Skip to content

centesimi

cents; hundredths

noun chen-TEH-zee-mee Rare
Numbers & Measures Money

Usage Note

Centesimi is the plural of centesimo, one hundredth of a euro (or historically of the lira). In everyday speech Italians often say cinquanta centesimi for 50 cents. The singular centesimo also means 'not a penny' in emphatic phrases: non ho un centesimo ('I haven't a penny'). The gender is masculine: il centesimo, i centesimi.

Examples

"Il caffè costa ottanta centesimi."

Natural Translation

The coffee costs eighty cents.

Free starter pack

Building your Italian vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common Italian words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore Italian by topic