March 20th is the spring equinox in Italy and the northern hemisphere, marking the start of longer days, warmer weather and the appearance of new life.
If you’re learning Italian, you may want to increase your spring vocabulary so that you can talk to your friends and family about this time of year. In addition to teaching you the word for spring in Italian, we’ve also included twenty important words related to the season. Happy spring! 🙂
How to Say “Spring” in Italian
The word for spring in Italian is the beautiful sounding primavera. It is a feminine noun, so it takes the articles la and una. It is derived from the Latin prima vera, which is the plural of primus ver, literally “first spring”. The -vera in primavera shares the same origin as the English word vernal, meaning “of the spring”.
1. Pasqua
English translation: Easter
Quando cominciano le vacanze di Pasqua?
When does the Easter break start?
2. Equinozio di primavera
English translation: Spring equinox
L’equinozio di primavera cade il 20 marzo quest’anno.
The spring equinox falls on March 20th this year.
3. Bocciolo
English translation: bud
Sotto casa mia c’è un albero pieno di boccioli.
In front of my house there is a tree covered in buds.
4. Germoglio
English translation: sprout / shoot
I nuovi germogli stanno spuntando dai semi.
The new shoots are sprouting from the seeds.
5. Seme
English translation: seed
Ho piantato i semi in un vasetto sul balcone.
I planted the seeds in a small pot on the balcony.
6. Fiore
English translation: flower
Il mio giardino è pieno di fiori profumati.
My garden is full of fragrant flowers.
7. Arcobaleno
English translation: rainbow
Ho visto un arcobaleno nel cielo.
I saw a rainbow in the sky.
8. Bruco
English translation: caterpillar
Il bruco ha cominciato a consumare tutta la foglia.
The caterpillar started to consume the entire leaf.
9. Nido
English translation: nest
Gli uccelli costruiscono dei nidi per le loro uova.
Birds build nests for their eggs.
10. Cucciolo
English translation: cub, baby animal
La maggior parte dei cuccioli nascono in primavera.
Most baby animals are born in the springtime.
11. Pioggia
English translation: rain
Secondo il meteo, da domani arriva la pioggia primaverile a Torino.
According to the weather forecast, tomorrow will see the arrival of spring rain in Turin.
12. Rondine
English translation: swallow
In Italia, l’arrivo delle rondini è un segno che la primavera è alle porte.
In Italy, the arrival of the swallows is a sign that spring is at the door.
15. Sole
English translation: sun
In primavera, il sole è più caldo e le giornate sono più lunghe.
In the spring, the sun is warmer and the days are longer.
16. Tulipano
English translation: tulip
Il tulipano è il mio fiore preferito.
The tulip is my favourite flower.
17. Foglia
English translation: leaf
Le prime foglie sugli alberi fioriscono in primavera.
The first leaves on the trees appear in spring.
18. Pasquale
English translation: Easter (adjective)
Il periodo pasquale inizia la domenica di Pasqua e dura fino al giorno di Pentecoste.
The Easter period begins on Easter Sunday and lasts until the day of Pentecost.
19. Cambio di stagione
English translation: changing from winter to spring clothes in one’s wardrobe
Devo fare il cambio di stagione nel mio armadio!
I have to change over to my spring wardrobe!
20. Primaverile
English translation: spring-like, springy
C’è già un’atmosfera primaverile in città .
There’s already a spring atmosphere in the town!
Heather Broster is a graduate with honours in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, proficient in English and Italian, as well as Japanese, Welsh, and French to varying degrees of fluency. Originally from Toronto, Heather has resided in various countries, notably Italy for a period of six years. Her primary focus lies in the fields of language acquisition, education, and bilingual instruction.
