franco

/ˈfran.ko/noun · masculine / adjectiveB2

Common · Top 3,000

Meaning · noun

franc (currency)

Un caffè a Ginevra costa più di quattro franchi.
A coffee in Geneva costs more than four francs.

Hai ancora un franco svizzero in tasca?
Do you still have a Swiss franc in your pocket?

Non ho mai visto un franco antico.
I have never seen an old franc.

Word forms (2)

Word	Word forms
franco	masculine · singular
franchi	masculine · plural

As a noun, franco is mostly historical for a Frankish person; in modern Italian, francese is usually the nationality word.
For the currency, franco appears in fixed names like franco svizzero; don't confuse it with the adjective franco meaning frank/open.
Capitalize Franco only when it is a proper name; the common noun franco stays lowercase.

frank, candid

Ti parlo in modo franco, senza giri di parole.
I’m speaking to you frankly, without beating around the bush.

Questo pacco è franco da tasse, vero?
This package is duty-free, right?

Il re franco ha preso la città ieri.
The Frankish king took the city yesterday.

Word forms (4)

For personality or speaking style, franco is stronger and more direct than sincero; it can sound blunt depending on tone.
Use essere franco with a person: Sono franco con te. More common than using franco alone after dire.
As an adjective, it agrees in gender and number: franco, franca, franchi, franche.