Meaning
illness, sickness, disease, ailment
In a sentence
Ho una malattia e resto a casa.
I have an illness and I'm staying home.
Che malattia ha tuo nonno adesso?
What illness does your grandfather have now?
Non è una malattia grave, stai tranquillo.
It's not a serious illness, stay calm.
Word forms (2)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| malattia | feminine · singular |
| malattie | feminine · plural |
Usage notes
- Use malattia for a disease or medical condition; use male for feeling unwell and dolore for a specific pain.
- Common with avere: avere una malattia, avere una malattia cronica. But say essere malato for the person's state.
- In everyday speech, people often say malattia grave, lunga malattia, or in malattia for being on sick leave.