Italian · People & Family

"Son" in Italian: figlio

il figlio

Say it: FEEL-yohmasculine · il figlionoun/ˈfiʎ.ʎo/

Son in Italian is il figlio (FEEL-yoh), a masculine noun. Say mio figlio without the article in the singular. Plural figli can mean sons or children in general. Daughter is figlia.

School gate

Aspetto mio figlio all'uscita.
I'm waiting for my son at dismissal.
Practice Italian out loud

Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free

How to pronounce figlio

Say it

FEEL-yoh

/ˈfiʎ.ʎo/

Figlio stresses FEEL: FEEL-yoh. Gli sounds like ly. Keep it compact.

"Son" in Italian: quick reference

ItalianEnglish
il figliothe son

Default masculine noun.

mio figliomy son

Possessive without article in singular.

i figlithe sons; the children

Can mean kids of any gender as a group.

figlio unicoonly child (male)

Family-status phrase.

How to use figlio in real life

  1. 1School gate

    Aspetto mio figlio all'uscita.

    I'm waiting for my son at dismissal.

    Mio figlio without il.

  2. 2Phone introduction

    Ti passo mio figlio, un attimo.

    I'll put my son on, one moment.

    Common handoff line.

  3. 3Family size

    Hanno tre figli piccoli.

    They have three young children.

    Figli as kids in general.

Mistakes English speakers make with figlio

Incorrect: Il mio figlio studia medicina.

Correct: Mio figlio studia medicina.

Skip the article with singular mio/tuo/suo + figlio.

Incorrect: Mia figlio è alto.

Correct: Mio figlio è alto.

Figlio is masculine: mio, not mia.

Good to know

Parents often lead with mio figlio or mia figlia in small talk, then the name. Figli on forms can mean children collectively, so check context before assuming only sons.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Meeting a colleague's family at a party

  1. ChatPal

    Quello è mio figlio, Matteo.

    That's my son, Matteo.

  2. You

    Ciao Matteo! Anche io ho un figlio.

    Hi Matteo! I have a son too.

  3. ChatPal

    Ah, quanti anni ha tuo figlio?

    Oh, how old is your son?

  4. You

    Mio figlio ha otto anni.

    My son is eight.

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

Practice this conversation in ChatPal

"Son" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Son" in Italian

Do I say il mio figlio?

Usually mio figlio without il. Plural: i miei figli.

Can figli mean daughters too?

As a group word for children, yes. For daughters only, use figlie.

How do I pronounce figlio?

FEEL-yoh. Gli sounds like ly in million.

What is figlio unico?

An only child (boy). For a girl: figlia unica.

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.