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Italian vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "ball-point pen" in Italian?
la penna a sfera
In Italian, "ball-point pen" is la penna a sfera.
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Pronunciation
PEN-nah ah SFAIR-ah. Stress PEN then SFAIR. The 'sf' makes an 'sf' sound (not 'f' alone), and 'era' rhymes with 'air-ah'.
Grammar notes
Feminine noun: la penna a sfera. Sfera means sphere, so the phrase literally means 'pen with a sphere'. Plural le penne a sfera.
Example sentence
Scrivo con la penna a sfera.
I write with a ball-point pen.
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How to remember la penna a sfera
A sfera pen has a little sphere (sfera) at the tip that distributes ink. Sfera comes from Latin sphaera, the same root as English 'sphere'.
Related words
- business card il biglietto da visita
- document il documento
- eraser la gomma da cancellare
- light bulb la lampadina
- notebook il quaderno
- paperclip la graffetta
- pencil la matita
- stapler la spillatrice
- tape il nastro
Browse all Italian words in the glossary.
Questions about la penna a sfera
How do you say "ball-point pen" in Italian?
In Italian, "ball-point pen" is la penna a sfera. It is a noun.
Is la penna a sfera masculine or feminine?
Feminine noun: la penna a sfera. Sfera means sphere, so the phrase literally means 'pen with a sphere'. Plural le penne a sfera.
How is la penna a sfera used in a sentence?
Use la penna a sfera as you would use the equivalent noun in English. For example: Scrivo con la penna a sfera. (I write with a ball-point pen.).
Where can I practice Italian words for free?
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"Ball-point pen" in other languages
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