Italian · Body & Health

"Bone" in Italian: osso

l'osso

Say it: LOS-sohmasculine · l'ossonoun/ˈɔs.so/

Note: plural: le ossa

Bone in Italian is l'osso (LOS-soh), masculine singular. The everyday plural is le ossa (feminine plural)—an irregular switch learners notice fast. Senza ossa means boneless on menus.

After a fall

Non mi sono rotto l'osso, per fortuna.
I didn't break the bone, luckily.
Practice Italian out loud

Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free

How to pronounce osso

Say it

LOS-soh

/ˈɔs.so/

Osso is OS-soh with a double s. Plural ossa is OS-sah. With article, l'osso links as LOS-soh.

"Bone" in Italian: quick reference

ItalianEnglish
l'ossothe bone

Singular.

le ossathe bones

Irregular plural.

senza ossaboneless

Menu label.

osso di seppiacuttlebone

Also a set phrase.

How to use osso in real life

  1. 1After a fall

    Non mi sono rotto l'osso, per fortuna.

    I didn't break the bone, luckily.

    L'osso singular.

  2. 2Butcher counter

    Preferisco il pollo senza ossa.

    I prefer boneless chicken.

    Senza ossa.

  3. 3Dog park joke

    Il cane cerca sempre un osso.

    The dog always looks for a bone.

    Un osso.

Mistakes English speakers make with osso

Incorrect: I ossi fanno male.

Correct: Le ossa fanno male.

Everyday plural is le ossa.

Incorrect: La osso è rotto.

Correct: L'osso è rotto.

Singular is masculine: l'osso.

Good to know

Menu Italian loves senza ossa. Older speakers still say mi fanno male le ossa for body aches. Singular osso stays masculine even though the plural ossa looks feminine.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Ordering chicken at the butcher

  1. ChatPal

    Prendiamo petto senza ossa?

    Shall we take boneless breast?

  2. You

    Sì, senza ossa: cucino più in fretta.

    Yes, boneless: I cook faster.

  3. ChatPal

    Ok. Se resta un osso piccolo lo tolgo io.

    Ok. If a small bone remains I'll remove it.

  4. You

    Grazie. Odio mordere un osso a cena.

    Thanks. I hate biting a bone at dinner.

This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.

Practice this conversation in ChatPal

"Bone" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Bone" in Italian

Plural of osso?

Usually le ossa in body/food talk.

Gender singular?

Masculine: l'osso.

Boneless?

Senza ossa.

Broken bone?

Osso rotto / frattura.

Learn a word, then use it out loud

  1. Step 1: See it in context
  2. Step 2: Say it out loud
  3. Step 3: Get feedback
  4. Step 4: Use it in real scenarios

Keep reading

Ready to say it out loud?

ChatPal is a voice-first app for practicing real conversations in Italian. Try real scenarios and get personalized feedback on your speaking.

Start with 7 days free.