Meaning · noun
floor; plan; piano
In a sentence
Abito al terzo piano con mia sorella.
I live on the third floor with my sister.
Hai già sentito il nuovo piano di Marco?
Have you already heard Marco's new plan?
Non so suonare il piano molto bene.
I can't play the piano very well.
Word forms (2)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|
| piano | masculine · singular |
| piani | masculine · plural |
Usage notes
- Use 'piano' for 'floor' in buildings (e.g., 'secondo piano'), but 'pavimento' for ground/floor surfaces.
- For 'plan,' 'piano' implies strategy; 'progetto' is better for concrete projects or designs.
- Short for 'pianoforte,' it’s always masculine: 'il piano,' never 'la piano.'
Meaning · adverb
slowly; softly
- slowly
- softly, quietly
- carefully, gently
In a sentence
Parla piano, il bambino sta dormendo.
Speak softly, the baby is sleeping.
Puoi andare più piano, per favore?
Can you go slower, please?
Ho chiuso la porta piano per non svegliarla.
I closed the door carefully so I wouldn't wake her.
Usage notes
- Use piano for physical or audible slowness: cammina piano, parla piano. For taking time in general, lentamente is often more neutral.
- Piano also means softly/quietly with verbs like parlare, chiudere, bussare; English speakers often overuse lentamente there.
- Very common in speech and informal writing. In more formal instructions, lentamente or con cautela may sound more precise.
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