You could make the word even more sdolcinato by complementing it with the suffix -ino. Usually, that isn’t a good sign. Unconventional language hacking tips from Benny the Irish polyglot; travelling the world to learn languages to fluency and beyond! The word “tesoro” can also be used to describe an artistic masterpiece. Imagine nibbling on a soft, rich and bold Tiramisu, it’s sweet yet tantalizing. It might be a regional nickname based on where your boyfriend’s family is from. This can be an advantage as well as a disadvantage. The word “caro” or “cara” is one of the most common terms of endearment. These endearments are a perfect melange of love and affection, sprinkled with romantic accents. It means “treasure,” and is one of the few that remains masculine no matter who is being addressed. Be careful, though, because both could be offensive depending on your tone and the situation. From vegetables to animals, mommies around the world use an assortment of endearments for their bundles of joy. Italians love terms of endearment that are literally pet names. There are two main ways to say “girlfriend” and “boyfriend” in Italian: ragazzo/a or fidanzato/a. Italian is one of the most romantic languages in the world―be it its dulcet tone or lyrical nature, or its quintessential dramatic cadence, it’s mellifluousness will enchant you. They might shorten Michele to “Mike”, or Massimo to “Max”. When it comes to nicknames, their favorite source is… English! When you use the masculine version of the word, however, it’s a term of endearment for a man. I am visiting Tuscany now and will move on to Florence in a few days! It’s also a word used between sweethearts. How do you say “sweetheart” in Italian? Here are some of the most common: The first is used for boys who are 10 or under while … pah|tah|TEE|noh, pah|tah|TEE|nah KAH|roh, KAH|rah Would you like to write for us? (Unrelated, I loved that one of the suggested English translations for “passerotto” on WordReference.com is “lambkin.” Pretty sure I haven’t heard that one in a good long while. If you dig into the Italian language, you might learnabout compa, which is short for compagno and can be translated as “buddy”, and compare (“homie”). And we’re always taking suggestions on future topics for the Italy Blogging Roundtable! As always with language learning, it is good to get the hang of the local sayings before throwing around words you’re not too sure of. I don’t know that it would be a term of endearment, though. As colorful as Italian is, though, the language is replete with many more words than can indicate friendship or love. Here are some terms of affection from the sweet tongue. Plus, stick around until the end, because I will show you how to create your own DIY Italian nicknames! KOO|cho|loh, KOO|cho|lah Discover love poems, messages, letters, quotes, insights and more for every relationship and occasion. As you know, last names are popular nickname material, and it’s common among youth to shorten them. All three words mean “nickname”, but soprannome is the most formal one and usually refers to abbreviated names, nomignolo would be “pet name”, and vezzeggiativo often describe diminutive nicknames. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. My Grandfather I know was from Calabria. When talking about your beloved with someone else, you can refer to them as il mio lui (literally “my him”) if he is a man, and la mia lei (literally “my her”) if she is a woman. It’s between marito (“husband”) and moglie (“wife”) that terms of endearment get more refined and accurate – after a long time living together, you’re bound to know your other half better than anyone else. “Piccola” feels more appropriate for children. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Italians love to abbreviate names and words to create nicknames, of which raga’ is an example. (Part [...], There are so many benefits to learning a second language… and I’ve come up with 17! Making mistakes is a fundamental part of every cognitive process, whether solving a math problem, making important decisions, or trying to convey meaning in a foreign language. frah|goh|LEE|nah In fact, tesoro – literally translated as “treasure” in English – is the equivalent of “darling” in Italian. Copyright © Love Bondings & Buzzle.com, Inc. Fun fact: Italians have dubbed the French people i cugini francesi (“our cousins, the French”), a friendlier version of i vicini Francesi (“our neighbors, the French”). Thank you! How to express love and affection in Italian. It is potent enough to make someone’s heart beat faster. It’s perfect pairedwith a blown kiss to your partner. In some places, nonnetto/a might come across as affectionate while in others it would mean “old man/woman”. Italians are big fans of soccer and sports in general, so they’ve taken the habit of calling their friends by their surnames like they do with sports players. little mouse, Mickey Mouse If you want to learn Italian, then you must know it’s a language full of passion and love. When learning Arabic, I decided to record my entire day of learning the language on camera. These cookies do not store any personal information. If Bruno Mars sang in Italian, then the title of one of his songs would actually mean “darling”. baby sparrow Let me know in the comments! It’s time to get creative. I’m so thankful I know all of you wonderful women! Get in touch with us and we'll talk... Gone are the days when a ‘dear’ or ‘honey’ would tickle your special one 14 shades of pink. By adding mio or mia after caro/a, you will get the Italian equivalent of “my dear”: caro mio/cara mia. Other members of the family also have their own terms of endearment. A good friend is a “buon amico” (buon amica) or “grande amico” (grande amica), your best friend is your “migliore amico” (migliore amica), and a close friend is an “amico intimo” (amica intima). Time for the final update on Lauren's 6-week-challenge! Lest you go on thinking that all adorable food words were leaving beloved grown men out, I’m here to reward you with the final entry on this list – “polpetto.” Now, the word “polpetta” (the feminine version) means “meatball,” which – yes – Italians do eat, just not on top of spaghetti. Italian can be likened to a sweet flowing cascade of champagne―it’s elegant and seamlessly pleasurable. Italian boasts of a cornucopia of endearments - from flies to fruits to vegetables to animals, nobody can beat the Italians when it comes to showering love. The suffix -ino/a is the most common Italian diminutive suffix, but it is not the only one. dear, expensive, costly By: Sarah Fader Updated February 14, 2020. little boy/girl (diminutive) Both humans and animals learn to live and live to learn. The Italian word for “dear” is caro/a. Another term that’s often used by parents about children is “cucciolo,” which literally means “puppy.” (Similarly, “gattino/a” – meaning “kitten” – is also sometimes used in this way.) There are many nomignoli (“nicknames”) for the people you appreciate or love. PRODUCTS • ABOUT BENNY • MEET BENNY • CONTACT • SPEAK IN A WEEK • LANGUAGE HACKING BOOKS • PRIVACY POLICY, Fun-loving Irish guy, full-time globe trotter and international bestselling author. Little did I know then what strong ties those would become. Enrich your vocabulary and spice up your interactions with Italian nicknames such as paperotto/a (“little duck”), gioia (“joy”), and piccolo/a (“little one”). Sometimes, elder women affectionately considered as aunts or grandmothers are dubbed tata (“nanny”) or tatina by little children. What’s more, making mistakes and learning from them is not simply a human skill. And I’m also talking about terms of endearment. You could say dolcezza, meaning “sweetness”, to a woman, or tesoro to a man. But the first is rather obsolete and the second is old-fashioned. I’ve not heard that term, Barbara. There are only a few more tender nicknames than calling your other half cuore mio (“my heart”), but perhaps none of them are as romantic. Pet names for siblings always tend to be more creative and humorous than any others. Check out what my amiche are talking about this month! Some of them are cute in either Italian or English, while others would likely be considered insults if translated into English. So, for this month’s Italy Roundtable theme of FRIENDSHIP, I’m sending a big virtual hug to Alexandra, Georgette, Gloria, Kate, Laura, Melanie, Michelle, and Rebecca. Lovers often aim to impress their other half with luxury treats. She was first generation American/Italian. I should also mention that apparently “patatina” has a more vulgar connotation (think, “grab ’em by the…,” or those pink cat-ear hats millions of American women have been knitting), which would probably be clear from the context, but you might want to be careful about how you use it. Instead, Italians prefer to address each other as if they were part of a big family. In the animal world, avoiding blunders may dramatically improve one’s chances of survival. We hope you are enjoying LoveBondings! There are two ways to say “I love you” in Italian: ti amo and ti voglio bene. I’m also not certain where her parents originated. Using ti voglio bene does not mean that you love the person less than if you told them ti amo, it’s connotation is just more affectionate than romantic. My Italian boyfriend often calls me “argentieri,” but I can’t find anything online other than meanings related to silversmithing haha. In Italy you will hear people referring to one another using the word “caro” for a man and “cara” for a woman. Italian is, in the true sense of the word, a Romance language―it is an offspring of Latin, which was spoken in many parts of Europe.