48+ Romantic Italian Phrases for Learners

Whatever your reasons, you’ve been struck by Cupid’s arrow and you’re ready to whisper sweet nothings in someone’s ear… in Italian. But as a learning activity, singing your potential Italian sweetheart’s praises is a fun way to explore both the language and culture of Italy.

So go ahead, use these romantic Italian phrases to your heart’s content.

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Italian Flirting Phrases

To avoid awkwardness, make sure you read the situation before trying out one of these (slightly cheesy) Italian pick-up lines.

1. Dove sei stato tutta la mia vita? — Where have you been all my life?

2. Sei così bella che le stelle sono gelose di te. — You’re so beautiful that the stars are jealous of you.

3. Vieni qui spesso? — Do you come here often?

4. Ti sei fatta male cadendo dal Paradiso? — Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?

5. Manca un angelo in Paradiso? — Is heaven missing an angel?

Phrases for Getting to Know Someone

6. Vorrei conoscerti meglio. — I’d like to get to know you better.

7. Dimmi qualcosa di te. — Tell me something about you.

8. Qual è il tuo numero di telefono? — What’s your phone number?

9. Posso offrirti da bere? — Can I buy you a drink?

10. Posso ballare con te? — Can I dance with you?

11. Sei impegnato/impegnata? — Are you in a relationship?

12. Cosa ti piace fare? — What do you like to do?

Questions for Asking Someone Out

13. Perché non ci vediamo di nuovo? — Why don’t we meet again?

14. Vuoi uscire con me? — Would you like to go out with me?

15. Che ne dici di vederci qualche volta? — What do you say we see each other?

16. Ci possiamo incontrare per un caffè? — Would you like to meet me for coffee?

17. Ti piacerebbe uscire a cena con me? — Would you like to go out to dinner with me?

18. Sei libero/a questo fine settimana? — Are you free this weekend?

Phrases to Express Your Feelings

19. Non riesco a smettere di pensare a te. — I can’t stop thinking about you.

20. Tu sei il mio destino! — You’re my destiny!

21. Sei la mia anima gemella. — You’re my soulmate.

22. Mi sto innamorando di te. — I’m falling in love with you.

23. Siamo fatti l’uno per l’altra. — We’re made for each other.

24. Voglio rimanere con te per sempre! — I want to stay with you forever!

25. Mi hai cambiato la vita. — You changed my life.

26. Sono pazzo/pazza di te. — I’m crazy about you.

27. Sei bellissimo. / Sei bellissima. — You’re very beautiful.

If you’re addressing a man, use sei bellissimo, but if you’re addressing a woman it’s sei bellissima. Recall that many Italian adjectives are modified according to gender, usually ending with either o (male) or a (female).

28. Sei cosi seducente. — You’re quite seductive.

29. Sei sexy. — You’re sexy.

30. Sei la mia vita. — You’re my life.

31. Ti amo. — I love you.

This can be said to family members, friends and also of course to lovers. The base verb is amare  (to love).

You can increase your enthusiasm by saying “Ti amo tanto”  (I love you so much) and it doesn’t sound as suspiciously qualifying as its corollary often does in English.

32. Ti voglio bene — I love you. / I’m fond of you.

This phrase literally means: “I want you well.”

You can increase it to ti voglio tanto bene . There are also text abbreviation versions that are commonly used for signing off on a chat over WhatsApp (more common than SMS in Italy): tvb or tvtb.

Beware, however, that qualifying this phrase with a “but” generally marks the end of all romantic possibility: Ti voglio bene, ma… — I love you very much, but…

33. Ti lovvo. — I love you.

This is a popular anglicism.

34. Ti adoro. — I adore you. / I love you.

This is from the verb adorare  and is considered a very sweet and feminine thing to say; it’s also used between female friends.

35. Mi ecciti. — You’re turning me on.

The base verb is eccitare , and it can be confusing, particularly for Americans who love to talk about how excited they always are. The verb and adjective ( eccitato / eccitata ) often have a sexual meaning.

If you don’t want to express a sexual desire, use felice  (happy) instead.

36. Sono pazzo di te. — I’m crazy for you.

37. Io e te per sempre. — You and me forever.

38. Mi manchi. — I miss you.

As in English, this can be a way of expressing your affection when at a distance.

It’s very important to note that subjects and objects are used with this verb in a way that’s opposite to English. That is, mi manchi literally translates as something like “you cause me to feel a lacking.”

And if you say ti manco , you’re arrogantly proclaiming “you miss me.”

Here are three terms of affection (equivalent to saying “darling”) for family, close friends or lovers: amore , tesoro  and (used especially in the south) gioia . Literally, they translate as “love,” “treasure” and “joy,” respectively.

Compliments in Italian

39. Sei stupendo/stupenda. — You’re gorgeous.

40. Sei molto simpatico/simpatica. — You’re so nice.

41. Sei molto intelligente. — You’re so smart.

42. Hai dei bellissimi occhi. — You have beautiful eyes.

Other Romantic Italian Phrases

These longer poetic phrases might impress your sweetheart: 

46. Sei la persona più importante con cui vorrei condividere il resto della mia vita.

Meaning: You’re the most important person with whom I would like to share the rest of my life.

47. Sei il tesoro più prezioso che ho trovato e che vorrei custodire per sempre.

Meaning: You’re the most precious treasure that I’ve found and that I would like to take care of forever.

48. Io e te tre metri sopra il cielo.

Meaning: You and I three meters above the heavens.

This is a line from a cheesy film. The film and the book it was based on (by Federico Moccia) are titled “Tre Metri Sopra il Cielo,” and the film was released in English as “Three Steps Over Heaven.”

Couples have scrawled the line along with their names in graffiti all over Italy.

Talking (or Gossiping) About Love and Sex in Italy

If there’s one thing that’s even more popular than proclaiming one’s romantic intentions, it’s commenting on the romantic attempts of others. Here’s the vocabulary you’ll need to do that:

• È bravo / a con le romanticherie.  — He/she is good at saying sweet nothings.
• Sdolcinatezze — Another word for romanticherie , these are possibly a bit more exaggerated sweet nothings.
• Fare l’amore — To make love
• Fare sesso — To have sex
• Innamorarsi di — To fall in love with
• Colpo di fulmine — Lovestruck; love at first sight (literally, “strike of lightning”
• Amore proibito — Forbidden love
• Innamorato cotto — Completely, crazy in love; a crush
• Lei è cotta di lui. — She has a crush on him.
• Follemente innamorato / innamorata  — Crazily in love
• Perdutamente innamorato — Lost in love
• Relazione sentimentale / relazione amorosa  — A romantic relationship
• È la mia ragazza. — She’s my girlfriend.

Literally, you’re saying “She’s my girl,” but the mia transforms the word ragazza into an indication of romantic status (girlfriend).

If your love-muffin is male, say È il mio ragazzo. (He’s my boyfriend.)

• È il mio compagno. / È la mia compagna.  — He’s my partner./She’s my partner.

This is a more mature way to indicate relationship status.

• Mio fidanzato / mia fidanzata  — My fiancé/fiancée or my boyfriend/girlfriend

This word doesn’t necessarily indicate a pending marriage is in the works, but it does mean a serious, stable relationship.

• Marito / moglie  — Husband/wife

Pet Names in Italian

Italian terms of endearment can make someone feel special and turn ordinary phrases into poetic expressions. Here are a few basic terms you can use:

• Tesoro — Darling

Buongiorno, tesoro! (Good morning, darling!)

• Stella — Star

Rendi pallida a confronto la luna, stella mia. (You make the moon pale by comparison, my star.)

• Cuore mio — My heart

Cuore mio, ti adoro. (My heart, I adore you.)

• Amore mio — My love

• Bellissima — Beautiful

Dove ti piacerebbe andare stasera, bellissima? (Where would you like to go tonight, beautiful?)

• La mia dolce metà — My better half

Understanding Italian Romance

Now, a few words on Italian romance. It’s important to remember that not everyone from a certain place is always a certain way, but there are some major things you need to know. 

L’uomo è cacciatore (The man is the hunter) is a phrase you’ll often hear. Italian men are expected to pursue their interest over a long period of time (months, even!) during which time women are expected to be “good” and rebuff the advances.

Yes, it’s a sexist, self-defeating system, but Italians (both men and women) have often argued to me that it’s just so romantic.

Given how complicated all this is, Italians themselves often have trouble starting up a relationship with each other, and there’s a bit of a cliché of couples forming when Italians are on vacation, far from the watchful eyes of their home environments.

Homosexual love can be even more complicated; it’s respected to a certain extent, but there’s still a strong expectation that one should hide this sort of love. Attitudes are slowly improving, particularly in larger cities and in the north. Polyamory isn’t widely known or accepted.

When it comes to foreigners, Italians love it when foreigners speak (or even mangle) their language. Even if you’re saying something cheesy, do it with bravado, in good fun and with a twinkle in your eye—and your imperfect accent and bewildered foreigner status may just work in your favor.

You can see examples of the situations above in Italian media. FluentU has a vast collection of media clips that can give you insight into native speaker interactions.

 

 

That’s all I’ve got for you for now, tesori (darlings)!

I should probably admit that in my decade-plus experience with il flirt (flirting) in Italian, non sono mai riuscito ad andare oltre le poesie (I’ve never succeeded in going beyond poetry).

But it’s been a heck of a lot of fun. I hope you’ll enjoy it as well.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)