Amato is an adjective in Italian that means beloved or loved. It is the past participle of the verb amare (to love).
Because it is an adjective, the ending must match the gender and number of the subject in question:
- amato = masculine, singular (e.g. ragazzo amato = beloved boy)
- amata = feminine, singular (e.g. ragazza amata = beloved girl)
- amati = masculine, plural (e.g. ragazzi amati = beloved boys)
- amate = feminine, plural (e.g. ragazze amate = beloved girls)
This particular adjective can appear before or after the subject it modifies – which may be a person or object – without resulting in a great difference in meaning. This means, for example, that you can translate beloved daughter as either figlia amata or amata figlia.
The superlative amatissimo, as well as its respective feminine and plural forms, means much loved.
Giuseppe Pedersoli è l’amatissimo figlio di Bud Spencer.
Giuseppe Pedersoli is the much loved son of Bud Spencer.
Did you know…?
Giuseppe Pedersoli’s mother, a.k.a Bud Spencer’s wife, had the maiden name Amato. It is a common surname / family name for Italians, especially in the south. Variations such as Amati and D’Amato also exist.
Amato, and even more commonly its feminine equivalent amata, can also be used as a term of endearment meaning beloved, darling or sweetheart, but it is fairly antiquated.
Il soldato continua a scrivere lettere d’amore alla sua amata, anche se non la vede da tre anni.
The soldier continues to write love letters to his beloved, even though he hasn’t seen her for three years.
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.
