Imagine you’re in Venice, leaning dangerously off a vaporetto to capture the perfect shot of the Grand Canal (hard to resist, I know), when the ticket controller rushes over shouting: Non è sicuro!(It’s not safe!).
Then, in full tourist mode, you book a local guide for the afternoon. Don’t worry, your hotel receptionist reassures you, è una guida sicura (she’s a reliable guide).
And then, finally relaxing over a nice dinner, you order a cappuccino after your pasta. The waiter looks at you, visibly pained. Sicuro? (Are you sure?)
Same word, different meanings depending on the situation: let’s explore how to use sicuro in Italian!
sicuro
A quick grammar note before we go any further. Sicuro is an adjective, and like all good Italian adjectives, it has to agree with the noun it describes. You have already spotted this in action: the ticket controller said non è sicuro (masculine), but the receptionist said una guida sicura (feminine). Here’s the full breakdown:
- Sicuro — masculine singular
- Sicura — feminine singular
- Sicuri — masculine plural
- Sicure — feminine plural
1. SICURO = Safe
We use sicuro to describe something or somewhere that keeps us out of danger and safe from risk. Basically, the opposite of pericoloso (dangerous).
Questa scala non mi sembra molto sicura, fai attenzione.
This ladder doesn’t look very safe to me, be careful.
You can use it for just about anything:
- Un investimento sicuro: a safe investment
- Un quartiere sicuro: a safe neighbourhood
- Una strada sicura: a safe road
- Un porto sicuro: a safe harbour (yep, we use this figuratively too, just like in English, so it can be a person, a place, anything that feels like shelter).
- Un posto sicuro: a safe place (in everyday Italian, this doesn’t mean just a physically safe spot; we also use it to talk about a secure job, the kind most Italian parents dream their kids will find. Trovati un posto sicuro is a classic every Italian has heard at least once growing up).
Sicuro with this meaning appears in a number of expressions that we use everywhere in daily conversation:
- Andare sul sicuro: to play it safe, like ordering the same gelato flavour every single time because why risk it?
Quando sono in Thailandia vado sul sicuro e ordino sempre il pad thai.
When I’m in Thailand, I play it safe and always go for pad thai.
- Essere al sicuro: to be safe, in a safe place.
I cani sono al sicuro in casa, non preoccuparti.
The dogs are safe at home, don’t worry.
- Mettere al sicuro: to put something in a safe place, to secure it.
Hai messo al sicuro la macchina? Dicono che nevicherà stanotte.
Did you put the car somewhere safe? They say it’s going to snow tonight.
- Tenere al sicuro: to keep something safe. Similar to mettere al sicuro, but here the focus is on keeping it protected over time, not just stashing it away
Mi raccomando, tieni al sicuro le password.
Please, make sure you keep the passwords safe.
- Sentirsi al sicuro: to feel safe.
Mi sento al sicuro in questo quartiere.
I feel safe in this neighborhood.
2. SICURO = Trusted, reliable
Next, we use sicuro to describe those people who never let us down, the ones who do what they say they’ll do (a rare and precious breed these days!). We’re talking about both skills and trustworthiness here.
Se hai bisogno di un meccanico sicuro, chiedo a mio padre. Lui conosce tutti.
If you need a reliable mechanic, I’ll ask my dad. He knows everyone.
Sicuro with this meaning could be used for things like:
- Una fonte sicura: a reliable source (like that friend who always has the gossip before everyone else)
- Un collaboratore sicuro: a reliable colleague
- Un alleato sicuro: a trusted ally
- Una guida sicura: a reliable guide, someone who genuinely knows every hidden corner and has a story for each one.
3. SICURO = Confident
We’ve all met that person. The one who walks into a room and immediately feels at ease, no awkward hovering by the door pretending to check their phone. In Italian, that kind of person is described as sicuro, confident.
Vorrei essere più sicuro quando parlo con i clienti.
I wish I were more confident when talking to clients.
Some expressions you’ll hear a lot include:
- Essere sicuro/a di sé: to be self-confident
Era molto sicuro di sé durante il colloquio, forse troppo.
He was very confident during the job interview, maybe a little too much.
- Sembrare/Essere sicuro/a del fatto suo: to seem/to be sure of what you’re doing, to know your stuff
Sembrava sicura del fatto suo quando ha presentato il progetto.
She seemed sure of herself when she presented the project.
- Sentirsi sicuro/a: to feel confident
Dopo mesi di lezioni, finalmente mi sento sicuro quando parlo italiano.
After months of lessons, I finally feel confident when I speak Italian.
- Con voce sicura: with a confident voice
Bravo, hai parlato con voce sicura davanti a tutta la classe.
Well done, you spoke with a confident voice in front of the whole class.
- Con mano sicura: with a steady hand
Ha disegnato il ritratto con mano sicura, senza mai esitare.
He drew the portrait with a steady hand, never hesitating.
4. SICURO = Sure, certain
Another meaning of sicuro in Italian is about conviction. When we use it in this sense, it conveys confidence, there’s (almost) no doubt.
Essere sicuro/a (to be sure, to be certain) is the foundation of all the expressions in this section. It’s usually followed by:
– di (of) + infinitive when the person who is sure and the person doing the action are the same:
Sono sicuro di averli già visti da qualche parte.
I’m sure I’ve already seen them somewhere.
Non siamo sicuri di aver fatto la cosa giusta.
We’re not sure we did the right thing.
- che (that) + indicative or subjunctive, when the person who is sure and the person doing the action are different. Choosing between indicative and subjunctive depends on what you’re expressing. If you’re stating something you genuinely believe to be true, gor with the indicative:
Sono sicuro che arriverà tardi come al solito.
I’m certain he’ll be late as usual.
But if there’s a shade of doubt, uncertainty, or personal opinion, use the subjunctive:
Non sono sicuro che sia una buona idea.
I’m not sure it’s a good idea.
A quick tip: non sono sicuro che is almost always followed by the subjunctive, because the non introduces doubt, which is subjunctive territory in Italian.
This meaning of sicuro also comes loaded with expressions that pop up everywhere in Italian conversation, such as:
- Sei sicuro/a?: Are you sure? The question every Italian will ask you before you do something questionable. Remember that cappuccino after pasta at the beginning? Sicuro?
- Sono sicuro/a al cento per cento!: I’m one hundred percent sure! (Famous last words…)
- Andare a colpo sicuro: to go for a sure thing, to act with certainty.
Per il suo compleanno vai a colpo sicuro e regalale dei libri.
For her birthday, go for a sure thing and get her books.
- Stare sicuro: be sure, rest assured. This is very casual, like saying “trust me on this.” It carries a hint of confidence, like the person saying it has zero doubts about what they’re telling you.
Stai sicuro che se non era per noi, non ce l’avrebbe mai fatta.
Rest assured, if it weren’t for us, he’d never have made it.
- Poco ma sicuro: That’s for sure, without a doubt. Literally “little but certain,” we use this expression to emphasize that something is absolutely, undeniably true.
Se non studiate, verrete bocciati, poco ma sicuro.
If you don’t study, you’ll fail, that’s for sure.
- Dare qualcosa per sicuro: to consider it a sure thing, a done deal.
Lo sciopero è dato per sicuro.
The strike is considered a sure thing.
5. SICURO = Sure, of course, absolutely
And finally, we frequently use sicuro on its own, as a quick reply to confirm or agree with something. Like when you’re staring at your map and ask a passerby if that is the right way to the Colosseum, and they give you a confident nod and a sharp Sicuro! (Absolutely!).
Vuoi ancora un po’ di pasta al forno? – Sicuro!
Would you like some more lasagna? – Of course!
We also love using sicuro sarcastically to mean “not a chance.” Imagine you suggest waking up at 6am to go for a run and your Italian friends look at you, raise eyebrows, and let out a long Siii, sicuro! Yeah, they’re not going anywhere. In fact, they’ll be in bed until at least ten.
In this sarcastic context, you might also hear Sicuro, come no!(literally, “certainly, how not!”), which is the Italian equivalent of “yeah, right!”
And when sicuro isn’t used as a direct response to a question, you’ll often hear it in the form di sicuro, meaning certainly, definitely, for sure. It works well in pretty much any sentence:
Sarà di sicuro un successo!
It’ll definitely be a success!
Di sicuro non mi alzerò alle sei.
I’m definitely not getting up at six.
(See? I told you those friends weren’t going for a run…)
Valentina Nicastro is a travel writer in love with her home country, Italy. Having travelled widely around the globe, she realised there was more to explore closer to home and decided to put the passport aside for a while. When she is not immersed in documenting Italy, you’ll find her donning her communication consultant hat, weaving words as a content writer and bridging linguistic divides as a translator.
