It’s modern life, we all run and don’t have time to waste! And even if Italians might be famous for the Dolce Vita and a general chilled out attitude, the reality is that we’ve all been thrown together in this XXI century madness. Therefore, as in many other places in the world, we’ve started using quite a lot of abbreviations and acronyms.
In this article, we’ll see the most common and must-know Italian abbreviations and acronyms, and also give you an overview of the ever-changing Italian text slang. Time is of the essence here, let’s start!
What are abbreviations and acronyms?
Both used to shorten written or spoken text, abbreviations and acronyms are actually two slightly different things:
- An abbreviation is a shortened form of a written word or sentence (like “Feb.” for “February”)
- An acronym is a kind of abbreviation used with terms or sentences made of more than one word, where the initials of each word are used to form a new, short term (like “UN” for “United Nations”).
Since abbreviations and acronyms might be used in many different circumstances, we’ve organized them in different categories.
Types of Italian abbreviations included in this article:
- Italian abbreviations for months and days
- Italian abbreviations for formal writing
- Italian abbreviations and acronyms for politics, economy and media
- Italian abbreviations and acronyms for texting
- Other useful abbreviations in Italian
Italian abbreviations for months and days
As in English, abbreviations for months and days are only used in written text in Italian.
| Italian | What it stands for | English equivalent/meaning |
| genn. | gennaio | January |
| febbr. | febbraio | February |
| mar. | marzo | March |
| apr. | aprile | April |
| magg. | maggio | May |
| giu. | giugno | June |
| lug. | luglio | July |
| ag. | agosto | August |
| sett. | settembre | September |
| ott. | ottobre | October |
| nov. | novembre | November |
| dic. | dicembre | December |
| lun. | lunedì | Monday |
| mar. | martedì | Tuesday |
| mer. | mercoledì | Wednesday |
| gio. | giovedì | Thursday |
| ven. | venerdì | Friday |
| sab. | sabato | Saturday |
| dom. | domenica | Sunday |
Similarly, if you’re looking for a refresher on time, days, and months in perfect Italian, check out these related articles:
Italian abbreviations for formal writing
More than many other languages, Italian loves using titles and respect formulas. And while nowadays these sound pompous and ridiculous in spoken language, they’re still used in formal writing, for example, in letters and e-mails. Most of the time, they appear in an abbreviated form.
| Italian | What it stands for | English equivalent/meaning |
| Sig. | Signor | Mr |
| Sig.ra | Signora | Mrs or Ms |
| Sig.na | Signorina | Miss |
| Sigg. | Signori | Used when addressing to more than one person |
| Dr. | Dottor | Doctor (not physician), male |
| Dott. | Dottor | Physician, male |
| Dott.ssa | Dottoressa | Doctor or physician, female |
| Avv. | Avvocato/a | Attorney, male or female |
| Ing. | Ingegnere/a | Engineer, male or female |
| Prof. | Professor | Professor, male |
| Prof.ssa | Professoressa | Professor, female |
| Egr. | Egregio | Distinguished, male. Used in very formal communications |
| Egr.ia | Egregia | Distinguished, female |
| Egr.i | Egregi | Distinguished, plural |
| Gent.mo | Gentilissimo | Dear, male. Used in formal writing |
| Gent.ma | Gentilissima | Dear, female. See above |
| Gent.mi | Gentilissimi | Dear, male plural. See above |
| Gent.me | Gentilissime | Dear, female plural. See above |
| Ill.mo | Illustrissimo | Distinguished, male. Used when addressing an important person in science or literature, i.e. a dean. |
| Ill.ma | Illustrissima | Distinguished, female. See above. |
| Spett.le | Spettabile | Dear, when addressing to companies and organizations |
Italian abbreviations and acronyms for politics, economy and media
Now, let’s check some useful Italian abbreviations and acronyms to navigate the world of politics, economy, and media. Since they are also used in spoken language, we’ll add the pronunciation.
| Italian | What it stands for | English equivalent/meaning | Italian pronunciation |
| UE | Unione Europea | European Union | uh-eh |
| NATO | North Atlantic Treaty Organization | NATO | nah-toh |
| ONU | Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite | UN, United Nations | oh-noo |
| PD | Partito democratico | Italian Democratic Party | pee-dee |
| FIAT | Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino | FIAT | fee-ah-t |
| TG | telegiornale | TV news | tee-gee |
| RAI | Radiotelevisione italiana | National public broadcasting company of Italy | rah-ee |
| CdA | Consiglio d’Amministrazione | Board of Directors | chee-dee-ah |
| AD | Amministratore Delegato | CEO | ah-dee |
| s.p.a. | società per azioni | Joint-stock company | eh-sseh-pee-ah |
| s.r.l. | società a responsabilità limitata | limited liability company | eh-sseh-eh-rreh-eh-lleh |
| PIL | prodotto interno lordo | gross domestic product | Peel |
| ONG | organizzazione non governativa | non-governmental organization | oh-eh-nneh-gee |
| INPS | Istituto Nazionale Previdenza Sociale | National Istitute of Social Security | een-ps |
| IVA | Imposta sul valore aggiunto | value added tax | ee-vah |
| SPID | Sistema pubblico di identità digitale | Public digital identity system (an official system to identify yourself when using digital public services) | speed |
| ASL | Azienda Sanitaria Locale | local health authority | ah-sl |
It might be useful to see a couple of examples of use:
Al TG ho visto un servizio sulla FIAT.
I saw a journalistic service about FIAT on the news.
RAI3 trasmetterà in diretta il discorso del Presidente degli Stati Uniti dall’ONU.
RAI3 channel will broadcast the live speech of the President of the United States at the UN.
Il PIL dell’UE è in crescita.
EU’s GDP is growing.
Italian abbreviations and acronyms for texting
It’s time to explore the interesting territory of Italian text slang, with all its potential pitfalls and consonants.
| Italian | What it stands for | English equivalent/meaning |
| nn | non | not |
| sn | sono | I am, they are |
| 6 | sei | you are |
| x | per | for |
| cm | come | how |
| cs | cosa | what, thing |
| dv | dove | where |
| qnd | quando | when |
| qlcs | qualcosa | something |
| cmq | comunque | however |
| msg | messaggio | text, sms |
| grz | grazie | thank you |
| ke | che | conjunction: that, who, whose, which, etc |
| ki | chi | who |
| xkè | perchè | why |
| xò | però | but |
| tvb | ti voglio bene | I love you, used among friends and family |
Ready for some examples?
Dv 6?
Where are you?
Cm va?
How are you?
Mandami un msg qnd arrivi a casa.
Send me a text when you get home.
Want to know more about Italian slang in general? Read this article that will guide you through the colorful terms and expressions of the spoken language.
Other useful abbreviations in Italian
Now, we’ll see some more Italian abbreviations and acronyms that could turn out useful when traveling to Italy, doing business with an Italian company, or - let’s touch iron here (yes, in Italy, we touch iron instead of wood) - ending up in an Italian hospital. You’ll find these on signs, medical reports, financial documents, etc.
| Italian | What it stands for | English equivalent/meaning |
| sx | sinistra | left |
| dx | destra | right |
| SSN | Sistema Sanitario Nazionale | National Healthcare System |
| fatt. | fattura | invoice |
| n. or n° | numero | number |
| FFSS or FS | Ferrovie dello Stato | State railway (also used for railway stations) |
| VV.UU. | Vigili urbani | Traffic police |
| VV.F. | Vigili del fuoco | Fire department |
| P.S. | Polizia di Stato | Police |
Discover Italian…in full length!
Now that you know all the shortest abbreviations in Italian, it’s time to enrich your vocabulary with words of all lengths and meanings. Berlitz offers a complete range of solutions to learn Italian at your pace, according to your preferences and level. Discover our full catalog of online Italian lessons and courses and keep following our blog to know more curiosities, tips, and tricks about this amazing language and culture.
