The word notizia in Italian is all about knowing things, being informed, in the loop, or, as we say in Italy, sul pezzo (on top of things).
notizia
It’s a feminine noun (plural: notizie), and it comes from the Latin notus, meaning “known.” Here are its definite and indefinite articles:
- la notizia
- le notizie
- una notizia
- delle notizie
Here are the three main ways you can use notizia in Italian:
1. NOTIZIA = News
The most common meaning of notizia in Italian is “news.” That could be the headlines on TV, radio, or in newspapers, or more generally any updates about current events that affect the public.
There’s an important difference between Italian and English here. In English, “news” is an uncountable noun (it looks plural, but it behaves singular), whereas in Italian, notizia is countable:
- Singular (la notizia) = one specific piece of news
La notizia della vittoria della loro squadra ha fatto il giro del mondo.
The news of their team’s victory spread around the world.
- Plural (le notizie) = multiple updates or “the news” in general
Durante il telegiornale hanno dedicato un’ampia sezione alle ultime notizie dal fronte di guerra.
During the news broadcast, they devoted a large segment to the latest updates from the war front.
When talking about a notizia in this sense, there are specific adjectives that you can use depending on the emotions it stirs. Some common ones include:
- Bella / brutta: good / bad
- Buona / cattiva: good / bad
- Fondata / infondata: well-founded / unfounded
- Vera / Falsa: true / false
- Inaspettata: unexpected
- Improvvisa: sudden
- Clamorosa: sensational
- Incredibile: incredible
- Sconvolgente: shocking
- Drammatica: dramatic
- Confortante: comforting
- Attendibile / poco attendibile: reliable / unreliable
- Attesa: awaited
- Recente: recent
- Riservata: confidential
And these are some verbs that we often use with notizia in this meaning:
- Diffondere una notizia: to spread news
La giornalista ha diffuso la notizia dell’arrivo di un super ospite all’evento.
The journalist spread news of a special guest arriving at the event.
- Pubblicare una notizia: to publish news
Il sito del museo ha pubblicato una notizia sulle nuove mostre in programma.
The museum’s website posted news about the upcoming exhibitions.
- Apprendere una notizia: to learn / hear news
La comunità ha appreso con gioia la notizia dell’apertura di una nuova biblioteca.
The community was delighted to hear the news of a new library opening.
- Riportare una notizia: to report news
I giornali locali hanno riportato la notizia della scomparsa del famoso scrittore.
The local newspapers reported the news of the disappearance of the famous writer.
- Confermare una notizia: to confirm news
Il ministro ha confermato la notizia riguardante le nuove misure economiche.
The minister confirmed the news about the new economic measures.
- Smentire una notizia: to deny news
I medici hanno subito smentito la notizia secondo cui il farmaco fosse pericoloso.
The doctors were quick to deny the news about the drug being dangerous.
- Far trapelare una notizia: to leak news
Alcuni collaboratori hanno fatto trapelare la notizia prima dell’annuncio ufficiale.
Some collaborators leaked the news before the official announcement.
- Far circolare una notizia: to circulate news
Stanno facendo circolare notizie false per screditare il candidato.
They’re spreading false stories to discredit the candidate.
Finally, here are some common expressions with notizia in this sense:
- Fare notizia: literally “to make news,” we use it when something makes headlines or gets everyone talking.
Il nuovo film del regista spagnolo sta facendo notizia per i temi trattati.
The new movie by the Spanish director is making headlines for the topics it addresses.
- Andare / Essere a caccia di notizie: to go hunting for news, meaning to actively looking for stories
I giornalisti sono sempre a caccia di notizie, facendo a gara a chi uscirà con lo scoop migliore.
Journalists are always hunting for news, competing to see who can land the best scoop.
- Una notizia bomba: bombshell news
Mi è appena arrivata una notizia bomba; appena la pubblicherò, i miei canali social impazziranno!
I just got some bombshell news; as soon as I post it, my social channels are going to blow up!
- Le ultime notizie: the latest news, the classic TV or newspaper phrase.
Hanno interrotto il programma per dare le ultime notizie sul terremoto.
They interrupted the program to share the latest news about the earthquake.
- Le notizie del giorno: the day’s news
Ogni mattina mi ritaglio qualche minuto per leggere le notizie del giorno.
Every morning I take a few minutes to read the news of the day.
- Una fuga di notizie: a leak
C’è stata una fuga di notizie sui dettagli della nuova manovra economica prima della conferenza stampa.
There was a leak about the details of the new economic plan before the press conference.
- Una notizia dell’ultim’ora: breaking news
Hanno appena trasmesso una notizia dell’ultim’ora riguardo l’incidente sulla tangenziale.
They’ve just broadcasted breaking news about the accident on the ring road.
- Una notizia che fa scalpore: a news story that causes a stir and fuels chatter
È uscita una notizia che sta facendo scalpore: il famoso politico è coinvolto in uno scandalo finanziario.
A news story that’s causing a stir has come out: the famous politician is involved in a financial scandal.
From this meaning of notizia comes the related word notiziario, which refers to a news program. That could be the evening news on TV, the radio bulletin you catch in the car, or those short news updates between shows.
Mentre sono in viaggio per andare al lavoro, ascolto sempre il notiziario alla radio.
On my way to work, I always listen to the news on the radio.
2. NOTIZIA = Personal or private updates
Notizia can also be used for personal news, like updates from your friends, family, or coworkers. Basically, in this case the focus is on what affects people you actually know, rather than the general public. For example:
Ho una bellissima notizia: mio figlio Marco si sposa!
I have wonderful news: my son Marco is getting married!
For this meaning of notizia, the adjectives are much like the ones you’d use for general “news,” while typical expressions include:
- Dare proprie notizie: to let someone know how you’re doing
Quando viaggi, ricordati di darci tue notizie ogni tanto!
When you’re traveling, remember to let us know how you’re doing every now and then!
- Dare notizie: to deliver news
A nessuno piace dare queste notizie, ma non possiamo più aspettare.
No one likes to deliver news like this, but we can’t wait any longer.
- Dare la triste notizia: to break the sad news, typically used to announce a death
Edoardo non ce l’ha fatta, a dare la triste notizia è stata la famiglia.
Edoardo didn’t make it; it was his family who broke the sad news.
- Comunicare una notizia: to share news
Durante la riunione, Dario ha comunicato una notizia che nessuno si aspettava.
During the meeting, Dario shared some news that nobody was expecting.
- Ricevere una notizia: to receive news
Ieri ho ricevuto una notizia che aspettavo da tempo e che mi ha reso davvero felice.
Yesterday I got some news I’d been waiting for a long time, and it made me really happy.
- Che bella notizia!: That’s great news!
A: Ho trovato lavoro – B: Dai, che bella notizia!
I found a job! – Wow, that’s great news!
- Belle notizie che mi dai!: Great news you’re giving me! We often say this with sarcasm, when the “news” is actually bad. You can change the pronoun mi (to me) based on who is speaking:
A: Ragazzi, è arrivata la bolletta della luce… – B: Belle notizie che ci dai!
Guys, the electricity bill just came… – Great news you’re giving us!
3. NOTIZIA = Knowledge / information
The third meaning of notizia in Italian has more to do with “knowledge” or “information,” in the sense of having facts, details, or awareness of something.
In this context, it’s frequently used in the plural (notizie), for example:
Non si ebbero notizie di questa civiltà fino al III secolo.
We had no knowledge about this civilisation until the 3rd century.
Here are some adjectives that pair well with notizie in this sense:
- Scarse notizie: little information
- Poche notizie: few pieces of information
- Notizie frammentarie: fragmented information
- Notizie storiche: historical information
And these are some expressions you’ll often find linked to this usage:
- Avere notizie di qualcosa/qualcuno: to have information about something/someone
Per mesi non si ebbero notizie della spedizione.
For months, they had no information about the expedition.
- Fornire notizie: to provide information
Il testimone ha fornito notizie preziose alla polizia.
The witness provided the police with valuable information.
- Ricavare notizie: to get information
Da questi documenti si possono ricavare interessanti notizie sulla società dell’epoca.
From these documents, we can get some interesting information about society back then.
- Raccogliere notizie: to gather, collect information
Per scrivere questo libro, l’autore ha raccolto notizie da vari archivi locali.
To write this book, the author gathered information from various local archives.
Valentina Nicastro is a travel writer in love with her home country, Italy. Having travelled widely around the globe, she realised there was more to explore closer to home and decided to put the passport aside for a while. When she is not immersed in documenting Italy, you’ll find her donning her communication consultant hat, weaving words as a content writer and bridging linguistic divides as a translator.
