# Endearment terms



## fallen

Hello all,

I found this forum and am glad I did.  I have an Italian background but do not speak it much at all and read and write even less.  I am corresponding with someone who appreciates Italian terms of endearment.

Would anyone who is able to, please provide me with your favourite Italian  terms of endearment.  PS this is aimed at a female.

Thanks!


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## Silvia

You mean flirting?!
Well, say what you have in mind and then we'll look for the appropriate translation.


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## MNewell

Hello...I've been corresponding with a 27 year old italian guy that I met last summer.  He is a very nice guy.  He writes me small things in italian...one is "cucciola mia"  meaning literally "my young animal"  could someone please explain this to me...is this common to write to a girl...does it mean more than friendship, perhaps I mean something more to him.  Also he ends his emails and letters with "un abbracio firme" spelled wrong...sorry, and also "un bacio" or "un bacione"  is this common as well.  

I'd appreciate your help!!

thank you!


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## Italian Girl

"Cucciola mia" is something very tender, like you were a puppy! It's rarely used between friends (maybe only with ironic meaning) but you can hear a boy calling his girlfriend like that! It's more or less like calling your girlfriend darling, honey or something like that! I don't know if you and this boy are just friends or something more, but I would think that, by using this expression, he feels something for you... and maybe I would ask directly to him!

As far as "un abbraccio", "un bacio" and "un bacione" is concerned, these are common expressions between friends, even of the same sex, and it doesn't imply anything "special", just a friendly and informal way to say goodbye!


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## rosella

It's like saying "My pet"... sth sweet anyway...


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## pervenire

Anyone in cyber world available to tell me what the Italian word "tesorina" means?

Thanks in advance, 
Pervenire


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## Leopold

Maybe it's the diminutive for "tesoro" for female (meaning "little darling")??


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## leenico

> tell me what the Italian word "tesorina" means?


I think you would say that to a girl that you might like. "My little treasure".


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## TiffanyC

Wouldn't this word mean something more akin to "sweetheart"?  You can't really call someone a treasure in English.


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## GermanGirl

How do I say things like honey, or baby, or sweetheart in Italian?


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## rebbe

"cara" and "dolce" are the only things *you* can say in Italian.  *T*hey're perfect!


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## Alfry

GermanGirl said:
			
		

> How do I say things like honey, or baby, or sweetheart in Italian?


 
cara, tesoro, piccola, amore, gioia, cuore.... we have a lot of words... if we start maybe we'll never stop

honey = "miele" and the equivalent is dolcezza I guess
baby = bambino/a and the equivalent is bambina, piccola, piccolina
sweetheart = "dolce cuore"


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## paolorausch

*H*ow often is tesoro used?  *I*n English treasure sounds a little weird, but in German I know mein Schatz (my treasure) is often used.


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## Alfry

I don't know Paolo,
it depends on habits, places and maybe on the dampness of the house.
I'm kidding obviously!
it's very likely to hear peole use very strange names for their mates, children or relatives.

Ciccino, puccipucci, carciofotta, cioccolatina, baubau and so on... it would be really funny


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## Silvia

alfry said:
			
		

> honey = "miele" and the equivalent is dolcezza I guess
> baby = bambino/a and the equivalent is bambina, piccola, piccolina
> sweetheart = "dolce cuore"


 Yes, but dolce cuore is just a literal translation, not something you would hear... I guess the most used and universal is amore, amore here, amore there... 

You can call your son that, or your lover, your girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, wife, even your dog!


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## Alfry

I often heard something like
cuoricino dolce della mamma = mum's little sweetheart


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## hye young

aren't 'bellissima' and 'dolce' good enough??
my boyfriend call me 'dolce or bellissima'. and a new word stuck to me lately, 'coccolissima e dormigliona'. and they are not even in the dictionary!!


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## Alfry

hye young said:
			
		

> aren't 'bellissima' and 'dolce' good enough??
> my boyfriend call me 'dolce or bellissima'. and a new word stuck to me lately, 'coccolissima e dormigliona'. and they are not even in the dictionary!!


coccolissima = a person whom you'd always like to snuggle up
dormigliona = he/she is an always sleeping person


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## NCSteelersFan

Italian is a new language to me and I'm curious about various terms of endearment that are commonly used. I'm familiar with:
caro = "dear"
tesoro = "sweetheart"

How do you refer to loved ones? I'd appreciate any direction as far as whether it's appropriate for children, friends, spouses, etc. as I learned a valuable lesson with Ti voglio bene versus Ti amo!

As always, grazie!


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## shaula

I use "Amore" with partner (if I had one ) and my nephews (6 and 2-year old).
Among friends, I've heard "bella", "ciccia", "gioia", "bella gioia" (this is the funniest to me).

Mostly, to express affection I use nicknames (I call my brother Andrea "ciki", which of course sounds like "cheeky  and I call my nephews "topolini").

Ciao
shaula


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## winnie

i think almost any Italian call his/her partner AMORE, than there are a lot of nicknames every couple use: for example i'm used to call my wife "pippi" "cippi" "cips" which have no meanig at all but sounds good to us 

when i was a kid my parents and relatives called me "chicco" which stands literally for "grain/grape" other terms may be "cucciolo" cub/pup "topo" and whatever your fantasy suggests to you


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## Lyllie

Hello,

What are traditional terms of endearment a woman can call a man in Italian? I don't mean whole phrases.  Just a single term, like a "nickname"

For example in English sometimes people use terms like"

sweetheart
my love
honey
darling


etc.

What are words of endearment that Italian women call their Italian men?

Thank you for any help you can give.


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## Lyllie

Ok... I just found this website that lists some terms of endearment.

Can anyone tell me which ones are good ones for a woman to say to a man?



Thank you! 

amore (mio), amorevole, amorino, amoroso, angelo, anima, mia bambino/a (mio/a) bellezza, bello/a, caro/a, cicciolina, ciumachella, cocco/a, creatura, cuore (mio), delizia, dolcezza, fata, gattino/a, gioia, micio/a, mio bene, mi piaci, nini (ninni), passerotto/a passione (mia), piccolo/a, pupa, pupilla, dei miei, occhi, stella (mia), tenerezza, tenero/a, tesoro, tesoruccio, tesorino, tesorone, vita mia

well, for example:
coco means coconut.... is that romantic?  
creatura is "creature".... is that romantic?

I'm looking for something sort of sweet and romantic.  but, not too sappy.


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## Biscardi

*tesorina mia, *LITERALLY MEANS MY LITTLE TREASURE


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## Biscardi

Usually within couples people call eachother AMORE or AMORE MIO, which means love but it doesn´t sound as heavy as in english

Tesoro is good, it means treasure, but it´s not intended as a possessive thing

caro, is commonly used, amongs people, it´s not very cute though.

Orsacchiotto o cucciolina, is something my dad used to call me when I was a little girl.

Hope that helps


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## Biscardi

coco, no.... cocco but it´s like a mother to child thing, Cocco di Mamma, strangely enough we don´t usually have pet names like cupcake or sugar bun, it´s difficult, 
dolcezza, sounds quite greasy
tesoro, is ok
caro, means dear, but it´s quite common amongst friends an everything, it´s like darling


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## Weezay

I JUST started seeing an Italian man - I'm American - and he throws these terms of endearments around like they are nothing.  Before we even met and we were talking online, he called me Angelo Mio and Tesoro, etc....I think even amore once....is this normal?  I seem to take them literally and I probably shouldnt.....is it something he would call just ANY women he converses with I wonder UNLIKE Americans?
Thanks!!


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## Jana337

Hi and welcome! 

Please do not believe him and do not take him seriously. Così fan tutti. It must be something in the water. 

Jana


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## Franky90210

Hey everyone. I'm brand new to this site, I've read a couple posts and you all seem like very nice and helpful people. I'm hoping I could get a quick hand with a little problem I'm having. My Gf is Italian and she only understands it but does not speek it. For our 1 year aniversary I'm hoping to tell her how much I care for her in Italian and surprise her. I have been taking very basic Italian lessons that are giving me a small vocab but nothing that I can put into an admiration sentence. I'm hoping to say something like this

I love you so much, since the day we met I felt a connection with you. You have made me happier then I have ever been. Your the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing I think of when I fall asleep. I love you. 

If anyone could give me a hand with this I would be very very grateful! Thanks a lot.


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## Nicholas the Italian

Franky90210 said:


> My Gf is Italian and she only understands it but does not speek it.


She's Italian but does not speak Italian?  



> I love you so much, since the day we met I felt a connection with you. You have made me happier then I have ever been. Your the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing I think of when I fall asleep. I love you.


Ti amo tantissimo, fin dal giorno in cui ci siamo incontrati ho sentito un feeling speciale tra noi. Mi hai reso felice come mai prima. Sei la prima cosa che penso quando mi sveglio, e l'ultima quando mi addormento. Ti amo.

You may want to wait for other suggestions of course.

In bocca al lupo.


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## bellaLT

If I wanted to say "my love" *to* someone would I say: Mio amore or Il mio amore? and is it correct to say Mia cara or just simply cara to someone. Thanks.


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## fledgling

I'm a beginner, so wait for verification, but I think if you say "mia cara" it would mean "my expensive one." Cara means expensive or dear, depending on the order of the words in the sentence. "Cara mia," though, would be my dear. I'm pretty sure you could say "cara" on its own, but that's just "dear" and not "my dear."
I don't think you'd use the article, like "il" or "la," because that sounds strange to me. And I've only ever heard "amore mio" and "tesoro mio" with the possessive bit after the word, not before. Doesn't necessarily mean it's not correct to say "il mio amore," but "amore mio" is a safer bet. 
Best of luck! Ciao!
Carolina


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## malva7

Hi Weezay. My best suggestion is for you is to wait and see. What your friend tells you might be *important *and may be not. Words, specially in Italian depend very much on how they're said.

"Cara" and "tesoro" are the most used nicknames among married couples; they are of course tender and romantic even though years of marriage might cause a loss of emphasis.

Yet the two most helpful words to save a marriage are "Siii càaaraaa..." stressing very much the first _a.

_Italian husbands will understand.


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## kathman

Question:  I know "ciccia mia" is a term that's used for affection, but is it more commonly used to address friends or something you would call somebody you're romantically interested in?

Thanks


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## liv3000

In italian we often use: piccolo/a, Can you in English say "Little"? 
I don't think you can say "little" alone, without adding any other word, right?


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## lsp

liv3000 said:


> In italian we often use: piccolo/a, Can you in English say "Little"?
> I don't think you can say "little" alone, without adding any other word, right?



You're right. Alone it is odd-sounding in English. Some adjectives can stand alone as endearments, I doubt there's a rule, but not "little."


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## SweetBird

What does "piccy mio" mean? 

I would guess "my little..." or something.


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## liv3000

My little is "il mio piccolo (piccino)", or "piccolo (piccino) mio".
Even nicer "piccolino mio".

Piccy is certainly an abbreviation for piccino, but not consistant with the Italian language, mind the Y is not a proper Italian letter.

Ciao


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## SweetBird

I just looked up the meaning of piccino which was "petty" so mio piccy would be "my petty" ? That seems less than endearing.  

I am guessing this in this endearment context, piccy must be slang for piccolo.


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## brh986

TiffanyC said:


> Wouldn't this word mean something more akin to "sweetheart"? You can't really call someone a treasure in English.


 
Sure you could it's just not as common.  They say the exact same thing in German.  Mein Schatz meaning my treasure literally but actually just "my sweetheart"


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## liv3000

Yes Sweetbirds, 
piccino is another word for piccolo, with the same meaning, piccino though is more used in a sweet way, or addressed to the babies.


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## penguinbubble

Alfry said:


> honey = "miele" and the equivalent is dolcezza I guess
> baby = bambino/a and the equivalent is bambina, piccola, piccolina
> sweetheart = "dolce cuore"


I don't know if this would be a term of endearment, but I have heard that "oi nè! (né?)" is like saying "oh, baby!" Is this correct or often used?

Penso che questa è una frase da Napoli. Che vi pensate?

 Mille grazie a tutti!


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## ligabue

What about "carissima"? Is it like "cara"?

Grazie.


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## Jaydos

bellaLT said:


> If I wanted to say "my love" *to* someone would I say: Mio amore or Il mio amore? and is it correct to say Mia cara or just simply cara to someone. Thanks.


 
I think 'il mio amore' means 'my love' more like the love inside me, while 'amore mio' means 'my love' more like as in a lover.

Would I be correct in saying that? I'm not a native speaker.


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## elettrolince

Jaydos said:


> I think 'il mio amore' means 'my love' more like the love inside me, while 'amore mio' means 'my love' more like as in a lover.
> 
> Would I be correct in saying that? I'm not a native speaker.



"Il mio amore" sounds like this: My love for you is everlasting... it refers to the feeling.
I'd use "amore mio" talking to a partner.

Or try "piumina-piumella-salsiccella-zuccherella"...  (Joking! They're not swear words... but they're definitely TOO schmaltzy)


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## Jaydos

Cool, thanks for clearing that up!


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## hirlrng

I am corresponding warmly and mildly flirtatiously with an Italian man and am unsure if words like tesora are appropriate in a greeting to a man!  Any other suggestions??  I don't want to come on too strong, but still get the warmth across - THANK YOU!


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## kittykate

hirlrng said:


> I am corresponding warmly and mildly flirtatiously with an Italian man and am unsure if words like tesora are appropriate in a greeting to a man! Any other suggestions?? I don't want to come on too strong, but still get the warmth across - THANK YOU!


 
Ciao hirlrng,

you can use _tesor*o*_, for both men and women. It is warmer than _caro_ and less warm than _amore_ 

caterina


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