We want to celebrate Valentine’s Day (San Valentino) and the month of love (amore) with the first ever bite-sized Italian lesson of the year. This is a new column that we’ve put together to make your stay in Italy not only easier but loads more fun!

So, cherish this mini guide to love-related expressions in Italian. After all, is Italian the definitive language of love, or isn’t it?

It might come in useful during your next candlelit dinner in the ‘bel paese’, enjoying a delicious bowl of pasta and a glass of wine, but in other places too… Get ready for Valentine’s Day!

Common ways to call your sweetheart

Tesoro mio – My darling   🗨 teh-soh-roh mee-oh
Amore mio – My love   🗨 ah-moh-reh mee-oh

The most used love phrases to melt your lover’s ❤

Mi piaci – I love you    🗨 mee pee-ah-chee
Ti amo – I love you (romantically)    🗨 tee ah-moh
It is mainly used with lovers. If you add tanto (🗨 tahn-toh = a lot) the end of these two sentences, it means you like/love him or her a lot. The same if you add con tutto il mio cuore (🗨 kohn too-toh eel mee-oh kwoh-reh = with all my hearth) at the end of ‘ti amo’
Ti voglio bene – I love you    🗨 tee vohl–yo beh-neh
Compared to ‘ti amo’, which conveys a more passionate nuance, ‘ti voglio bene’ is more used with siblings, parents and good friends than with lovers, but it can also be used with lovers. It means you care for them and your feelings towards them are very tender.
Sei l’unico/a per me – You’re the only one for me    🗨 seh-ee loo-nee-coh pehr meh
Sei tutto per me – You’re everything to me    🗨  seh-ee too-toh pehr meh
Sono pazzo/a di te – I’m crazy about you    🗨 soh-noh pats-soh dee teh
Sei l’uomo/la donna dei miei sogni – You’re the man/woman of my dreams    🗨 seh-ee lwoh-moh deh-lah mee-ah -vee-tah
Sei l’amore della mia vita – You are the love of my life   🗨 seh-ee lah-moh-reh deh-lah mee-ah vee-tah
Sei bellissimo/a – You are handsome/gorgeous    🗨 seh-ee beh-lee-see-mah/moh
Voglio stare sempre con te  I always want to be with you    🗨 vohl–yo  stah-reh kohn teh
Mi vuoi sposare? – Will you marry me?    🗨 mee vwoh-ee spoh-sah-reh
Sei la mia anima gemella – You are my soulmate    🗨 seh-ee lah mee-ah ah-nee-mah geh-meh-lah
Baciami! –  Kiss me!    🗨 bah-chah-mee
Balliamo! –  Shall we dance    🗨 bah-lee-ah-moh

If you miss someone

You can use these sentences with your lover as well as your parents, siblings and friends

Mi manchi – I miss you    🗨 mee mahn-kee
Ti penso sempre – I always think about you    🗨 tee pehn-soh sehm-preh
Ti aspetto –  I’ll be waiting for you    🗨  tee ah-speh-toh
Non vedo l’ora di vederti – I can’t wait to see you    🗨 nohn veh-doh loh-rah dee veh-dehr-tee

This is just the first ‘bite-sized Italian’ nugget for you, so stay tuned for the next installment. But if you really want to learn Italian or improve your language skills, we recommend our intensive language course. It’ll be fun and you’ll learn a lot! Click here to find out more!