• often after being introduced, invited, or waiting for their turn
• it implies a public or structured speaking situation

So:

• Il relatore parla = The speaker is speaking / speaks.
• Il relatore prende la parola = The speaker takes the floor / begins to speak.

In Italian, singular countable nouns often need an article when they refer to a specific person or thing.

So:

• Il relatore prende la parola = The speaker takes the floor

Without il, the sentence would sound incomplete in normal standard Italian.

Italian uses articles more often than English in many cases, so this is something learners have to get used to.

The masculine form is relatore. The feminine form is relatrice.

So you could also say:

• La relatrice prende la parola.

That means The female speaker/presenter takes the floor.

As in many Italian nouns referring to people, the ending changes with gender:

• relatore → masculine
• relatrice → feminine

Yes. Il relatore prende la parola is the most neutral word order.

But Italian can sometimes change word order for style, emphasis, or context. For example:

• Prende la parola il relatore.

This still means the same thing, but it may sound more like:

• The speaker now takes the floor
• It is the speaker who takes the floor

So the basic meaning stays the same, but the focus can shift slightly.

Not exactly.

• Relatore usually suggests someone who is presenting a report, paper, talk, or formal presentation
• Oratore often means orator or public speaker, and can sound more rhetorical or literary

In many modern contexts, relatore is the more natural word for a conference speaker or presenter.

So in this sentence, relatore is a very appropriate choice if the person is giving a formal talk or presentation.

A common past form would be:

• Il relatore ha preso la parola.

That means:

• The speaker took the floor
• The speaker began to speak

Here:

• ha preso is the passato prossimo of prendere

You might also see:

• Il relatore prese la parola.

That is a more literary or historical simple past, used more in writing than in everyday speech.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

Il relatore prende la parola
eel reh-lah-TOH-reh PREN-deh lah pah-ROH-lah

A few helpful notes:

• relatore has the stress on -to-: re-la-TO-re
• prende has the stress on pren-
• parola has the stress on ro

If you want to sound natural, keep the rhythm smooth and avoid stressing every word equally. The main stresses are usually on:

• -TO- in relatore
• PREN- in prende
• -RO- in parola

In theory, the words are literal enough that you can see where the expression comes from, but in real usage prendere la parola is normally understood idiomatically.

So most of the time, an Italian speaker will not interpret it as physically taking a word. They will understand it as:

• to take the floor
• to start speaking

That is the meaning you should remember.