We've come to the final 10 adjectives of the list of 50 good-to-know Italian adjectives. If you can learn these and use them in a sentence, you will have a good basis for conversation in many situations. Of course, there are many more and we'll feature new lists from time to time.
41) simpatico (likeable, congenial, nice)
This is such a great Italian adjective, but it’s hard to translate into English. It describes a person that you want to get to know, someone who is attractive as a person, rather than physically, someone with a great personality, and a warm smile. More about simpatico here.
E poi il cuoco è uno simpatico, stava simpatico pure a te.
And besides, the cook is a nice guy. You liked him, too.
Caption 62, La Ladra EP. 8 - Il momento giusto - Part 9
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41a) antipatico (unpleasant, troublesome, nasty)
The opposite of simpatico, antipatico can describe a person, but also behavior or a situation.
È severo e pure un po' antipatico.
He is stern and also a bit unfriendly.
Caption 41, Provaci ancora prof! S1E4 - La mia compagna di banco - Part 4
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Ti devo dare una notizia un po’ antipatica (I have to give you some unpleasant news).
Il mio insegnante di Italiano è veramente antipatico (my Italian teacher is really not very nice).
42-42a) Educato (polite, well-behaved, good-mannered) and its opposite, maleducato (rude, ill-mannered, impolite) have nothing, or very little, to do with going to school and getting an education. They have to do with manners and behavior, and also training as regards children and animals.
È una ragazza madre ed è una persona tanto carina, tanto gentile, educata.
She's a single mother and is a very nice person, very kind, polite.
Caption 43, La Ladra EP. 1 - Le cose cambiano - Part 6
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Non si azzardi più a chiamarmi a quest'ora, maleducato!
Don't you dare call me again at this hour, how rude!
Caption 69, Il Commissario Manara S1EP5 - Il Raggio Verde - Part 12
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In other words, educato and maleducato are generally false friends. They do not mean "educated" and "uneducated."
43) Sospettoso mostly describes a person. For something that’s suspicious-looking, the adjective sospetto is normally used. Il sospetto is a noun that means “the suspect.”
No, il barone era sospettoso e faceva assaggiare il cibo prima di mangiare alla moglie,
No, the baron was suspicious and had the food tasted, before eating it, by his wife,
Captions 14-16, Caravaggio EP1 - Part 20
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44) affettuoso (affectionate, loving, tender)
Un tipo affascinante, simpatico, affettuoso.
A charming, friendly, affectionate type.
Caption 42, Il Commissario Manara S2EP8 - Fuori servizio - Part 10
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45) ingenuo (naive, gullible, inexperienced, innocent)
Someone who is ingenuo isn’t all that familiar with the ways of the world. They may be too trustful and might easily get conned.
Mi crede così ingenuo da affidare a Lei un compito così delicato?
Do you think I'm so naive that I would entrust such a delicate task to you?
Caption 47, Il Commissario Manara S1EP4 - Le Lettere Di Leopardi - Part 3
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46) tranquillo (tranquillo, calm, with no worries)
This very useful adjective covers a lot of ground, so it’s a good one to have in your Italian vocabulary. If you travel in Italy, you’ll undoubtedly hear this expression a lot: Stai tranquillo. It means, “Don’t worry.” The polite version is Stia tranquillo. It can also mean, “Stay calm.”
Lei non è incriminato di niente, deve stare tranquillo, va bene?
You haven't been incriminated of anything, you can rest easy, all right?
Caption 20, Il Commissario Manara S1EP5 - Il Raggio Verde - Part 7
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47) preoccupato (worried, concerned)
This adjective looks like it should mean “preoccupied,” but it basically means “worried.”
Sono molto preoccupato per mio figlio (I’m very worried about my son).
And someone might say to you:
Non ti preoccupare (Don’t worry).
And if the situation is formal:
Non si preoccupi (Don’t worry [formal]).
More about worrying in Italian, here.
48) intelligente (intelligent)
This is an easy cognate and it means just what you would think!
49) stupido (stupid)
This is another adjective that means just what you would imagine it would.
50) pazzo (crazy)
This is a fun word and primarily describes a person or animal. Note that just as in English we can be crazy about something or someone, Italian uses this adjective, too.
Sono pazza/pazzo di te (I’m crazy about you).
And “to go crazy” is diventare pazzo (to become crazy).
When we are talking about something, on the other hand, we need the adjective pazzesco. Pazzo is only for humans and animals.
Hai avuto un successo pazzesco, eh?
You were wildly successful, huh?
Caption 1, Provaci ancora prof! S2EP2 Una mina vagante - Part 2
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51) furbo (clever, cunning, shrewd)
Ho detto: "Non fare il furbo".
I said "Don't be a wise guy."
Caption 39, L'Italia a tavola Interrogazione sul Piemonte
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This adjective can either be positive or somewhat pejorative, depending on the context. It is sometimes transformed into a noun, as in the example above.
And with that, we’ve given you more than 50 (but who’s counting?) good-to-know Italian adjectives to put in your pocket. Try them out for size — practice them as you go about your day, observing your human, animal, and physical surroundings.
Learn more!
Practical examples of these adjectives can be found throughout Yabla videos available with a subscription. Yabla offers you the possibility of learning at your own pace and through videos pertaining to your interests. Expand your horizons by learning one of the most romantic languages in the world.
English speakers think of school when they hear the word “education.” But educazione in Italian usually means something a bit different. Check out what Italian words correspond to the English “education.” Istruzione is a common one. This sounds like “instruction,” so we can understand it well enough, although we usually think of instruction as in “instructions” for how to do something. Titolo di studio is another one. This is about what diplomas or degrees you have. Formazione is another. This refers to what one has been trained in. Gli studi corresponds to “studies,” and refers to the schools one has attended, and what someone has majored in, but English speakers can easily forget that educazione is more about upbringing, and teaching one’s children (or pets) to behave, than about going to school.
Here are some reminders from Yabla videos.
If you’ve been following La Tempesta, you know that Paolo, a Venetian unemployed wealthy factory-owner’s son has suddenly taken on, against his will, responsibility for his brother’s adopted son, an orphan from Russia. They are both having a rough time of it. The following comment (from this week’s new video) is from a meeting with the school principal after the kid got in a fight. They are not talking about book learning here.
Ma prima di metterlo in classe con i bambini normali,
But before putting him in a class with normal children,
bisognerebbe educarlo.
one should teach him some manners.
Captions 10-11, La Tempesta - film
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In the following example, we’re talking about a dog. For Caterina, the dog is part of the family so she talks about him as if he were a person (with bad manners).
Sempre in giro a ficcanasare questo cagnazzo...
Always snooping around this old dog...
Lo devi scusare Malvina, è un gran maleducato...
You have to excuse him Malvina, he's really ill-mannered...
Captions 49-50, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP2 - Vendemmia tardiva
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In the following example, Manara has called his boss in the middle of the night for something he thought was molto importante and urgente. His boss didn’t appreciate it per niente (at all)!
Non si azzardi più a chiamarmi a quest'ora, maleducato!
Don't you dare call me again at this hour, how rude!
Caption 69, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP5 - Il Raggio Verde
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In actual fact, his boss uses maleducato as a noun, as is common in Italian. Indeed, it’s a common insult to somebody who is not being polite. It implies that the person was brought up badly—maleducato—and therefore has no manners. The adjective “rude” in English gives the idea. “Disrespectful” could have worked, too.
P.S.
Male (evil, badly) is often used as a prefix, lending its "badness" to other words. It’s often truncated to mal. Male is both a noun and an adverb. Technically the adjective form is malo, as in: ha reagito in malo modo (he reacted in a bad way). But colloquially, people do say non è male to mean something’s not bad, even though male isn’t an adjective. A correct way to describe something as "not bad," would be with malvagio (wicked). These days, malvagio is usually used in the negative, to say “not bad,” in talking about something you’re eating or drinking, for example:
Non è malvagio questo vino (this wine isn't bad = it's drinkable).
Or a movie you’ve seen:
Quel film non era malvagio (that movie wasn't so bad).
Maledire (to curse someone, to wish someone ill)
Maldestro (maladroit, clumsy)
There are plenty more words with mal where these come from. Take out your dizionario!
In one of Daniela’s recent lessons, she covers an important modo di dire (figure of speech): stare per (to be about to).
Sto per cadere (I'm about to fall).
But let’s also take a closer look at the verb stare (to be). It’s so similar to essere (to be) and translates much the same way, but if we think of the word “state,” as in “the state of things,” so close in spelling to stare, it might help us see what this verb is about.
The state can be physical—how someone looks:
Anche tu, stai proprio bene.
You look really good, too.
-Grazie... però tu hai un volto molto riposato e...
-Thanks... but you have a very rested face [you look rested] and...
Captions 3-4, Anna e Marika - Villa Torlonia - La Casina delle Civette
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Come sto con questo vestito?
How do I look in this dress?
It can be about how someone feels—about their state of health or happiness.
Come stai? How are you?
Sto bene (I’m good, I’m fine, I’m well, cured, healed).
Sta male. (He/she is ill, distraught, overtired, etc.)
Stare is often used in command forms that translate as “to be.”
Stai attento. Bene, bravo, bravo!
Be watchful [be careful]. Good, brilliant, brilliant!
Caption 36, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP2 - Vendemmia tardiva - Part 6
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Lara, io... -Stai zitta, non dire niente.
Lara, I... -Be quiet, don't say a thing.
Caption 1, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP4 - Le Lettere Di Leopardi - Part 13
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We use stare for other commands like:
Stai tranquillo (be in a state of tranquillity [don’t worry])
Stai fermo (be still)
Stai qui (stay here)
We also use stare to construct the presente progressivo (present continuous/progressive) in Italian. We conjugate the verb stare and follow it with the gerundio (gerund) of the verb of our choosing.
Stiamo cercando di risalire al proprietario
We're trying to trace the owner
attraverso il numero del telaio.
through the chassis serial number.
Caption 50, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP2 - Vendemmia tardiva - Part 7
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'Sto [questo] posto mi sta distruggendo.
This place is destroying me.
Caption 6, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP2 - Vendemmia tardiva - Part 7
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Although Italian tenses don’t always correspond to English ones as we would expect, the present progressive is an important tense in Italian. Marika explains it here.
Practice:
Stare is an ever-present, very important verb to be familiar with. When you get up in the morning, think about how you feel, how you look, what you’re doing at the moment, and what you are about to do. You can use stare for all these considerations. Here’s an example to get you started.
Ho dormito bene, quindi sto abbastanza bene, ma di sicuro non sto bene con i capelli così in disordine. Sto pensando alla mia colazione. Sto per mangiare gli ultimi biscotti, quindi ne dovrò comprare degli altri. Tutti questi biscotti mi stanno facendo ingrassare.
I slept well, so I feel all right, but for sure I don’t look good with my hair so messy. I’m thinking about my breakfast. I’m about to eat up the last cookies, so I will have to buy more of them. All these cookies are making me gain weight.
When we talk casually, there are words we use to fill up silences while thinking of what we want to say next, or words that just sound good and seem to help with the flow. Everyone has preferences and as you watch Yabla videos, you’ll start to recognize each person’s pet words.
The aunt (la zia) in Commissario Manara, whether she’s talking to her dog or to other people, tends to start her sentences with ma (but). You can see it doesn’t really mean “but” in every case; it’s just something to start a sentence with. Using words like the ones in the list below can be quite habit forming, even if you have a limited Italian vocabulary. Used judiciously, they can help you keep up your side of a conversation or make small talk.
Ma, nah, ma cosa fai?!
But, no, but what are you doing?
Ma che stai combinando? Brigadiere!
But what are you up to? Brigadiere!
Ma stai fermo, ma cosa combini?!
But keep still, what are you up to?!
Captions 46-48, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP2 - Vendemmia tardiva - Part 6
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When she gets the least bit excited, la zia uses ma to glue her sentences together:
Ma dove, ma dove... ma no, ma tu non andrai da nessuna parte.
But where, but where... but no, but you're not going anywhere.
Devi rimanere a letto.
You have to stay in bed.
Eh, ma che scherziamo.
What, are you kidding?
Captions 6-8, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP2 - Vendemmia tardiva - Part 1
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Below is a partial list of filler words you’ll hear quite often. Their translations change somewhat depending on the contesto (context), so check them out in both WordReference and the Yabla dictionary.
- ma (but)
- appunto (indeed)
- invece (instead, on the other hand, but)
- magari (maybe)
- proprio (really)
- sai (you know)
- vedi (you see)
- allora (well, so)
- cioè (that is)
- quindi (therefore, so)
- capito (understood)
- poi (then)
- così (like this)
- via (away)
- insomma (all in all, well)
- in pratica (basically)
- praticamente (practically)
- comunque (however, in any case)
Insomma (to conclude), each of the filler words could fill up an entire lesson, and appunto (indeed), a few have already gotten some special attention in Yabla lessons. Appunto, which roughly translates as “indeed,” but which has other sfumature (nuances), is featured in Making Connections with Appunto (Indeed). Magari is either used as a one word answer, or slipped in among other words, as discussed in this lesson: Magari - A Magic Word.
Insomma is an especially tricky word in that the inflection significantly changes its meaning. It's hard to pin down a specific meaning in English, and goes from meaning "so-so," (such as in response to being asked about a film or a book) to an expression of frustration or impatience (used with an exclamation point), or to a filler similar to "you know" or "like." (slipped in among the other words in a phrase). Do a Yabla search of insomma and you'll laugh at how often it crops up as a filler, rounding out the phrase, helping the flow, reinforcing the meaning, without having a pinpointable meaning in itself.
Further learning:
Pick a word from the list above, and listen for it as you watch Yabla videos. Or see how many of these filler words appear in a single video. Listen carefully for the inflection, which is important. And, of course, as you talk to yourself each morning in italiano, try each of these words on for size. You may sound ridiculous at first, but that’s OK. No one's listening.
While talking to yourself, you might come up with something like the following, just to get the feeling of these filler words.
Allora, insomma... magari...
Well, kind of iffy... if only...
Ma poi... cioè sai... praticamente... sai... capito? -Appunto.
But then... that is, you know... practically... you know... get it? -Exactly.
Quindi, vedi, in pratica... proprio così... comunque...
So, you see, basically... really... in any case...
Via.
OK then.
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