If you want to state that someone you know is the best, you can use the Italian phrase:
Sei il migliore.
You’re the best.
Sei is the second-person present conjugation of the verb essere meaning ‘to be‘. In other words, it translates as “you are” in English. Keep in mind that there is no need to include the subject pronoun tu (you), as the subject is evident from the conjugation.
Il migliore is how you would say “the best” in Italian when referring to a male, or a masculine noun. If you wish to talk about a female or feminine noun instead, you can use the feminine equivalent la migliore. Their respective plurals are i migliori (masculine, plural) and le migliori (feminine, plural).
If you want to emphasise that a person is the best out of everyone, you can add the word ‘all‘ in its plural form (tutti – masculine, or tutte – feminine).
Sei la migliore di tutti / tutte!
You’re the best of them all.
La pizza è il cibo migliore di tutti!
Pizza is the best food there is!
In order to say that someone is the best at something, you need to add on the preposition in + noun, or a + infinitive verb.
Sei la migliore in questo gioco.
You’re the best at this game.
Sei il migliore a fare la pizza.
You’re the best at making pizza.
In English, we tend to use the expression “You’re the best!” as a compliment towards someone who has done us a favour or performed a kind gesture. In Italian, on the other hand, it is much more common to hear the following expressions:
- Sei il/la più grande (di tutti/e)! = You’re the greatest!
- Sei troppo il/la migliore! = You’re the best by far! (used in Turin)
- Sei una bestia! = lit. You’re a beast!
- Sei il meglio! = You’re the best! (used in Rome)
- Sei il massimo! = lit. You’re the biggest/maximum!
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.
