How to Say “Beautiful” in Italian
A visit to Italy offers countless opportunities to use the word “beautiful” and similar terms.
La bellezza (beauty) can be found all around you, in the scenery, architecture, food, and people.
This article will teach you 41 various methods to express “beautiful” in Italian, including several beauty-related phrases and expressions.
How to Say “Beautiful” in Italian
Among the most frequent Italian translations for “beautiful” are bello, bellissimo, and molto bello. Each one is explained in detail below.
Bello (Beautiful)
The simplest translation for “beautiful” in Italian is bello. You’ve probably encountered this word in expressions like “Ciao, bello!” (Hi/Bye, handsome!) or, to a female, “Ciao, bella!” (Hi/Bye, beautiful!).
As shown, the ending of this Italian adjective varies based on the gender and number of the noun it modifies:
| Adjective | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| bello | masculine singular | un uomo bello (a handsome man) |
| bella | feminine singular | una donna bella (a beautiful woman) |
| belli | masculine plural | uomini belli (handsome men) |
| belle | feminine plural | donne belle (beautiful women) |
This adjective can be placed before or after the noun. When preceding the noun, it adheres to the rules of definite articles.
For instance, for a singular masculine noun beginning with a vowel, bello becomes bell’: un bell’amico (a beautiful [male] friend). Refer to this article for further details on using bello before nouns.
Bello can also signify “nice,” “good,” and “fine,” along with other meanings.
Bellissimo (Very beautiful)
Sometimes bello alone isn't enough. For greater emphasis, you can attach the suffix -issimo to form the adjective's superlative. For example:
un tramonto bellissimo (a very beautiful sunset) una giornata bellissima (a very beautiful day) bellissimi sorrisi (very beautiful smiles) bellissime scarpe (very beautiful shoes)
Molto bello (Very beautiful)
Another way to express “very beautiful” is by using the adverb molto (very) before bello. This phrase always comes after the noun:
un vestito molto bello (a very beautiful dress) una serata molto bella (a very beautiful evening) paesaggi molto belli (very beautiful landscapes) rose molto belle (very beautiful roses)
Other Ways to Say “Beautiful” in Italian
To genuinely sound like a native, you shouldn't limit yourself to describing everything as bello or bellissimo.
To help broaden your descriptive range, here is a list of 18 additional terms for describing beautiful or pleasing things:
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| attraente | attractive |
| belloccio | good-looking |
| stupendo | stunning |
| incantevole | lovely |
| grazioso | pretty/lovely |
| carino | cute |
| raggiante | radiant |
| meraviglioso | marvelous |
| magnifico | magnificent |
| divino | divine |
| elegante | elegant |
| indescrivibile | indescribable |
| luminoso | luminous |
| scintillante | sparkling |
| celestiale | heavenly |
| avvenente | appealing |
| incantevole | enchanting |
| eccezionale | exceptional |
Remember to modify the endings of these adjectives as required. For example:
La vista dal balcone è stupenda. (The view from the balcony is stunning.)
Hanno due bambine carine. (They have two cute little girls.)
Le donne alla festa indossavano abiti molto eleganti. (The women wore very elegant dresses to the party.)
Beautiful Expressions in Italian
To complement your new vocabulary for describing beauty, here are some Italian phrases and expressions on the subject:
- Che bello! (How beautiful!)
- Tu sei bello / Tu sei bella (You’re beautiful)
- Tu sei bellissimo / Tu sei bellissima (You’re very beautiful)
- Tu sei molto bello / Tu sei molto bella (You’re very beautiful)
- Il bello della vita (The beauty of life)
- Essere belli fuori e dentro (To be beautiful inside and out)
- Avere una bellezza disarmante (To have a disarming beauty)
- Essere un quadro di bellezza (To be a picture of beauty)
- La vita è bella (Life is beautiful)
- La bellezza è eterna (Beauty is eternal)
- La bellezza è negli occhi di chi guarda (Beauty is in the eye of the beholder)
- La vera bellezza risiede nella semplicità (True beauty lies in simplicity)
- La bellezza sta nella diversità (Beauty lies in diversity)
- L’amore è il fiore più bello del giardino della vita (Love is the most beautiful flower in the garden of life)
- La bellezza interiore conta di più (Inner beauty matters more)
- La bellezza è la somma di tutte le tue parti che ti fanno brillare da dentro (Beauty is the sum of all your parts that make you shine from within)
- Le cose più belle non sono perfette, sono speciali (The most beautiful things are not perfect, they are special)
- La cosa più bella che una persona possa possedere è il cuore gentile (The most beautiful thing a person can possess is a kind heart)
- Essere se stessi è la cosa più bella che una persona possa essere (Being yourself is the prettiest thing a person can be)
- La felicità è la più grande bellezza che tu possa possedere (Happiness is the greatest beauty you can possess)
Using some of these in everyday conversation will certainly impress your Italian friends or acquaintances!
How to Practice “Beautiful” in Italian
Beyond vocabulary study, the most effective method to learn how to say “beautiful” and discuss beautiful things in Italian is by engaging with authentic content created by and for native speakers.
This approach demonstrates how Italians naturally use words like bello and bellissimo within conversations.
Italian television series and films are excellent for hearing these words and phrases in context. Italian music also offers an enjoyable practice method. A virtual immersion platform like Lingflix is another possibility.
Lingflix uses authentic videos—such as music videos, movie trailers, news, and inspiring talks—and converts them into personalized language learning lessons.
You can try Lingflix for free for 2 weeks. Visit the website or download the iOS app or Android app.
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I also find that utilizing a reliable flashcard app is a very simple and efficient way to practice new vocabulary on the go.
If you're seeking more beauty, explore these 200+ beautiful Italian words to enhance your vocabulary.
With some practice, you'll be able to confidently and easily appreciate all things attractive and appealing.
And One More Thing...
If you're as busy as most of us, you don't always have time for lengthy language lessons. The solution? Lingflix!
Learn Italian with funny commericals, documentary excerpts and web series, as you can see here:
Lingflix helps you get comfortable with everyday Italian by combining all the benefits of complete immersion and native-level conversations with interactive subtitles. Tap on any word to instantly see an image, in-context definition, example sentences and other videos in which the word is used.
Access a complete interactive transcript of every video under the Dialogue tab, and review words and phrases with convenient audio clips under Vocab.
Once you've watched a video, you can use Lingflix's quizzes to actively practice all the vocabulary in that video. Swipe left or right to see more examples of the word you’re on.
Lingflix will even keep track of all the Italian words you’re learning, and give you extra practice with difficult words. Plus, it'll tell you exactly when it's time for review. Now that's a 100% personalized experience!
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