Italian · Nature, Animals & Weather

"Monkey" in Italian: scimmia

la scimmia

Say it: SHEEM-myahfeminine · la scimmianoun/ˈʃim.mja/

Monkey in Italian is la scimmia (lah SHEEM-myah), feminine. The plural is le scimmie. It covers monkeys in zoos, stories, and playful nicknames.

Zoo

La scimmia salta da un ramo all'altro.
The monkey jumps from one branch to another.
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How to pronounce scimmia

Say it

SHEEM-myah

/ˈʃim.mja/

Scimmia is SHEEM-myah. The sci is like English she. Stress SHEEM.

"Monkey" in Italian: quick reference

ItalianEnglish
la scimmiathe monkey

Singular.

le scimmiethe monkeys

Plural.

una scimmiaa monkey

Indefinite.

scimmiettalittle monkey

Cute diminutive.

How to use scimmia in real life

  1. 1Zoo

    La scimmia salta da un ramo all'altro.

    The monkey jumps from one branch to another.

    La scimmia subject.

  2. 2Kids

    Ho visto una scimmia al parco animali.

    I saw a monkey at the animal park.

    Una scimmia.

  3. 3Documentary

    Le scimmie vivono spesso in gruppo.

    Monkeys often live in groups.

    Plural le scimmie.

Mistakes English speakers make with scimmia

Incorrect: Il scimmia.

Correct: La scimmia.

Scimmia is feminine.

Incorrect: Le scimmia.

Correct: Le scimmie.

Plural ends in e: scimmie.

Good to know

Scimmia appears in children's books and as a teasing nickname for someone being silly. In zoos it is the everyday word; ape species may get more specific names.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Watching animals

  1. ChatPal

    Guarda la scimmia con il bambino!

    Look at the monkey with the baby!

  2. You

    Carina. La scimmia mangia una banana.

    Cute. The monkey is eating a banana.

  3. ChatPal

    Ci sono altre scimmie dietro?

    Are there other monkeys behind?

  4. You

    Sì. Una scimmia più grande tiene la coda alta.

    Yes. A bigger monkey is holding its tail high.

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"Monkey" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Monkey" in Italian

Gender?

Feminine: la scimmia, le scimmie.

Plural spelling?

Scimmie—i becomes ie.

Cute form?

Scimmietta.

Monkey around?

Fare lo scemo is closer than a direct scimmia idiom.

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