If you’re interested in learning how to express your love for someone in Italian, you’ve stumbled onto the right post. In this article, we will explore four ways to express the sentiment “I love you” in Italian. Whether you’re in a romantic relationship, a friendship, or simply wish to express your affection for someone special in your family or circle of friends, you can bet your bottom dollar that these four phrases will come in handy.
1. Ti amo!
The most traditional way to say that you love someone romantically in Italian is Ti amo. Amo is the first person singular form of the verb amare, meaning “to love”.
Unlike the English “I love you”, ti amo is normally only used towards people in whom you have a romantic or sexual interest such as your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband or wife.
2. Ti voglio bene!
Ti voglio bene may sound like a strange phrase to English ears: it literally translates as “I want you well”. However, it is actually another way to say “I love you“ when the sentiment is platonic. As a parent, you could say ti voglio bene to your children, or you could direct it towards a special family member or friend.
It is also possible to say it to your romantic partner on occasion, but don’t overuse it! If you do, they might think you’ve lost interest in them.
3. Mi piaci!
If you’ve only just gotten into a romantic relationship with someone, you may wish to steer clear of the ti amos until you are sure that he or she returns your affection. In this case, a good alternative phrase is mi piaci which means I like you.
Of course, if you want to be a little more emphatic, you can add on adverbs like tantissimo or moltissimo, both of which mean “a lot”.
4. Ti adoro!
While mi piaci allows you to play down your emotions, ti adoro is definitely a transparent display of affection. Adoro is the first-person singular of the verb adorare, meaning “to adore”, and despite being a pretty intense statement, you can use it towards romantic partners, children and even extremely good friends. Heck, even a pet is the perfect candidate for the occasional ti adoro!
Heather Broster is a graduate with honours in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, proficient in English and Italian, as well as Japanese, Welsh, and French to varying degrees of fluency. Originally from Toronto, Heather has resided in various countries, notably Italy for a period of six years. Her primary focus lies in the fields of language acquisition, education, and bilingual instruction.
