Beautiful in Italian – 16 ways to say beautiful in Italian!

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Beautiful in Italian – How do I say it?

Being Italy a country rich in beauty and culture, many things can be described as beautiful… But how do I say Beautiful in Italian?

In this article, we’ll see how you can say it in various way… Let’s see them!

The most common word to say beautiful in Italian is “bello”.

Bello is one of the most used adjectives to say beautiful in Italian. 

It describes people, animals and things that you consider pleasant to the eye, more than pretty or nice, very enjoyable and it translates directly with beautiful.

Here you will not only learn how to use the adjective bello, but  also many ways to say beautiful in Italian, that will bring your vocabulary to the next level and step up your game!

Ways to say beautiful in Italian

  • bello (bellissimo, molto bello)
  • attraente 
  • affascinante
  • delizioso
  • incantevole 
  • stupendo
  • fantastico
  • magnifico
  • splendido
  • straordinario
  • favoloso
  • incredibile
  • carino
  • un capolavoro
  • uno spettacolo
  • spettacolare 

Now that you have a list of the most common adjectives to say beautiful in Italian, let’s see how to use them correctly.

Bello

First of all, bello is is the most common way to say beautiful in Italian. It is an adjective: this means that it changes depending on the number(singular or plural) and gender(masculine or feminine) of the noun it refers to.

Take a look at this table:

 SingularPlural
MasculineBello/ bel /bell’Bei/ begli/belli
FeminineBella/bell’Belle

Contrary to English, in Italian adjectives usually come after the noun.

  • un ragazzo bello
  • una donna bella
  • i bambini belli
  • le persone belle

Starting with the basis, we have bello, which is singular and masculine.

For example:
Un ragazzo bello – a beautiful boy
Sei proprio bello! – you are very handsome!

It may be used as a greeting between friends or family:

Ciao bello! – Hi handsome! or Hi bro!

Bello after a noun

Usually, in Italian, the adjective comes after the noun it refers to.

However, In the case of bello, it can come before or after a noun.

If placed before, depending on the noun, it slightly changes, to best accommodate the pronunciation and the sound of the phrase. It follows the same rule we use with definite articles, like so:

Bello

You use bello in front of a noun that starts with s + consonant, z, y, ps, pn, x or gn.
 For example:
bello scenario – beautiful scenery

Bel

Bello becomes bel (singular masculine)
For example:
bel ragazzo, bel cane – a beautiful boy, a beautiful dog

Bell’

Bell’ is used in front of a singular noun starting with a vowel, whether it is masculine or feminine.
For example:
bell’artista – a beautiful artist

Bella

Bella is used with feminine singular nouns or as an informal way of greeting between female friends:

For example:
Una ragazza bella – a beautiful girl
Ciao bella! – Hi beautiful!

Bell’

When placed in front of a noun, it stays the same, except in front of words starting with a vowel, where it drops the final “a”:

For example:
Che bella giornata – what a beautiful day
Una bell’isola – a beautiful island

Belli

It generally accompanies masculine plural nouns. It can be heard amongst youngsters as a form of greeting, similar to “bros”:

For example:
dei ragazzi belli – some beautiful boys
Ehi belli! – Hi there bros!

Begli

Before a noun it changes, following the definite articles rule, becoming:

Begli in front of a noun that starts with s + consonant, z, y, ps, pn, x or gn.
 For example:
begli scenari – beautiful sceneries

Bei

Bei (plural masculine) in all the other cases.
For example:
bei ragazzi, bei cani – some beautiful boys, some beautiful dogs

Belle

This is the feminine plural form of “bello”, it doesn’t change when placed in front of the noun it refers to:

For example:
Delle ragazze belle – some beautiful girls
Delle belle amiche – some beautiful friends

Più bello

Moving on, bello can be modified according to the degree of intensity: we saw its basic form, now we will deal with the comparative and superlative.

When comparing two things, situations or persons, and, in particular with the adjective, in Italian we use the formula:

“X è più bello di Y”, which literally translates into “X is more beautiful than Y”.

So, just by adding the particle “più”, you can build a comparative phrase. As you can see, this process works with all the normal adjectives, so keep it in mind, it could come in handy in other occasions!

Bellissimo and Molto bello

 SingularPlural
MasculineBellissimoBellissimi
FeminineBellissimaBellissime

Next, we can say very beautiful in Italian with the the superlative form of bello which is bellissimo: to construct the absolute superlative, you just need to add the suffix –issimo and you’re done! It translated into “very/extremely beautiful” in English. Of course, don’t forget that, being an adjective, it still needs to be adjusted to the noun that it accompanies:

È una canzone bellissima!
It’s a beautiful song 

However, similar to bellissimo, we have molto bello, which expresses the same meaning by adding the adverb molto (very) in front of the adjective. Bear in mind that this formula must always follow the noun it refers to, contrary to what we said before about the use of bello and bellissimo.

For example:
Oggi è una giornata molto bella.
Oggi è una bella giornata.

These phrases both translate as “Today it is a beautiful day”, but, please, take note of the position of the adjective: can you see the difference? While bello can go either before or after the noun, molto bello can only follow it!

More ways to say Beautiful in Italian

As anticipated before, now we will see more ways to say beautiful in Italian. Remember that all these synonyms might have slightly different meanings and nuances between them, but they are generally used as substitutes of bello in different contexts.

Attraente

This usually refers to a person, meaning that he or she is not only aesthetically pleasing, but has to them a sensual allure. As a matter of fact, often you could hear the phrase:

“è molto bello, ma non è per niente attraente” – he/she is beautiful but not at all attractive

meaning that their beauty is somehow cold and distant.

Affascinante

It is similar to attraente, so it used to describe a good-looking person that also possesses quite the charm, a charismatic character.

For example:
Trovava il mago alquanto affascinante. – She thought the magician quite charming.

However,  other adjectives that are frequently used to describe people (but also situations, things and places) are: delizioso, incantevole, meraviglioso and stupendo.

Delizioso and incantevole

They both denote a certain elegance and awe towards the addressee; they are usually referred to girls or women, their attire and appearance. Even an event or a situation can be described using these adjectives. Delizioso is often used referring to food.

For example:
Wow, quel vestito è delizioso su di te! – Wow, that dress looks stunning on you!
Che serata incantevole! – What a lovely night!
Questo dolce è delizioso! – This dessert is delicious!

Stupendo

I can’t help but sing this song in my head when I hear the word stupendo:

It is translated as gorgeous, wonderful, stupendous, marvelous, splendid.

For example:
Grazie per lo stupendo regalo! – Thank you so much for the wonderful gift!

Fantastico, magnifico, splendido and straordinario

These are often used in advertisement and TV language, to emphasize the products or concepts advertised even more. However, employed with the same hyperbolic function we have fantastico, magnifico, splendido and straordinario.
Here you will find some examples, to better understand how to use these adjectives:

In uscita il fantastico nuovo film di Gabriele Muccino. – Coming soon the new breathtaking movie by Gabriele Muccino.
La vista da quassù è meravigliosa. – The view from here is wonderful.
Visitate la magnifica Costiera Amalfitana! – Come visit the beautiful Amalfi Coast!
Non lasciatevi sfuggire questa offerta straordinaria! – Don’t miss out on this extraordinary offer!

Favoloso

This adjective comes from the word “favola”, which directly translates into “fairy-tale”, so when you refer to someone or something as favoloso, you’re actually saying that they are fabulous!

For example:
Adoro il tuo nuovo taglio di capelli, è favoloso! – I love your new haircut, it’s fabulous!

Incredibile

Similar to favoloso, there’s incredibile, which literally means “unbelievable”. In the context of beauty, it is used to say that something or someone it’s unbelievably, incredibly beautiful, gorgeous or amazing.

For example:
Lo spettacolo è stato incredibile! – The show was awesome!
Laura è incredibile! – Laura is amazing!

Carino

Carino is another term frequently used to indicate that something or someone is cute or nice, with a lesser degree of beauty compared to bello. However,  it can also signify that someone is being kind to you or displaying some polite and gentle manners, which in Italian can be called “carinerie”.

For example:
A: Ti piace Marco? – Do you fancy Marco?
B: È carino, ma non è il mio tipo. – He is cute, but he’s not my type.

A: Che  cane carino! – What a cute dog!
B: Si chiama Dug ed è un carlino. – It’s Dug and it’s a pug

Un capolavoro

You may find this expression referred to a piece of art, in general. It directly translates with “a masterpiece” and it is used with the same meaning, so when something, or someone, is just perfect and outstanding, it is a capolavoro!

For example:
Quel dipinto è un capolavoro! – That painting is a masterpiece!
Sei un capolavoro! – You are beautiful/handsome!

Uno spettacolo or spettacolare

If someone or something is very beautiful you can refer to it as uno spettacolo (”a show”), or describe it as spettacolare (spectacular).  

For example:
Roma è spettacolare! – Rome is spectacular!
Con quel vestito sei uno spettacolo! – You look spectacular with that dress on!

Conclusion

As you can see, I used different variations of the word beautiful, according to the context. With time and practice, you will learn which adjective works best with which nouns, paying attention to the nuances that each one of them beholds.

You just leaned all valid alternatives to the word beautiful in Italian. I know, there is a lot to memorize, but little by little it will come natural and easier to use them. Practice makes perfect, so go out there and start making nice compliments to Italians!

Andare Conjugation – Conjugate andare in all tenses!

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Andare Conjugation

Andare Conjugation is one of the most important things to learn in Italian, since andare translates to go (or to travel) and it’s used when you want to talk about movement from one point to another by any means of transport – on foot or else.

For example:

Vado a Roma in aereo, poi vado alla stazione in treno e vado a piedi all’hotel. 
I go to Rome by plane, then I go to the station by train and I go to the hotel by foot.

Because andare is irregular in many tenses, it is very important to learn how to conjugate andare, so you’ll feel more comfortable using it.

So… Andiamo! Let’s go!

Andare Conjugation – Modo Indicativo

First of all, let’s start by conjugating andare in the finite mood, indicative (indicativo) which is used to express certainty of an action. It has four simple tenses (made of one word) and four compound tenses (i.e. it’s made of two components: an auxiliary verb – essere or avere depending on the verb – and the past participle of the verb – participio passato). Each of these tenses indicate the time when the action, or event, takes place.

Andare in Presente

io vado I go
tu vai you go
lui/lei va he/she/it goes
noi andiamo we go
voi andate you go
loro vanno they go

For example:

Vado a scuola in autobus.
I go to school by bus.

Carla va dal dottore tutti i mesi.
Carla goes to the doctor every month.

Domani i tuoi amici vanno in pizzeria, vuoi andare anche tu?
Tomorrow your friends will go to a pizza place, do you also want to go?

As you can see from the last example, Italian uses the present tense to describe current actions, or events, but also to express future ones. However, you understand you are talking about something that will happen in the future thanks to the presence of time adverbs, in this case tomorrow (domani).

Andare in Passato Prossimo 

Furthermore, andare is an intransitive verb, as most movement verbs, meaning it cannot take a direct object and is used with essere in compound tenses (i.e. tenses with auxiliary essere or avere + past participle of the verb) such as passato prossimo (past tense). Its past participle is andato.

When you encounter a verb which requires essere as auxiliary verb, the past participle agrees with the subject of the sentence in number – singular or plural – and in gender – masculine or feminine – therefore you have four forms: andato (masculine singular), andata (feminine singular), andati (masculine plural), andate (feminine plural).

io sono andato/a I went/have gone
tu sei andato/a you went/have gone
lui/lei è andato/a he/she/it went/has gone
noi siamo andati/e we went/have gone
voi siete andati/e you went/have gone
loro sono andati/e they went/have gone

Use the conjugation of andare in passato prossimo to talk about something you have started and completed in the past. That’s usually an action, or event, which happened only once. For example:

Giulia, sei mai andata al mare in Italia?
Julia, have you ever gone to the beach in Italy?

Stamattina Marco è andato al bar a comprare le brioche.
This morning Marco went to the coffee shop to buy croissants.

Dove siete andate in vacanza tu e tua figlia quest’estate?
Where did you and your daughter go on vacation this summer?

Andare in Imperfetto 

io andavo I went/used to go
tu andavi you went/used to go
lui/lei andava he/she/it went/used to go
noi andavamo we went/used to go
voi andavate you went/used to go
loro andavano they went/used to go

Unlike passato prossimo, the imperfetto is used to talk about recurring or habitual actions of the past, or to describe something or someone of the past. You can even use this tense to describe what happened while another action was in progress.

For example:

Da bambina andavo sempre a giocare al parco.
As a child I always went to play at the park.

Bruno andava a casa di mia nonna dopo scuola.
Bruno used to go to my grandmother’s house after school.

Mentre andavo al supermercato, ho incontrato i miei colleghi.
While I was going to the supermarket, I met my colleagues.

Andare in Trapassato Prossimo

io ero andato / andata I had gone
tu eri andato / andata you had gone
lui/lei era andato / andata he/she/it had gone
noi eravamo andati / andate we had gone
voi eravate andati / andate you had gone
loro erano andati / andate they had gone

Trapassato prossimo is a compound tense used to describe an action which happened before another action happened in the past. Because of this, it’s rarely used by itself.

For example:

Erano già andati a casa, quando li hanno chiamati per tornare in ufficio.
They had already gone home when they called them to return to the office.

Non ero mai andata a teatro, prima di conoscerti.
I had never gone to the theatre, before I met you.

Andare in Passato Remoto 

io andai
tu andasti
lui/lei andò
noi andammo
voi andaste
loro andarono

Passato remoto is mostly used in formal written language, like school books or novels, when referring to an event happened in a distant past. Consequently, it’s barely used in spoken language (usually substituted by passato prossimo), so you just learn it in order to recognize it.

For example:

Nel 1777 LaFayette andò negli Stati Uniti.
In 1777 LaFayette went to the United States.

Andare in Trapassato Remoto

io fui andato/ andata
tu fosti andato/ andata
lui/lei fu andato/ andata
noi fummo andati/ andate
voi foste andati/ andate
loro furono andati/ andate

Trapassato remoto is used to talk about an action happened before another one in the past. Actually, you use it only if the other verb is conjugated in the passato remoto. For this reason, this is the less common tense in Italian.

Andare in Futuro Semplice

io andrò I will go
tu andrai you will go
lui/lei andrà he/she/it will go
noi andremo we will go
voi andrete you will go
loro andranno they will go

As you may notice, Italians tend to avoid using the future in favor of the present tense – if the context makes clear that you are talking about a future action. Nonetheless, you can use this tense also to talk about expectations, assumptions or uncertainty.

For example:

A settembre andremo/andiamo in vacanza in Sicilia.
In September we will go on vacation in Sicily.

Forse Lucia andrà a festeggiare dopo il suo diploma.
Maybe Lucia is going to celebrate after her diploma.

Andare in Futuro Anteriore

io  sarò andato / andata I will have gone
tu  sarai andato / andata you will have gone
lui/lei  sarà andato / lei sarà andata he/she/it will have gone
noi  saremo andati / andate we will have gone
voi  sarete andati / andate you will have gone
loro  saranno andati / andate they will have gone

The futuro anteriore is an uncommon tense, but you need it when you talk about a future action which will only occur after something else has happened. To clarify, the action that will take place first is in futuro anteriore, the one that follows in futuro semplice.

For example:

Ti inviterò a cena, appena i miei saranno andati in campagna.
I’ll invite you for dinner, as soon as my parents go to the countryside.

Andare Conjugation: Modo Congiuntivo

Secondly, there is the subjunctive mood, modo congiuntivo, of andare conjugation. This mood is used when you want to express doubts, opinions, wishes, hopes and hypotheses. It follows verbs that express these meanings (ex. volere, credere, sperare, pensare, etc.) or after certain conjunctions (ex. nonostante, benché, sebbene, a condizione che, etc.), and it rarely stands by itself. The congiuntivo has two simple and two compound tenses.

Here it is the modo congiuntivo of andare conjugation, ready?! Andiamo!

Andare in Congiuntivo Presente

(che) io  vada
(che) tu  vada
(che) lui/lei  vada
(che) noi  andiamo
(che) voi  andiate
(che) loro  vadano

For example:

Voglio che almeno oggi tu vada a casa presto.
I want that at least today you go home early.

Nonostante andiate sempre fuori a giocare, non siete mai stanchi.
Even if you always go out to play, you are never tired.

Andare in Congiuntivo Passato

(che) io  sia andato/andata
(che) tu  sia andato/andata
(che) lui/lei  sia andato/andata
(che) noi  siamo andati/andate
(che) voi  siate andati/andate
(che) loro  siano andati/andate

For example:

Tutti pensano che ieri siate andati a ballare.
Everyone thinks that you went dancing yesterday.

Andare in Congiuntivo Imperfetto 

(che) io  andassi
(che) tu  andassi
(che) lui/lei  andasse
(che) noi  andassimo
(che) voi  andaste
(che) loro  andassero

For example:

Temevo i tuoi amici non andassero più via.
I was afraid your friend would never leave.

Andare in Congiuntivo Trapassato

(che) io  fossi andato/andata
(che) tu  fossi andato/andata
(che) lui/lei   fosse andato/andata
(che) noi  fossimo andati/andate
(che) voi  foste andati/andate
(che) loro  fossero andati/andate

For example:

Non sapevate che fossimo andati a Cannes?
Didn’t you know that we went to Cannes?

Andare Conjugation – Modo Condizionale

Furthermore, another mood of andare conjugation is the condizionale . It is mostly used to form hypotheses in combination with the congiuntivo.

Andare in Condizionale Presente 

io  andrei 
tu  andresti
lui/lei  andrebbe
noi  andremmo
voi  andreste
loro  andrebbero

For example:

Andrei al mare tutti i giorni, se potessi.
I would go to the beach every day, if I could.

Andare in Condizionale Passato

io  sarei andato/andata
tu  saresti andato/andata
lui  sarebbe andato/andata
noi  saremmo andati/andate
voi  sareste andati/andate
loro  sarebbero andati/andate

For example:

Se avessi avuto più tempo, sarei andato anche al museo.
If I had had more time, I would have gone to the museum too.

Andare Conjugation – Imperativo

In this paragraph, you’ll learn the last finite mood of andare conjugation, the imperativo mood, which is mainly used to give orders. That’s why the first-person singular form doesn’t exist. 

va’/vai (tu)
vada (lui/lei)
andiamo (noi)
andate (voi)
vadano (loro)

For example:

Vai subito dentro casa!
Go inside the house right away!

Andare Conjugation –  Modi Indefiniti

Last but not least, here are the indefinite mood forms of the verb andare conjugation. They are impersonal and they only have two forms: present and past.

Andare in Infinito

Presente (Present tense) Passato (Past tense)
andare essere andato/andata/andati/andate

For example:

Dobbiamo andare a trovare i nonni.
We have to go visit the grandparents.

Andare in Participio

Presente (Present tense) Passato (Past tense)
andante andato/andata/andati /andate

As we mentioned in the passato prossimo paragraph, the past participle is used in compound tenses.

For example:

Sono andato in Italia l’anno scorso.
I went to Italy last year.

Andare in Gerundio

Presente (Present tense) Passato (Past tense)
andando essendo andato/andata/andati/andate

For example:

Andando in macchina, puoi fermarti quando vuoi.
Driving you can stop whenever you want.

And you are ready to go!

Vai a parlare in italiano! And tell everyone where you go, where you have gone and will go in Italy!

And, to conclude, if you want to practice Italian Grammar and tenses here is a list of useful books for you: