# Bene/Bravo/Buono



## dylanG3893

Ciao.
Mi confonde molto dove si mette "bene", o "bravo", o "buono".
Se voglio dire una frase con 'good', non saprei quale aggettivo di dire!
Ho scritto tre frase qui, il modo che penso sia corretto è scritto in maiuscolo.

*Lucia is a good student.*
Lucia è una studentessa (bene/BRAVA/buona?).

*Let's have a nice day.*
Abbiamo un (bene/bravo/BUONO?) giorno.

*Person A: I'm starting college! Person B: Good!*
Persona A: Inizio frequentare un'università! Persona B: (BENE/bravo/buono?)!

Sono meno certo sull'ultimo.
Domando che qualcuno legga e mi dica se c'è una frase scorretta.
Inoltre, vorrei molto che qualcuno mi dica dove si mette ogni tipo di "good".

Grazie mille e so che domando molto!!


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## cscarfo

dylanG3893 said:


> Ciao.
> Mi confonde molto dove si mette "bene", o "bravo", o "buono".
> Se voglio dire una frase con 'good', non sapprei quale aggettivo di dire!
> Ho scritto tre frase qui, il modo che penso sia corretto è scritto in maiuscolo.
> 
> *Lucia is a good student. Would say in English "Lucy is a well student"? Hmm..*
> Lucia è una studentessa (bene/BRAVA/buona?).
> 
> *Let's have a nice day.*
> Abbiamo un (bene/bravo/BUONO?) giorno. Does not exist in Italian.
> 
> *Person A: I'm starting college! Person B: Good!*
> Persona A: Inizio frequentare un'università! Persona B: (BENE/bravo/buono?)! Bene = Well done - Bravo! = Good boy!
> 
> Sono meno certo sull'ultimo.
> Domando che qualcuno legga e mi dica se c'è una frase scorretta.
> Inoltre, vorrei molto che qualcuno mi dica dove si mette ogni tipo di "good".
> 
> Grazie mille e so che domando molto!!


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## dylanG3893

"Lucy is a well student" in inglese è scorretto.
"Lucy is a good student" è perfetto!

Ma cos'hai scritto non m'ha aiutato veramente.... non capisco.
Mi dispiace 

Forse dovresti scrivere un  o un  vincino a ogni frase?? Quello aiuterebbe!!


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## cscarfo

You ask if bene/brava/buona can be used to translate "good" in that sentence. I answered that you should try yourself. "Bene" is an adverb here, just like "well". 
Ex. "Ben fatto!" = "Well done!" (and not "Good done!").
Ciao


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## dylanG3893

Però abbiamo un buon giorno! non esiste??


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## cscarfo

"Buono" is an adjective = "Good". What's wrong with it?
Ciao


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## dylanG3893

Sì, uno sbaglio stupidissimo... dovrei avere scritto "Buon" invece di "Buono" .

Ma ho bisogno di ancora qualcuno per dirmi quando ogni aggettivo si usa???


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## cscarfo

dylanG3893 said:


> Sì, uno sbaglio stupidissimo... dovrei avere scritto avrei dovuto scrivere "Buon" invece di "Buono" .
> 
> Ma ho bisogno di ancora qualcuno per dirmi quando ogni aggettivo si usa???



1) The sentence "Abbiamo un buon giorno" is not used. "Divertiamoci oggi" maybe is a good translation.

2) An adjective changes the meaning of a noun, an adverb changes the meaning of a verb, this is the basic difference.

Ciao


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## lsp

In response to "Però abbiamo un buon giorno! non esiste??" cscarfo was pointing out that good and buon/buono are adjectives describing the noun day/giorno. Bene is an adverb. Bravo is used more for someone who is good _at something_.

EDIT: I just read your post in the other thread, dylan. "Looks *good*" is idiomatic in English and should not be translated literally.


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## dylanG3893

Okay, but I'm still not clear on all of the three.
When would you use buono? When would you use "bene"? When would you use "bravo"? When would you use bello or any of these vs. each other??
I'm not aware.


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## SweetSoulSister

Maybe it will help if you think about it like this:
buono = good --- Questa pizza e' buona. --- This pizza is good.
bravo = "good job" or "good" --- Lei e' una brava studentessa. --- She is a good student.
bello = beautiful --- E' stata una bella giornata. --- It was a beautiful day.
bene = well --- Parli bene, sei brava! --- You speak very well, good job!


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## cscarfo

Ex. "E' un bravo ragazzo" means that the boy is polite,  educated, is a good at work, etc. because he has been taught and wants so.
"E' un buon ragazzo": the boy has a good nature. "E' un ragazzo buono" is even stronger.
It depends on context, as usual. If you are talking about a soccer player, "bravo" means that he is good at soccer. "E' un buon giocatore" does not mean that he's got a good nature, but rather that he is an average, but still good player.
"Bravo" can be used for people and pets, not for things. You can't say "E' una brava automobile" because it has no will of its own. But "a good car" is "una buona auto". 
Ciao


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## dylanG3893

Thanks sweetsoulsister; that really helped!!
So bella could actually be translated as "nice" too, right?
Like this:

*Nice car!!*
Bella macchina!

Basta??


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## SweetSoulSister

You're welcome dylan.  I think "Nice car" should be "Che bella macchina" (what a beautiful/nice car).
Obviously in English we can simply say "Nice car!" or "What a nice car!" But I don't believe they would say just "Bella macchina!" without 'che'.  Natives?


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## cscarfo

SweetSoulSister said:


> You're welcome dylan.  I think "Nice car" should be "Che bella macchina" (what a beautiful/nice car).
> Obviously in English we can simply say "Nice car!" or "What a nice car!" But I don't believe they would say just "Bella macchina!" without 'che'.  Natives?



It's exactly the same in Italian: "Che bella macchina!" or "Bella macchina!".
Ciao


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## Never Got a Dinner

*Lucia è una buona persona.*  Can only mean _Lucy is (morally) a good person._
*Lucia è una brava persona. * Can mean _Lucy is a very able person *(una persona in gamba)*_ OR it can also mean the preceding.


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## Londoner06

cscarfo said:


> 1) The sentence "Abbiamo un buon giorno" is not used. "Divertiamoci oggi" maybe is a good translation.
> 
> 2) An adjective changes the meaning of a noun, an adverb changes the meaning of a verb, this is the basic difference.
> 
> Ciao


 
Dylan, 

If you think of the function of the words it will become clearer, as cscarfo pointed out, _bene_ is an adverb so it can ONLY change the meaning of a verb, thus _parli bene. _Invece, _buon, buono, bello, bella _are adjectives, they can ONLY modify nouns: _buona pizza, bella giornata. _

Obviously it sounds wrong to say _a well student... _because _well _is an adverb, we need _good, _an adjective, instead:_  a good student. _One confounding factor is that in colloquial English we tend to confuse adjectives and adverbs, one hears _I feel bad_ (even though it should be _I feel bad*ly*_)_, I'm good and I'm well, _etc. 

Hope that helps a little  

Alex


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## ILMarx

Never Got a Dinner said:


> *Lucia è una buona persona.* Can only mean _Lucy is (morally) a good person._
> *Lucia è una brava persona. *Can mean _Lucy is a very able person *(una persona in gamba)*_ OR it can also mean the preceding.


 
Can I try to summarize?  

*Buono* (adj.)

*morally: *the main translation is *morally good* (never got a dinner) [referred to people_- Lui è buono / Una buona persona / Una persona buona_]
*something pleasant: *on the other hand it can be something that *causes you pleasure*[referred expecially to things: _un buon pranzo, una buona giornata_] In fact: _Buona giornata! _means *have a good time!* (*A day full of satisfactions*)
*well made/good at:* _buono _can also be used to describe something that is "*well made*" [referred to things:_un buon tavolo/_*a well made table*, but also referred to 'people as things'_*:* un buon ragazzo /_ *a good boy*, not only morally, but also physically. Referred to 'people able to do things': so it's implied _good (at)_ - example: he's a good painter.]
*SUMMARY: *Buono comes first as a moral adjective, but it can be referred also to usefulness (from moral goodness to -> usefulness). It can be referred both to people and things.

*Bravo *(adj.) [referred only to people or animals]

*Very good at doing [things]: *_E' molto bravo _- *He's very smart/skilled*. So: _Un bravo studente, un bravo meccanico etc. ..._
*Morally good: *(expecially childeren) _E' bravo / Fa il bravo._ - *He's a good boy (he follows his parents' will)*_._
*SUMMARY: *Bravo first describes skills and qualities, but it can be used to express not only technical/working/mind qualities (good at doing something), but also moral qualities (good at "being a good person). It's used only to describe people.

*Etymology corner:*

_Bravo_ comes from the greek _Brabion_ (victory prize).
Cornu says it then moved to the latin: _Barbarus_ (the barbarian - as in Greek), so it became first _Brabarus_, then _Brabus_ -> _Bravus_ -> _Pravus_ (=cattivo=*bad*!!!).
Storm and Menagio think that first there was _Rabidus _(quick?), than changed into _Brabidus_.
However, it seems probable to be taken from _Bragh-_ (the indoeuropean root for *to break*, *to tear*). Then it passed to the gothic _Brika_n, the ancient German _Brechan_, the German _Brechen_. In Gothic, _Brikan_ (*to break*) becomes _Bliggvan_ (*to beat*), and _Brakvus_ and _Blagvus_ (*who breaks obstacles*, *who beats opponents*). That's why it is referred to *Barbarians* - *unstoppable savage people*. As a matter of fact, in Italian *savage* is _Brado_. After all, *who beats opponents is the winner* - so you can easy understand _Bravo_: *Brave -> Excellent, the winner, the man good at [doing something]*.
Note that because _Bravo_ used to be *Savage* in other languages, in ancient Italian, _Bravo_ meant *Fearsome *- referred expecially to *Mercenaries, Dogs of War, Soldiers* from other Countries (expecially Spanish - see Manzoni's _Promessi Sposi_) - the modern "*Barbarians*".


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## Mezzanotte

attenzione quando si usa "buono" riferito ad una donna. 

donna buona=good woman
ma
buona donna=bitch!

Lei è una donna buona= She is a good woman.
Sei un figlio di buona donna = You are a son of a bitch.

è una forma di insulto più *delicata* rispetto ad altre con il medesimo significato, ma rimane un insulto.


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## Einstein

Here are some more examples of "well" and "good", often badly translated:

"We won the match!" "Oh, good!" (Ah, bene!)
"We lost the match!" "Oh, well!" (Ah, beh, pazienza!)
"Well, well, well!" (Ma guarda un po'!  NOT Bene, bene, bene!)
"Very good, sir" (Molto bene, signore - detto dal maggiordomo che ha ricevuto un ordine)
"Can we go to the cinema?" "Oh, very well" (E va bene - detto con riluttanza dal genitore)


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## lsp

Londoner06 said:


> Dylan,
> 
> If you think of the function of the words it will become clearer, as cscarfo pointed out, _bene_ is an adverb so it can ONLY change the meaning of a verb, thus _parli bene. _Invece, _buon, buono, bello, bella _are adjectives, they can ONLY modify nouns: _buona pizza, bella giornata. _
> 
> Obviously it sounds wrong to say _a well student... _because _well _is an adverb, we need _good, _an adjective, instead:_  a good student. _One confounding factor is that in colloquial English we tend to confuse adjectives and adverbs, one hears _I feel bad_ (even though it should be _I feel bad*ly*_)_, I'm good and I'm well, _etc.
> 
> Hope that helps a little
> 
> Alex


"I feel bad," "you look good"... these are idiomatic and correct. "I feel badly" means that I have a poor sense of touch, and "you look well" is a comment on your healthfulness, not your fashion sense.


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## Einstein

I agree with lsp that "I feel bad" is correct.
"I feel well" means I feel in good health.
"I feel good" means I've fallen in love or taken cocaine.
(We've already had all this on another thread)


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## gabrigabri

dylanG3893 said:


> Ciao.
> Mi confonde molto dove si mette "bene", o "bravo", o "buono".
> Se voglio dire una frase con 'good', non so quale aggettivo usare!
> Ho scritto tre frase qui, il modo che penso sia corretto è scritto in maiuscolo.
> 
> *Lucia is a good student.*
> Lucia è una studentessa (bene/BRAVA/buona?). Si può dire anche che è una buona studentessa.  Forse "una brava studentessa" è più brava di una "buona (=mediocre)".
> *Let's have a nice day.*
> Abbiamo un (bene/bravo/BUONO?) giorno.
> Si tradurrebbe con "divertiamoci", oppure "cerchiamo di avere una bella giornata", ma questa costruzione mi sembra un po' forzata.
> 
> *Person A: I'm starting college! Person B: Good!*
> Persona A: Inizio frequentare un'università! Persona B: (BENE/bravo/buono?)!
> Bene!
> Bravo!
> Complimenti!
> 
> Sono meno certo sull'ultima (frase).
> Domando che qualcuno legga e mi dica se c'è una frase scorretta.
> Inoltre, vorrei molto che qualcuno mi dicesse dove si mette ogni tipo di "good".
> 
> Grazie mille e so che domando molto!!



Spero di averti aiutato un pochino!!

Attento a quando dici:
Vorrei.... aiutasse
voglio... aiuti
se voglio... non so
se volessi... non saprei
Se usi il presente all'inizio lo devi usare anche dopo.

Ciao!


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## Londoner06

lsp said:


> "I feel bad," "you look good"... these are idiomatic and correct. "I feel badly" means that I have a poor sense of touch, and "you look well" is a comment on your healthfulness, not your fashion sense.


 
Sorry Dylan, from the examples given by other members, in English adverbs are also adjectives, so much for my explanation  

Alex


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## dylanG3893

Alex, I thank everyone who has helped me in this thread 

Grazie mille a tutti che m'ha aiutato!


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## cscarfo

Einstein said:


> I agree with lsp that "I feel bad" is correct.
> "I feel well" means I feel in good health.
> "I feel good" means I've fallen in love or taken cocaine.
> (We've already had all this on another thread)



And in Italian "Mi sento bene" has the same meaning as in English.

*while

*"Mi sento buono" means "I feel (morally) good".
Ex. "Oggi mi sento buono. Voglio regalare 100 Euro ai poveri della parrocchia".

Ciao


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## TrentinaNE

dylanG3893 said:


> Grazie mille a tutti che m'ha aiutato!


 
I think it's che mi hanno aiutato.  But I'm tired...  A presto!

Elisabetta


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## cscarfo

I know by experience that the difference between adjective and adverbs is hard to grasp.
Think about this example:
"This is a good watch" i.e. this inherently is, because is well built / engineered, a quality of the watch
"This watch works well" i.e. it's pretty accurate, but I don't know / care about its quality.
The same can be said about "bad/badly" = "cattivo/male".


But don't forget that "bene" and "male" are nouns too.
Ex. "E' (un) bene che ti sia svegliato presto" bene=adv, (un) bene=noun
"Hai fatto male a svegliarti tardi" male is adverb, "Gli hai fatto del male" male=noun.
Other examples:
"La squadra sta giocando bene/male"
"E' una buona/cattiva squadra"
"E' una cattiva squadra, ma a volte gioca bene"

Ciao


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## gabrigabri

TrentinaNE said:


> I think it's che mi hanno aiutato. But I'm tired... A presto!
> 
> Elisabetta




Yes, you are right! 
But: grazie a tutti QUELLI che mi hanno aiutato!


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## genoa8

What is buono plural is there a buoni form for il and buone for la


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## Necsus

genoa8 said:
			
		

> What is buono plural is there a buoni form for il and buone for la


Hi genoa8, welcome to the WRF!
Masculine: buono / buoni
Feminine: buona / buone


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