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With Valentine’s Day just around the corner (and because Italian is, after all, one of the most romantic languages in the world according to this list, this list and ALSO this list, there is no better time to learn the vocabulary and phrases you’ll need to successfully navigate a romantic candlelit dinner with your lover.
Grab your chocolate and roses, and get ready to celebrate Valentine’s Day (La Festa degli innamorati) Italian style!
(P.S. If you’re looking for less romance and just want to know how to talk about what you love to do, here’s the article for you.)
First things first, you’re going to need some pet names (nomignoli) with which you can affectionately beckon your lover when he or she comes to pick you up for your date.
You can try:
– Tesoro mio – My treasure
– Cuore mio – My heart
– Amore mio – My love
– Caro/cara – Dear
However, according to this website, these pet names “sono ‘out.’” You can click on that link if you’re looking for something more original to call your sweetheart, like, perhaps, pulcino/a (little chick), biscottino (little biscuit).
So, you get into the Fiat with your biscottino and you’re on your way to a fancy restaurant. But what did he or she bring you?
Perhaps one of the following:
– Un mazzolino di fiori – A bouquet of flowers
– Un mazzolino di rose – A bouquet of roses
> Or even more specifically, una dozzina di rose rosse – A dozen of red roses
– Un pensierino – A little gift (literally a little thought)
– Una scatola di cioccolatini – A box of chocolates
– I gioielli – Jewelry
> Una collana – A necklace
>Un anello – A ring
> Un bracciale – A bracelet
You can thank him or her by saying…
– Grazie tesoro mio, la collana è bellissima! Sei così premuroso/a. – Thank you my treasure, the necklace is beautiful! You’re so thoughtful.
You could also add…
– La guarderò ogni giorno, pensando a te. – I will stare at it every day and think of you.
Once you’re sitting at the restaurant, gazing into each other’s eyes over heaping plates of spaghetti alla carbonara, you’ll need something to say.
Here’s a list of 25 really romantic phrases you can use to melt your lover’s heart.
– Sono attratto/a da te. – I’m attracted to you.
– Ti amo. – I love you (romantically).
> You can add tanto or molto to the end of the phrase to express a LOT of love.
– Sei la mia anima gemella. – You are my soul mate.
> You probably shouldn’t use this one on the first date.
– Voglio passare il resto della mia vita con te. – I want to spend the rest of my life with you.
> This one either.
– Mi vuoi sposare? – Will you marry me?
> Or the more informal, Sposami!
– Mi sono infatuato/a di te. – I’m infatuated with you.
– Mi hai cambiato la vita. – You changed my life.
– Sei bellissimo/a. – You are beautiful.
– Ho un debole per te. – I’m weak for you.
– Sei l’unico/a per me. – You’re the only one for me.
– Non posso vivere senza di te. — I can’t live without you.
– Sei tutto per me. – You’re everything to me.
– Sono pazzo/a di te. – I’m crazy about you.
– Sei l’uomo/la donna dei miei sogni. – You’re the man/woman of my dreams.
– Sei il grande amore della mia vita. – You are the love of my life.
– Voglio invecchiare con te. – I want to grow old with you.
– Nei tuoi occhi c’è il cielo. – Heaven is in your eyes.
– Da quando ti conosco la mia vita è un paradiso. – Since I met you my life is a paradise.
– Dammi un bacio. – Give me a kiss.
– Ti voglio sempre al mio fianco. – I want you always by my side.
– Sono innamorato/a di te. – I’m in love with you.
– Potrei guardarti tutto il giorno. – I could look at you all day.
– Ti penso ogni giorno. – I think about you every day.
Want to download this card? Click here for the printable PDF version.
Sei il sole della mia vita. – You are the sun in my life.
Want to download this card? Click here for the printable PDF version.
Il mio cuore batte solo per te. – My heart beats only for you.
Want to download this card? Click here for the printable PDF version.
Click here to download all of the printable cards, including these styles below.
Want to share your Italian date story with The Iceberg Project or have some romantic phrases of your own to contribute? Comment below!
I’m really trying to melt my lovers heart, we been together for 6yrs and this past year has been tuff. And it’s my fault. confusion, dishonesty, not able to express myself, and just not being there for her!!! I know that now, and she has a love for the Italian language and im gonna try to melt her heart and learn the language myself. It’s a shame that it took us to be apart to realize that she’s everything I ever wanted in a woman. Her look melts me, I get lost for words and dizzy. I want to give her all of me and more. Our love was very passionate and I aim to find that again and never look back! I want to see that look on her face again after I lay one on her, a look of wow this man just did this to me and ooooo how I love this gorgeous man! I want her to feel that again for me. So with the help of the iceberg project, “I aim to PLEASE”. Thank you so very much for giving me this opportunity to get the love of my life back into my life!!!
Prego. 🙂 I hope it works out!
john mitchell you are a legend!
Awwww…
Awwww…that’s sweet
hi. im dating this beautiful girl from italy and today is her birthday so i thought mmm what can i do to make her at least a little bit happy and then i realized oh wow i can be cheesy, for the first time in my life, and say stuff to her in italian. i mean,,,,,,,,, she made fun of my pronunciation but i still love her to the moon and back. i have never been so in love with anyone else in my whole life and i really think she is The One for me. so, i just wanted to say thank you for putting this out there because its really cute and it helped me and my gf to have a nice time for a few minutes. thank you thank you thank you. i cant wait to marry her. grazie
How wonderful! SO happy the site helped! <3
Here is another…
E più ti penso e più mi manchi – the more I think of you, the more I miss you.(Awwww)
For the ladies who are in between loves, go to youtube,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOriYcpXFXo
(IL VOLO “Più ti penso” @Pescara HD ) Ignazio, Piero and Gianluca will melt your heart if you have any pulse at all! (Hearing them in person brings you to another dimension. Meeting them even more. They are the sweetest guys! They are still on their European tour if you are in Italy now.
For the guys, you can “borrow” other lines from the song. The Italian as well as the English translation are readily available online.
Grazie! Great suggestions!
Hey, tell me you’re not taken….pleaseeeeeee
I am looking for “The Giving Plate” poem in Italian for a dear Italian friend but can’t find it. Could you possibly send it to me? My deepest appreciation!
Ciao Candy, I don’t have a translation, but you can always contact a translator or check out amazon.it! Good luck!
I love my sugar pie somuch he is Italian am afrikan from Kenya though he knows English but I want to know his culture and how to prepare Italian food
I love Italian language so much
Us too! 🙂
Love this cara
Grazie!
Ti amo..mahal ko rio.
worked really on my phd coworker. 10/10 would recomendo
I learned so much about pasta and the mafia. He can be my tony soprano any day or night.
I’m from bagheria sicily and we definitely know the language of love.