The English expression “as you wish” has a number of possible translations in Italian, but we’ve decided to share the easiest for learners to remember which is Come vuole.
Come vuole.
As you wish.
The literal translation of come vuole is “as you want“. Come means like/as whereas vuole is the second-person formal conjugation of volere (to want). The formal vuole is the best choice because “as you wish” tends to be used in formal situations in which a person of lower rank addresses a person of higher rank.
No va bene, mi dia pure la stanza con il letto matrimoniale. – Come vuole, signore.
No, that’s fine, you can give me the room with the double bed. – As you wish, sir.
Sometimes come vuole is accompanied by the formal pronoun Lei (you) to add an extra level of formality.
Grazie ma preferisco stare da solo. – Come vuole Lei, signore.
Thanks but I’d rather be alone. – As you wish, sir.
In less formal situations, you can substitute the formal vuole with the informal vuoi, creating the phrase come vuoi (tu). In English, in the place of “as you wish” we’d usually say something akin to “fine by me” or “whatever you want (to do)“.
Mi sa che rimango a casa oggi. – Come vuoi.
I might just stay at home today. – Fine by me. / Whatever you want to do.
Some other expressions in Italian that also translate as “as you wish” include:
- Come desidera. (formal) / Come desideri. (informal) > lit. As you desire.
- Come preferisce. (formal) / Come preferisci. (informal) > lit. As you prefer.
- Faccia (pure) come crede. (formal) / Fai (pure) come credi. (informal) > lit. Do as you believe.
- Come le pare. (formal) / Come ti pare. (informal) > lit. As it seems to you.
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.
