[Italian Vocabulary] How to Talk About Murder Mysteries in Italian: Some Useful Words

Murder mystery novels are probably the books my Italian students enjoy reading the most. 

It’s not my favorite genre, but I perfectly understand the passion for this type of novel. Also, crime novels are obviously a perfect read for language students because they are heavily focused on action, have a lot of dialogue, and are generally way easier to understand than other books.

However, these novels – or movies – use a specific vocabulary that you may need to learn if you want to talk about murder mysteries in Italian. Recently, I did a livestream on Instagram about this topic and also posted a gallery there that features the most common Italian words you may need to use if you want to talk about crime stories.

Honestly, I hadn’t thought of writing a post about this specific Italian vocabulary. Then, a student who doesn’t have Instagram asked me whether it was possible to have that content in another forma,t and I realized I could write a blog post focusing on the Italian words you need to use if you want to tell someone about a great murder mystery you liked.

Also, as I always do with posts about the Italian language, I have created a downloadable PDF file for you to keep for future reference. You will find it in Your Italian Toolbox, the private page on my site where I upload all language learning materials, under the section Vocabulary. If can access the page by simply subscribing to my newsletter.

But now it’s time to list some useful words to talk about murder mysteries in Italian. 

Delitto o crimine: (noun, masculine) crime, felony, murder

Example: Quell’uomo ha commesso un terribile delitto e deve essere arrestato – That man committed a horrendous crime and must be arrested

Mistero: (noun, masculine) mystery

Example:  C’è un mistero intorno al delitto di ieri sera – There’s a mystery around yesterday night’s crime

Omicidio o assassinio: (noun, masculine) murder

Example: Ieri c’è stato un omicidio: un uomo ha ucciso tre persone – There was a murder last night: a man killed three people

Omicida o assassino: (noun, masculine) murderer

Example: L’omicida è stato finalmente catturato – The murderer was finally caught

Uccidere: (verb, transitive) to kill

Example: Non so chi abbia ucciso quella donna, ma ho qualche sospetto – I don’t know who killed that woman but I have some suspects

Furto: (noun, masculine) theft

Example: C’è stato un furto nell’albergo e il proprietario ha chiamato la polizia – There was a theft in the hotel and the owner called the police

Ladro: (noun, masculine) thief

Example: Il ladro ha commesso un furto e ora sta scappando – The thief committed a theft and now he’s on the run

Rubare: (verb, transitive) to steal

Example: Sono stati rubati molti soldi dalla cassaforte nella stanza da letto – They have stolen a lot of money from the safe in the bedroom

Indagine: (noun, feminine) investigation

Example: Le indagini sul delitto sono iniziate immediatamente – The investigation on the crime started immediately

Indagare o investigare: (verb, transitive) to investigate

Example: La polizia ha cominciato a indagare sul crimine avvenuto a Milano – The police started investigating on the crime that took place in Milan

Fare o condurre indagini: (verbal phrase) to investigate

Example: Fare le indagini sul crimine è il compito della polizia, tu non sei un poliziotto – It’s the police that must investigate on the crime, you are not a policeman

Interrogare: (verb, transitive) to question, to interrogate

Example: Il detective ha interrogato le persone che erano sulla scena del crimine – The detective questioned the people who were on the crime scene

Investigatore: (noun, masculine – feminine is investigatrice) detective, investigator

Example: L’investigatore ha scoperto chi ha commesso il delitto – The detective found out who committed the murder

Supposizione: (noun, feminine) assumption, hypothesis

Example: L’investigatore ha fatto delle supposizioni su chi avrebbe commesso il crimine – The dectective made some assumption on who may have committed the crime

Indizio: (noun, masculine) clue, hint

Example: Ci sono molti indizi che fanno pensare che lui possa essere l’assassino – Many clues make us think he might be the murderer

Prova: (noun, feminine) proof, evidence

Example: La polizia ha molti indizi, ma nessuna prova – The police have many clues but no evidence

Testimone: (noun, masculine/feminine) witness

Example: Il testimone ha detto di aver visto l’assassino molto chiaramente – The witness said he saw the murderer very clearly

Sospetto: (noun, masculine) suspect

Example: Tutti i sospetti sono stati interrogati ieri mattina – All suspects were interrogated yesterday morning

Colpevole: (noun, masculine) culprit, felon, criminal

Example: Quell’uomo vestito di bianco è il colpevole. È lui che ha ucciso la donna – That man dressed in white is the culprit. It’s him who killed the lady

Sospettare: (verb, transitive) to suspect

Example: La polizia sospetta che il colpevole sia la moglie – The police suspect the wife to be the culprit

Alibi: (noun, masculine) alibi

Example: Dobbiamo escludere dalle indagini le persone che hanno un alibi – We have to exclude from the investigation those who have an alibi

Movente: (noun, masculine) motive, cause, reason

Example: Quell’uomo avrebbe un movente, ma ha anche un alibi, quindi non credo sia l’assassino – That man has a motive for murder but he also has an alibi, so I don’t think he’s the murderer

Carcere o prigione: (noun, masculine) prison, jail

Example: Quell’uomo ha passato vent’anni in prigione – That man has spent twenty years in prison

Accusare: (verb, transitive) to accuse

Example: La polizia ha accusato il sospetto di essere l’assassino – The police accused the suspect of being the murderer

Arrestare: (verb, transitive) to arrest

Example: Lo hanno arrestato ieri sera e ora è in prigione – He was arrested last night and now he’s in prison

Condannare: (verb, transitive) to condemn, to sentence

Example: Quella donna è stata condannata a tre anni di prigione per furto – That woman was sentenced to three years in prison for stealing

Incarcerare: (verb, transitive) to imprison

Example: L’assassino è stato incarcerato ieri sera – The murderer was imprisoned last night

By the way, do you like murder mysteries? If so, what are your favorite authors or novels?

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I created a downloadable PDF file for you to keep for future reference. You will find it in Your Italian Toolbox, the private page on my site where I upload all language learning materials, under the section Vocabulary. If can access the page by simply subscribing to my newsletter.

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If you love reading books in Italian as a way to practice the language, you may need my Diario di lettura, the perfect companion for your Italian reading practice.

My Diario di lettura, a reading journal I created to make your reading experience more effective, is full of activities to make you use the language actively and reflect on the book you are reading before, during, and after the actual reading time. It will make your Italian reading even more fun and useful!