Italian · Nature, Animals & Weather

"Elephant" in Italian: elefante

l'elefante

Say it: eh-leh-FAHN-tehmasculine · l'elefantenoun/eleˈfan.te/

Elephant in Italian is l'elefante (leh-leh-FAHN-teh), masculine. The plural is gli elefanti. A female can be specificata as elefante femmina.

Zoo visit

L'elefante mangia le foglie lentamente.
The elephant eats the leaves slowly.
Practice Italian out loud

Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free

How to pronounce elefante

Say it

eh-leh-FAHN-teh

/eleˈfan.te/

Elefante stresses FAHN: eh-leh-FAHN-teh. The article l' attaches: l'elefante.

"Elephant" in Italian: quick reference

ItalianEnglish
l'elefantethe elephant

Singular with vowel elision.

un elefantean elephant

Indefinite.

gli elefantithe elephants

Plural.

elefante femminafemale elephant

When sex matters.

How to use elefante in real life

  1. 1Zoo visit

    L'elefante mangia le foglie lentamente.

    The elephant eats the leaves slowly.

    L'elefante subject.

  2. 2Kids talking

    Ho disegnato un elefante grigio.

    I drew a grey elephant.

    Un elefante.

  3. 3Documentary

    Gli elefanti vivono in branchi.

    Elephants live in herds.

    Plural gli elefanti.

Mistakes English speakers make with elefante

Incorrect: La elefante.

Correct: L'elefante.

Elefante is masculine; use l'.

Incorrect: I elefanti.

Correct: Gli elefanti.

Plural before a vowel sound uses gli.

Good to know

L'elefante is a favorite in Italian children's stories and circus posters. Adults also use it metaphorically for something huge, but the literal animal word stays simple and clear.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

At a wildlife park

  1. ChatPal

    Guarda quanto è grande l'elefante!

    Look how big the elephant is!

  2. You

    Sì. L'elefante ha orecchie enormi.

    Yes. The elephant has enormous ears.

  3. ChatPal

    Ci sono altri elefanti dietro l'albero?

    Are there other elephants behind the tree?

  4. You

    Ne vedo due. Un elefante è più piccolo.

    I see two. One elephant is smaller.

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

Practice this conversation in ChatPal

"Elephant" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Elephant" in Italian

Masculine or feminine?

Masculine: l'elefante. Add femmina if needed.

What is the plural?

Gli elefanti.

How do I say baby elephant?

Un cucciolo di elefante.

Any silent letters?

No—pronounce every vowel clearly.

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.