Italian · Everyday Verbs

"to dance" in Italian: ballare

ballare

Say it: bahl-LAH-rehverb/balˈla.re/

To dance in Italian is ballare. Io ballo means I dance. Ballo can also be the noun dance—use a clear verb form so the checker and listeners hear the action.

Wedding

Stasera ballo con mia sorella.
Tonight I'm dancing with my sister.
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How to pronounce ballare

Say it

bahl-LAH-reh

/balˈla.re/

Ballare stresses LAH: bahl-LAH-reh. Io ballo is EE-oh BAHL-loh.

"to dance" in Italian: quick reference

ItalianEnglish
ballareto dance

Infinitive.

ballo / balli / ballaI dance / you dance / he-she dances

Present verb forms.

ballare insiemeto dance together

Social.

andare a ballareto go dancing

Night out.

How to use ballare in real life

  1. 1Wedding

    Stasera ballo con mia sorella.

    Tonight I'm dancing with my sister.

    Ballo as verb.

  2. 2Club night

    Vuoi ballare questa canzone?

    Want to dance to this song?

    Ballare.

  3. 3Class

    Di solito balliamo il sabato.

    We usually dance on Saturdays.

    Balliamo.

Mistakes English speakers make with ballare

Incorrect: Io sono ballerina ogni sera—no, io dance.

Correct: Io ballo ogni sera.

Use ballo / ballare, not English dance.

Incorrect: Lei ballare bene.

Correct: Lei balla bene.

Conjugate: balla.

Good to know

Andiamo a ballare is a classic night invite. From village feste to city clubs, ballare stays social more than technical.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

At a lively festa

  1. ChatPal

    Balli questa o aspetti la prossima?

    Are you dancing to this one or waiting for the next?

  2. You

    Ballo questa: mi piace il ritmo.

    I'm dancing to this one: I like the rhythm.

  3. ChatPal

    Allora balliamo insieme.

    Then let's dance together.

  4. You

    Via!

    Let's go!

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"to dance" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "to dance" in Italian

Ballo verb or noun?

Context: io ballo is the verb; un ballo can mean a dance event.

We dance?

Balliamo.

Go dancing?

Andare a ballare.

Imperative?

Balla! (tu).

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