Skip to content

pena

penalty

noun PEH-nah Less Common

Origin: from Latin poena 'punishment'

Also means

pity

Usage Note

Pena ranges from a legal 'penalty' or sentence to the feeling of 'pity' or sorrow. The everyday mi fa pena means 'I feel sorry for it/him', while vale la pena means 'it's worth the trouble'; pena di morte is the death penalty.

Examples

"Vale la pena provare ancora."

Natural Translation

It's worth trying again.

Literal Translation

Is-worth the penalty to-try again.

Explore Italian by topic