tedesco

German

adjective teh-DES-koh Common

Origin: From Medieval Latin theodiscus (of the people, vernacular), from Old High German thiudisk.

Usage Note

Tedesco means 'German' as both an adjective (la lingua tedesca) and a noun (un tedesco = 'a German man', una tedesca = 'a German woman'). Learners note that Italians call the language il tedesco, not il germanico. The plural is tedeschi (m) / tedesche (f). Germania is the country; Deutschland is used colloquially when quoting German.

Examples

"La mia collega tedesca parla quattro lingue."

Natural Translation

My German colleague speaks four languages.

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