Beautiful in Italian is bello (BEL-loh), and it changes to match what it describes: bella for a feminine noun, belli and belle in the plural. Una bella città is a beautiful city. For extra emphasis, use bellissimo or bellissima. Before a noun, bello shortens like the article: un bel ragazzo, un bell'uomo.
- Beautiful (m / f)
- bello / bella
- Very beautiful
- bellissimo / bellissima
- How lovely!
- Che bello!
- Pretty, cute
- carino / carina
- Level
- A1
How does bello change before a noun?
After a noun or a verb, bello has four plain endings: il panorama è bello, la casa è bella. Before a noun it copies the definite article that noun would take, so il goes with bel, lo with bello, l' with bell', i with bei and gli with begli.
| Form | Used before | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| bel | Masculine singular, most consonants | un bel ragazzo | a good-looking boy |
| bello | Masculine singular, s + consonant, z, gn, ps | un bello zaino | a nice rucksack |
| bell' | Singular, a vowel | un bell'uomo, una bell'idea | a handsome man, a good idea |
| bella | Feminine singular | una bella casa | a beautiful house |
| bei | Masculine plural, most consonants | dei bei fiori | some lovely flowers |
| begli | Masculine plural, a vowel, s + consonant, z | dei begli occhi | beautiful eyes |
| belle | Feminine plural | delle belle scarpe | some lovely shoes |
In a Contos A1 comedy, Marco is caught with the guest list for his grandmother's secret party and blurts out the first compliment he can think of, with bel before a masculine noun:
«Che bel limone!» dice lui, rosso in faccia.Bello, bellissimo, carino or stupendo?
Italian has a word for every shade of beautiful. Bello is the workhorse, for people and things; the others add size or a particular colour.
| Italian | English | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| bello / bella | beautiful, lovely, handsome | People and things; everyday |
| bellissimo / bellissima | gorgeous, really beautiful | Emphasis; extremely common |
| carino / carina | pretty, cute, nice | Small things, clothes, people; also kind |
| stupendo / stupenda | stunning | Views, voices, days out |
| splendido / splendida | splendid, glorious | Places, weather |
| meraviglioso / meravigliosa | wonderful | Experiences, news |
| affascinante | charming, attractive | People and places; same for both genders |
The -issimo ending already means very, so molto bellissimo is wrong; choose one or the other. The plural ending follows the noun, as with the tomatoes on a market stall in Turin in a Contos A1 story:
Ha pomodori bellissimi, rossi e grandi.What does bello mean besides beautiful?
Bello is closer to English "nice" or "good" than to beautiful in many everyday phrases:
Che bello!
How lovely! / Great!
A reaction to good news.
Che bella giornata!
What a lovely day!
Fa bel tempo.
The weather's nice.
Bella domanda!
Good question!
Ci vuole un bel po' di tempo.
It takes quite a while.
Sei bellissima.
You look beautiful.
To a woman you call tu; bellissimo to a man.
With strangers, praise the thing rather than the person: Che bella borsa! (what a lovely bag) is a compliment; comments on someone's looks are as personal in Italian as in English.
Read A1 Italian stories and watch bello, bella and bellissimo change from line to line.
Read free in your browserFrequently asked questions
How do you say you are beautiful in Italian?
Sei bella to a woman, sei bello to a man, or sei bellissima and sei bellissimo for more feeling. These are the tu forms, for partners, family and close friends.
Can bello describe a man?
Yes. Bello means handsome as well as beautiful: un bel ragazzo is a good-looking boy and un bell'uomo a handsome man. There is no separate word as in English.
What does che bello mean?
"How lovely!" or "Great!" It reacts to news, plans or things you see: Domani andiamo al mare. Che bello! (We're going to the seaside tomorrow. Great!)
How do you pronounce bello?
"BEL-loh". Double consonants in Italian are held a fraction longer, so the ll is longer than in English "belly". Bellissimo is "bel-LEES-see-moh".