Italian is often called one of the Romance languages closest to Latin. So it’s no surprise that many Latin words and even whole Latin phrases are still part of everyday Italian: we use them without a second thought, at the bar, at work, in the news.
Here are the 25 Latin expressions I hear most often, with what they mean, when to use them and real examples. Throw one into your next conversation and watch an Italian smile!
In short
- Italians use dozens of Latin expressions every day, often with a touch of irony.
- The most common in conversation: idem, bis, ex, gratis, de gustibus, inter nos, lupus in fabula.
- At work and in the news: in primis, ad hoc, super partes, una tantum, sine die.
- Pronunciation: Italians read Latin as if it were Italian: sui generis sounds like “SOO-ee JEH-neh-rees.”
| Latin | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Idem | “same,” “me too,” “ditto.” |
| Bis | “encore,” “again,” “a second helping.” |
| Ex | “former,” and on its own “my ex.” |
| Gratis | “for free.” It comes from the Latin gratiis, “for thanks.” |
| De gustibus | “there’s no accounting for taste.” The full version is De gustibus non disputandum est: it’s pointless to argue about taste. |
| Inter nos | “between you and me,” tra di noi. |
| Lupus in fabula! | literally “the wolf in the story”: “speak of the devil!” |
| Deo gratias | “thank God,” grazie a Dio. |
| Lapsus | “a slip,” a small involuntary mistake when you speak or write. |
| Ad maiora! | “to greater things!” |
| Ergo | “therefore,” quindi, dunque, perciò. It implies a logical conclusion. (It’s one of my favorite words!) |
| Sui generis | “one of a kind,” unusual, unique. |
| Repetita iuvant | “repetition helps.” So true when you’re learning a language! |
| In extremis | literally “at the point of death,” but in everyday Italian “at the very last moment,” all’ultimo momento. |
| Mea culpa | “my fault.” With fare mea culpa = to admit your mistake. |
| Tabula rasa | “a clean slate.” With fare tabula rasa = to wipe everything out and start over. |
| A priori | “beforehand,” without looking at the facts. |
| Alter ego | “other self”: a person who is like a second version of you, or a fictional identity. |
| In primis | “first of all,” prima di tutto. |
| Ad hoc | “made for this purpose,” tailor-made. |
| Super partes | literally “above the parties”: impartial, neutral. |
| Una tantum | “one-off,” paid or done only once. |
| Status quo | “the existing situation.” |
| Sine die | “indefinitely,” with no date set. |
| Motu proprio | “on one’s own initiative,” without being asked. |
In everyday conversation
These are the ones you’ll hear at the bar, at dinner, among friends.
1. Idem
Meaning: “same,” “me too,” “ditto.”
Use it to agree quickly with what someone just said.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Come stai oggi? Alla grande, e tu? Idem! | How are you today? Great, and you? Same! |
| Qui piove da tre giorni. Da te? Idem. | It’s been raining here for three days. What about you? Same. |
2. Bis
Meaning: “encore,” “again,” “a second helping.”
Use it at the end of a concert (the audience shouts Bis!), and with fare il bis (to have seconds, or to do something again).
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| La pasta era così buona che ho fatto il bis! | The pasta was so good that I had seconds! |
| Il cantante ha fatto tre bis. | The singer did three encores. |
3. Ex
Meaning: “former,” and on its own “my ex.”
Use it exactly like in English: il mio ex, la mia ex.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Ieri ho incontrato la mia ex al supermercato. | Yesterday I ran into my ex at the supermarket. |
| È un ex calciatore. | He’s a former soccer player. |
4. Gratis
Meaning: “for free.” It comes from the Latin gratiis, “for thanks.”
Use it every time something doesn’t cost anything.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| L’ingresso al museo è gratis la prima domenica del mese. | Entry to the museum is free on the first Sunday of the month. |
5. De gustibus
Meaning: “there’s no accounting for taste.” The full version is De gustibus non disputandum est: it’s pointless to argue about taste.
Use it when someone likes something you really don’t.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Ti piace l’ananas sulla pizza? Mah, de gustibus… | You like pineapple on pizza? Well, to each their own… |
6. Inter nos
Meaning: “between you and me,” tra di noi.
Use it when you share a secret or a confidential opinion.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Te lo dico, ma che rimanga inter nos! | I’ll tell you, but keep it between us! |
| Inter nos, non lasciarti sfuggire quell’affare. | Between you and me, don’t let that deal slip away. |
7. Lupus in fabula!
Meaning: literally “the wolf in the story”: “speak of the devil!”
Use it when the person you’re talking about suddenly arrives.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Stavamo proprio parlando di te… lupus in fabula! | We were just talking about you… speak of the devil! |
8. Deo gratias
Meaning: “thank God,” grazie a Dio.
Use it often ironically, when something long or boring is finally over.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Deo gratias, la riunione è finita! | Thank God, the meeting is over! |
9. Lapsus
Meaning: “a slip,” a small involuntary mistake when you speak or write.
Use it with avere un lapsus or è stato un lapsus.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Scusa, l’ho chiamato Marco invece di Mario: ho avuto un lapsus. | Sorry, I called him Marco instead of Mario: it was a slip. |
10. Ad maiora!
Meaning: “to greater things!”
Use it as a toast or a wish for more success, after a graduation, a new job or a good result.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Complimenti per la laurea, ad maiora! | Congratulations on your degree, onwards and upwards! |
When you want to sound a bit clever (or ironic)
Italians love dropping these into a sentence, sometimes seriously, often with a smile.
11. Ergo
Meaning: “therefore,” quindi, dunque, perciò. It implies a logical conclusion. (It’s one of my favorite words!)
Use it when you want to underline that the conclusion is obvious.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Non hai mantenuto la promessa, ergo non ti credo più. | You didn’t keep your promise, ergo I don’t believe you anymore. |
| Non c’è più motivo di restare, ergo me ne vado. | There’s no reason to stay anymore, so I’m leaving. |
12. Sui generis
Meaning: “one of a kind,” unusual, unique.
Use it for people, places or things that don’t fit any category.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| È un film un po’ sui generis. | It’s a rather unusual movie. |
| Mio zio è un tipo sui generis. | My uncle is one of a kind. |
13. Repetita iuvant
Meaning: “repetition helps.” So true when you’re learning a language!
Use it when you repeat something on purpose.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Te lo ripeto, repetita iuvant: il passato di “andare” vuole essere! | Let me say it again, repetition helps: the past of “andare” takes essere! |
14. In extremis
Meaning: literally “at the point of death,” but in everyday Italian “at the very last moment,” all’ultimo momento.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Abbiamo preso l’aereo in extremis! | We caught the plane at the very last minute! |
15. Mea culpa
Meaning: “my fault.” With fare mea culpa = to admit your mistake.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Ok, mea culpa: ho dimenticato di prenotare. | Okay, my bad: I forgot to book. |
| Il ministro ha fatto mea culpa. | The minister admitted his mistake. |
16. Tabula rasa
Meaning: “a clean slate.” With fare tabula rasa = to wipe everything out and start over.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Ho fatto tabula rasa del mio armadio. | I cleared out my entire closet. |
17. A priori
Meaning: “beforehand,” without looking at the facts.
Use it especially with giudicare a priori and rifiutare a priori.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Non giudicare le persone a priori. | Don’t judge people before you know them. |
18. Alter ego
Meaning: “other self”: a person who is like a second version of you, or a fictional identity.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Sua sorella è il suo alter ego. | Her sister is like her second self. |
At work, in the news and in formal Italian
You’ll read these in emails, newspapers and official documents.
19. In primis
Meaning: “first of all,” prima di tutto.
Use it to start a list or a speech.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| In primis, vorrei ringraziare tutti per essere qui. | First of all, I’d like to thank everyone for being here. |
20. Ad hoc
Meaning: “made for this purpose,” tailor-made.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Abbiamo creato un corso ad hoc per la tua azienda. | We created a tailor-made course for your company. |
21. Super partes
Meaning: literally “above the parties”: impartial, neutral.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Serve un giudice super partes. | We need an impartial judge. |
| È stato nominato un commissario super partes. | An impartial commissioner has been appointed. |
22. Una tantum
Meaning: “one-off,” paid or done only once.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Il bonus è una tantum: non si ripete. | The bonus is a one-off payment: it won’t happen again. |
23. Status quo
Meaning: “the existing situation.”
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Nessuno vuole cambiare lo status quo. | Nobody wants to change the status quo. |
24. Sine die
Meaning: “indefinitely,” with no date set.
Use it for meetings or events that are postponed without a new date.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| La partita è stata rinviata sine die. | The match has been postponed indefinitely. |
25. Motu proprio
Meaning: “on one’s own initiative,” without being asked.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Ha deciso motu proprio di lasciare il lavoro. | She decided to quit her job of her own accord. |
How Italians pronounce Latin
In Italy, Latin is pronounced the Italian way, not the classical way you may have learned at school:
- c and g before e and i are soft: sui generis = “JEH-neh-rees,” Deo gratias = “GRAH-tsyas”
- ae sounds like “e”: curriculum vitae = “VEE-teh”
- i between two vowels sounds like “y”: ad maiora = “mah-YOH-rah”
- every vowel is pronounced: ad hoc = “ad ok” (the h is silent)
Exercise: which Latin expression?
- Abbiamo preso il treno ______: è partito un secondo dopo!
- Questa torta è buonissima, faccio il ______!
- Te lo dico, ma che resti ______.
- Il concerto all’aperto è ______: non si paga niente.
- Stavamo parlando di Luca ed eccolo qui: ______!
- Non ho studiato, ______ non passerò l’esame.
Show the answers
- in extremis
- bis
- inter nos
- gratis
- lupus in fabula
- ergo
Frequently asked questions
Do Italians still use Latin expressions?
Yes, all the time. Expressions like idem, bis, gratis, ex, ad hoc and de gustibus are part of everyday Italian, and many others appear in the news and at work.
What does “idem” mean in Italian?
Idem means “same,” “me too” or “ditto.” It’s used to agree with what someone just said: Come stai? Bene, e tu? Idem!
What does “lupus in fabula” mean?
It’s the Italian way to say “speak of the devil”: you use it when the person you’re talking about suddenly arrives.
How do Italians pronounce Latin?
As if it were Italian: c and g before e and i are soft, ae sounds like e, and the h is silent.
Dive deeper: famous Italian sayings · Italian sayings about life · Italian sayings about love · Italian slang
