85 terms of endearment and ways to say I love you in Italian

We all know that love breaks all barriers, including communication ones – it’s a universal language. However, if you have an Italian partner or are just learning this beautiful language and want to find out how to say I love you in Italian, you’ve come to the right place.

French usually takes first place on the list of the most romantic languages amongst the Romance languages and even overall. But believe me, Italian is a serious contender to the throne, with a great richness in expressing love and affection.

We've created a beautiful Italian Essentials e-book to help you learn some basic Italian words and phrases. Download it here! Or, you can celebrate love everyday and download our free desktop wallpaper.

Here are some reasons to learn how to say I love you in Italian.

Couple sharing pizza is a way to say I love you in Italian.

1. Surprise your Italian partner or friends

If you have an Italian partner, or you’re just planning a trip to Italy with your better half, telling them you love them in Italian would be such a nice surprise. And so romantic!

Of course, we’ll not only be talking about romantic love, after reading this article you’ll also be able to surprise your friends by telling them how much you value their presence in your life.

2. To talk about Italian food!

Who doesn’t love Italian food? By learning vocab on love in Italian, you’ll also master the art of expressing your appreciation for the chef’s skills.

If you’re planning to go to Italy, or you’ve just been invited for dinner by an Italian friend, saying how much you love the tagliolini is a great skill to have.

3. It’s fun, new vocab!

As we always say, learning a foreign language should always be approached as a pleasure, not a duty!

So go on and think about ways you could use this love-related vocab in your daily life. You could tell the barista in your local coffee shop they’re the best at making espresso, or compliment an Italian colleague on their outfit.

And of course, if you’re a language learner expanding your vocab is always a good idea, no matter what you’re learning Italian for.

In the tables below, you’ll not only find romantic phrases to express love, and even I like you in Italian, but you’ll also find a column with the phonetic transcription of these expressions so that you can practice your pronunciation while reading.

We’ve also chosen some Italian songs about love to share with your fellow learners, and explained the most common Italian sayings related to love.

Let’s get started!


How to say I love you in Italian

To say I love you in Italian, we use the verb amare (to love). Let’s explore how to conjugate this verb:

PronounVerb: AmarePronunciation
ioamoah-moh
tuamiah-mee
lui / leiamaah-mah
noiamiamoah-myah-moh
voiamateah-mah-teh
loroamanoah-mah-noh

So, the most common way of saying “I love you” in Italian is ti amo. “TI” here is a direct object pronoun. If you want to change the object of your love, then you simply need to change the object pronoun.

  • Io ti amo. (I love you.)
  • Io mi amo. (I love me.)
  • Io lo/la amo. (I love him/ her), etc.

You can also put the object of your love after the verb. In this case, you’re emphasizing who or what you love.

  • Io amo te. (I love you.)
  • Io amo la pizza. (I love pizza.)
  • Io amo i film francesi. (I love French movies.), etc.

To a boyfriend, girlfriend or romantic love

Young couple make their romance official by saying I love you in Italian and sharing their photo on social media.

Now that we know how the main verb for “love” works, let’s find out how to express romantic love in Italian. Here are some of the most common ways to say I love you to a boyfriend or girlfriend.

We’ve also added some extra expressions you might want to use to express your love.

EnglishItalianPronunciation
I love youTi amoTee ah-moh
I love you tooAnch’io ti amoAhn-kee-oh tee ah-moh
I love you so muchTi amo così tantoTee ah-moh coh-see taan-toh
I love you moreIo ti amo di piùEe-oh tee ah-moh dee pyooh
I love you mostTi amo troppoTee ah-moh troh-poh
I love you a lotTi amo tantoTee ah-moh taan-toh
I love you foreverTi amerò per sempreTee ah-meh-roh pehr sem-preh
I love you very muchTi amo tantissimoTee ah-moh taan-teess-see-moh
I love you with all my heartTi amo con tutto il cuoreTee ah-moh con toot-toh eel kwoh-reh
I love you, my loveTi amo, amoreTee ah-moh ah-moh-reh
I love you handsomeTi amo, bellissimoTee ah-moh bell-leess-see-moh
I love you beautifulTi amo, bellissimaTee ah-moh bell-leess-see-mah
I love you more than life itselfTi amo più della mia vitaTee ah-moh pyooh dell-lah mee-ah vee-tah
I love you more than anythingTi amo più di qualsiasi cosaTee ah-moh pyooh dee kwal-see-ah-see coh-zah
I still love youTi amo ancoraTee ah-moh ahn-koh-rah
I think I love youPenso di amartiPenn-soh dee ah-maar-tee
I’m crazy about youSono pazzo/a di teSoh-no pah-tso/tsa dee teh
I’m head over heels for youSono follemente innamorato/a di teSoh-noh foll-leh-mehn-te een-nah-moh-rah-toh/tah dee teh
I adore youTi adoroTee ah-doh-roh
I’ve fallen for youMi sono innamorata/o di teMee soh-no een-nah-moh-rah-toh/tah dee teh
I’m yoursSono tuo/aSoh-noh too-oh/ah
Love of my lifeAmore della mia vitaAh-moh-reh dell-lah mee-ah vee-tah
I miss youMi manchiMee mahn-kee
I always think of youTi penso sempreTee penn-soh sehm-preh
I can’t wait to see youHo voglia di vedertiOh voh-lyah dee veh-dehr-tee
You’re in my thoughtsSei nei miei pensieriSeh-ee nehy myeh-ee penn-syeh-ree
I fell in love with youMi sono innamorato/a di teMee soh-no een-nah-moh-rah-toh/tah dee teh
I am in love with youSono innamorato/a di teSoh-no een-nah-moh-rah-toh/tah dee teh


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Terms of endearment in Italian

Here’s a list of endearing terms you can use with your Italian partner from the most romantic to some funny options!

EnglishItalianPronunciation
My loveAmore (mio)Ah-moh-reh mee-oh
My treasureTesoro (mio)Teh-zoh-roh mee-oh
DearCaro/acah-roh/rah
BabyBabybeh-bee
Little loveAmorinoah-moh-ree-noh
Little potatoPatatino/apah-tah-te-noh
BeautifulBellissimo/abell-lee-see-moh/mah
MeatballPolpettapoll-pet-tah
SugarZuccherinodzoo-keh-ree-noh
DollBambolabahm-boh-lah
PuppyCucciolo/acooch-choh-loh

If these terms of endearment in Italian tickle your fancy, you’re probably also going to enjoy our article which features some fun vocabulary words for Italian slang for dating, here.

To a friend, family member or platonic love

Mother kisses her daughter to say I love you in Italian.

Of course, love is not just about romantic relationships. To express love to a family member, pet animal or close friend we have a special expression in Italian: “ti voglio bene” (literally, I want you well).

In this case, “Ti” is an indirect object pronoun.

EnglishItalianPronunciation
I love you momTi voglio bene, mammaTee vo-lyo beh-ne, mam-mah
I love you dadTi voglio bene, papàTee vo-lyo beh-ne, pah-pàh
I love you grandmaTi voglio bene, nonnaTee vo-lyo beh-ne, nohn-nah
I love you grandpaTi voglio bene nonnoTee vo-lyo beh-ne, nohn-noh
I love you allVi voglio beneVee vo-lyo beh-ne
I love you guysVi voglio bene, ragazziVee vo-lyo beh-ne, rah-gah-tsee
I love you best friendTi voglio bene, amico/a mio/aTee vo-lyo beh-ne, ah-mee-coh/cah mee-oh/ah
I love you as a friendTi voglio bene come amico/aTee vo-lyo beh-ne coh-meh ah-mee-coh/cah
I love you a lotTi voglio un mondo di beneTee vo-lyo oon mon-doh dee beh-ne
You’re important to meSei importante per meSeh-ee eem-porr-tahn-th pehr meh

Of course, you can also tell your family members and pets ti amo if you’re feeling extra emotional and want to express all your love!

How to say I like you in Italian

What if you have a friend, who is not quite just a friend, and you’d like to be a bit flirty, and tell them you like them?

Here are some useful expressions to say I like you in Italian.

EnglishItalianPronunciation
I like youMi piaciMee pyah-chee
I like you a lotMi piaci moltoMee pyah-chee moll-toh
I really like youMi piaci davveroMee pyah-chee dahv-veh-roh
I like you tooAnche tu mi piaciAhn-keh too mee pyah-chee
I want to see youHo voglia di vedertiOh voh-llya dee veh-derr-tee
I like everything about youMi piace tutto di teMee pyah-che toot-toh dee teh
Will you go out with me?Vuoi uscire con me?Voo-oh-ee ooh-shee-reh conn meh
Can I kiss you?Posso baciarti?Poss-soh bah-charr-tee
I would like to kiss you.Vorrei baciarti.Vohr-reh-ee bah-charr-tee
You’re beautifulSei bellissimo/aSeh-ee bell-lee-see-moh/mah
I would like to know you moreVorrei conoscerti meglioVohr-reh-ee coh-noh-sherr-tee meh-llyoh
I admire youTi ammiroTee ahm-mee-roh
You’re a special personSei una persona specialeSeh-ee ooh-nah pehrr-soh-nah speh-cha-leh
You’re the man / woman of my dreamsSei l’uomo/ la donna dei miei sogniSeh-ee loo-oh-moh/lah donn-nah deh-ee myeh-ee soh-ñee
Only you understand meSolo tu mi capisciSoh-loh too mee cah-pee-shee
I have a crush on youHo una cotta per teOh oo-nah cot-tah pehrr teh
I’d do anything for youFarei di tutto per teFah-reh-ee dee toot-toh pehrr teh
I don’t want to lose youNon voglio perdertiNon voh-llyo pehrr-derr-tee
Don’t forget about meNon dimenticarti di meNon dee-men-tee-cahr-tee dee meh
You make me dreamMi fai sognareMee fah-ee so-ñah-reh

You might also need to learn how to say hi in Italian in a few different ways, if you’re breaking the ice with a new friend.


Will you marry me in Italian

Couple get engaged and say I love you forever in Italian.

If you’ve found your soulmate, and all you need is to make sure he or she will be with you forever, here are some great Italian expressions.

EnglishItalianPronunciation
Will you marry me?Mi vuoi sposare?Mee voo-oh-ee spoh-zah-reh
I want to spend my life with youVoglio passare la mia vita con teVoh-llyo pass-sah-reh lah mee-ah vee-tah con teh
You’re my soulmateSei la mia anima gemellaSeh-ee lah mee-ah ah-nee-mah jeh-mell-lah
Will you stay with me forever?Vuoi stare con me per sempre?Voo-oh-ee stah-reh con meh pehrr sehm-preh
Without you, life has no meaningSenza di te, la mia vita non ha sensoSehn-tsa dee teh lah mee-ah vee-tah non ah senn-soh
My heart is yoursIl mio cuore è tuoEel mee-oh kwoh-reh eh too-oh
You’re my sweet halfSei la mia dolce metàSeh-ee lah mee-ah doll-che meh-tàh
You’re the man/woman of my lifeSei l’uomo/ la donna dell mia vitaSeh-ee loo-oh-moh dell-ah mee-ah vee-tah
I will love you foreverTi amerò per sempreTee ah-meh-roh pehrr sehm-preh


Italian love songs

Claudio Baglioni - Questo Piccolo Grande Amore

Listen to the 70’s classic “Questo piccolo grande amore” by Claudio Baglioni if you’re in a melancholic/romantic mood. It won’t disappoint you!

Giorgia - Come Saprei

For a 90s sound, listen to Giorgia’s “Come saprei”.

Franco Battiato - La Cura

Battiato’s “La cura is not only a great Italian classic, it is also THE love song!

Michele Bravi - Mantieni il bacio

If you want a more recent song, here’s Michele Bravi, a talented young Italian artist.


Romantic sayings and proverbs in Italian

Here’s some popular Italian wisdom on love for you. Is it different from your country?

EnglishItalian
For love’s pain, you suffer but do not die.Delle pene d’amore, si tribola e non si muore.
Love is not without bitterness.Amore non è senza amaro.
Love isn’t beautiful if there are no little arguments.L’amore non è bello se non è litigarello.
Unlucky at gambling, lucky in love.Sfortunato al gioco, fortunato in amore.
Old love does not rust.Amor vecchio non fa ruggine.
Love is blind.L’amore è cieco.


Spread the love!

Now you know how to express affection and love for the people and beings around you in Italian.

All you have to do now is go out and spread the love in Italian... or any language, for that matter!

And if you loved this Italian blog vocabulary article? Check out more of our fun and free resources on our learning Italian blog here.

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