Titles

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Titoli

Titles are important in Italian, and they are used somewhat differently than their English counterparts.

1. Italian titles must sometimes be preceded by the definite article.
2. There are masculine and feminine versions of most titles.

General titles

Italian title		English title
signore		Mr.
signora		Mrs.
signorina		Miss

Professional titles

When the person’s profession or level of education is known, many other titles come into play.

Italian title	Abbreviation		Meaning
architetto	arch.		architect
avvocato avvocatessa	avv.		lawyer
dottore dottoressa	dott.		doctor, university graduate**
geometra			surveyor
ingegnere	ing.		engineer
maestro maestra			grade-school teacher, music teacher
professore professoressa	prof. prof.ssa		high school teacher, professor

** Dottore and dottoressa are not reserved for medical doctors and PhDs; they refer to anyone with a Master’s or Bachelor’s degree.

 Titles that end in -e, like signore and dottore, are spelled this way only when used on their own, as in Buongiorno signore. When followed by a name, they lose the final -e: Signor Bartoli.

Italian titles and definite articles

When speaking about a titled person in Italian, the uncapitalized title is preceded by the definite article.

Per esempio…

Il signor Bartoli non è qui.		Mr. Bartoli is not here.
Dove vive la professoressa Marabella?		Where does Professor Marabella live?

However, when you are speaking to the person, the title is capitalized and there is no definite article.

Per esempio…

Buongiorno, Signor Bartoli, come sta?		Hello, Mr. Bartoli, how are you?
Aspetti un momento, Professoressa Marabella		Please wait a moment, Professor Marabella.

 Related lessons

• Definite articles
• Greetings
• Masculine and feminine nouns
• Politeness
• Professions
   

 En español

• Los títulos
   

 En français

• Les titres
   

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