Italian compliments: the full guide

In any language, giving compliments is a great way to show kindness towards others. Plus the melodic intonations of the Italian language make compliments sound especially nice.

Over a hundred different Italian compliments for a variety of situations are covered in this guide. At the end there is a section on how to respond to compliments in Italian.

Italian compliments for a girl / woman

Most Italian women love attention, and like being complimented. In the table below you will find several phrases that can help you do this.

Table: Italian compliments for a girl or woman
Italian compliment translation
Sei bellissima You look beautiful
Sei una bella donna You’re a beautiful woman
Sei una bella ragazza You’re a beautiful girl
Sei uno spettacolo You’re a sight to behold
Sei carina You’re pretty
Sei stupenda You’re stunning.
Sei splendida You’re drop dead gorgeous
Sei meravigliosa You’re wonderful
Sei uno schianto You’re a real knockout
Sei una vera bomba You’re a real bombshell
Come sei bella How beautiful you are
Sei talmente bella da togliere il fiato You're so breathtakingly beautiful
Sei più bella di un angelo You’re more beautiful than an angel
Sei così bella da rendere gelose le stelle You’re so beautiful you make the stars jealous
Sei molto attraente You’re very attractive
Sei molto affascinante You’re charming
Sei intrigante You’re fascinating
Sei ammaliante You’re bewitching
Sei eccezionale You’re extraordinary
Sei seducente You’re seductive
Sei perfetta You’re perfect
Sei straordinaria You’re amazing
Sei incantevole You’re enchanting
Sei un incanto You're such a charm
Sei mozzafiato You’re breathtaking
Sei magnifica You're magnificent
Sei sensazionale You're sensational
Sei di un’altra categoria You’re in a different class
Sei sensuale You’re sensual
Sei molto sexy You’re so sexy

Another way to compliment a woman in Italian is to use the sentence pattern « Ti trovo » + adjective. (« Ti trovo… » tranlates to « I find you… »)

For example, here are some Italian compliments for a woman which are constructed with this sentence pattern:

Here are a few more handy Italian compliments that she will surely appreciate. Check them out!

Table: More Italian compliments for a girl or woman
Italian compliment translation
Hai degli occhi stupendi You have beautiful eyes
Hai degli occhi da cerbiatta You have doe eyes
Hai uno sguardo magnetico You have magnetic eyes
Il tuo sorriso è contagioso Your smile is contagious
Il tuo sorriso è il sole della mia vita Your smile is the sunshine of my life
Hai un corpo da favola You have a great body
Potrei guardarti per tutto il giorno I could look at you all day
Mi fai sciogliere come neve al sole You make me melt like snow in the sun

Italian compliments for a guy / man

Italian guys and men like being complimented too. They want to be desired and admired just as much as girls and women do. We've gathered some common phrases and expressions to compliment their look in the table below.

Table: Italian compliments for a guy / man
Italian compliment translation
Sei un bel ragazzo You're a handsome guy
Sei un bell’uomo You’re a good-looking man
Sei bellissimo You're so handsome
Sei molto carino You’re so cute
Sei molto in forma You're very fit
Hai un bel fisico You have a great body
La tua risata è contagiosa Your laugh is infectious
Sei un Adone You're an Adonis
Sei un ragazzo d’oro You're a golden boy
Sei un uomo d'oro You're a golden man

Here are some other sweet compliments you can give to your man that will make him feel like he’s king of his castles.

Table: More Italian compliments for a guy / man
Italian compliment translation
Insieme a te mi sento al sicuro With you, I feel safe and secure
Come farei senza di te? What would I do without you?
Dove sei stato tutta la mia vita? Where have you been all my life?
Sei la mia persona preferita al mondo You’re my favorite person in the world
Mi sento fortunata ad averti nella mia vita I am so lucky to have you in my life

Complimenting a friend in Italian

Now we’ll focus on how to give genuine, sincere compliments to friends and people you value and admire. Check out the table below to find lots of examples!

Table: Italian compliments for a friend
Italian compliment translation
Sei il mio migliore amico (male) You’re my best friend
Sei la mia migliore amica (female) You’re my best friend
Sei un caro amico (male) You’re a dear friend
Sei una cara amica (female) You’re a dear friend
Sei un amico eccezionale (male) You’re an amazing friend
Sei un’amica eccezionale (female) You’re an amazing friend
Sei molto in gamba You’re a capable person
Sei un bravo ragazzo You’re a good boy
Sei una brava ragazza You’re a good girl
Sei molto simpatico (male) You’re so nice
Sei molto simpatica (female) You’re so nice
Sei una bella persona You’re a beautiful person
Amo il tuo senso dell’umorismo I love your sense of humor
Emani positività You radiate positivity
Mi sento a mio agio con te I feel at ease with you
Posso essere me stesso con te I can fully be myself with you
Sei molto divertente You’re so much fun
È uno spasso stare con te It's a blast hanging out with you
Mi capisci come nessun’altro al mondo You understand me like nobody can

Complimenting a beautiful couple in Italian

Do you want to express how much you like a beautiful couple with a compliment? Here are a few examples of phrases which can be used to compliment a couple in Italian in a way that they will surely appreciate.

Table: Italian compliments for a couple
Italian compliment translation
Siete bellissimi insieme You guys look amazing together
Siete così innamorati You look so in love
Vi completate l'un l'altro You complete each other
Siete fatti l’uno per l’altro You belong together
Siete fatti per stare insieme You’re meant to be
Siete una bella coppia You’re a beautiful couple
Siete il ritratto dell'amore You guys are the definition of love
Siete la mia coppia preferita You guys are my favorite couple

Complimenting somebody's appearance or style in Italian

There are so many ways to compliment how somebody looks. In the table below you will find several examples that will help you. Have a look at them and start improving your Italian!

Table: Italian compliments for somebody's appearance
Italian compliment translation
Stai benissimo! You look fantastic!
Ti trovo in splendida forma! You look in good shape!
Ti trovo in forma smagliante! You look in good shape!
Ti trovo bene! You look fantastic!
Quel vestito ti sta d'incanto That dress looks awesome on you
Adoro il tuo stile I really like your sense of style
Mi piace molto come ti vesti I really like how you dress
Mi piace il tuo nuovo taglio I like your new haircut
Questo colore ti dona molto This color really suits you
Che bel vestito, dove l’hai preso? What a beautiful dress, where did you get it?

Complimenting someone on their skills in Italian

People love to be appreciated for their personal qualities, skills, and abilities as much as for how they look. Here are some examples of different ways to do this.

Table: Italian compliments for someone's skills
Italian compliment translation
Hai molto talento You're very talented
Sei molto coraggioso / coraggiosa You’re so brave
Sei una persona schietta e sincera You’re a sincere and honest person
Sei molto dolce You’re very sweet
Sei generoso / generosa You’re generous
Sei molto gentile You’re very kind
Sei molto premuroso / premurosa You’re very thoughtful
Sei tenero / tenera You’re caring
Sei affettuoso / affettuosa You’re loving
Sei intelligente You’re intelligent
Sei sveglio / sveglia You’re smart
Sei brillante You’re clever
Sei astuto / astuta come una volpe You’re as sly as a fox
Sei scaltro / scatra You’re shrewd
Sei una persona sveglia e arguta You’re a smart and witty person
Sei una persona vincente You’re a successful person
Sei divertente You’re funny
Sei vivace You’re lively
Sei molto paziente You’re so patient
Sei assennato / assennata You’re sensible
Sei saggio / saggia You’re wise
Sei un genio You’re genius
Sei elegante You’re elegant
Sei molto creativo / creativa You’re very creative
Sei molto interessante You're very interesting
Sei affidabile You’re trustworthy
Sei indipendente You’re independent
Sei grande You rock
Sei il migliore / la migliore You’re the best
Hai un bel carattere You have a good temperament
È bello passare del tempo insieme a te You’re nice to be around

How to compliment someone on their work in Italian

Genuine, well-thought-out, positivity-boosting compliments can go a long way in the workplace. Knowing how to compliment your coworkers, team members, collaborators, and employees is an important skill to have at work.

In the table below, you will find lots of different ways to do this. Have a look, and get prepared for the next time you need to compliment someone on their work!

Table: Italian compliments for someone's work
Italian compliment translation
Ottimo lavoro! Good job!
Complimenti! My compliments!
Congratulazioni! Congratulations!
Chapeau Thumbs up
Ben fatto! Well done!
Bravo! (male) Well done!
Brava! (female) Well done!
Sei stato bravissimo! (male) You did very well!
Sei stata bravissima! (female) You did very well!
Hai fatto un ottimo lavoro You did a great job
Il tuo contributo è stato prezioso Your contribution has been valuable
Te lo sei meritato You earned it
Sono fiero di te I’m proud of you
Sono molto orgoglioso di te I’m so proud of you
Il tuo duro lavoro è stato ripagato Your hard work paid off

How to compliment someone on their belongings in Italian

Italians like being complimented on things other than their appearance. Let's check out the phrases and examples we've gathered for you below to find out how to do this!

Table: Italian compliments for someone's belongings
Italian compliment translation
Hai una bellissima casa You have a beautiful home
Che bella casa! What a beautiful home you have!
Che bella macchina! What a beautiful car you have !
Che bella moto! What a beautiful motorbike!
Hai buon gusto, complimenti! You have good taste. My compliments!
Complimenti per l'arredamento Exquisite choice of decor

How to respond to a compliment in Italian

After receiving a compliment, it is polite to say something in order to show your appreciation. Here we'll introduce you to phrases that you can use to do this. Take a look!

Table: Italian phrases for responding to a compliment
Grazie, è molto gentile da parte tua Thanks, that’s very kind of you
Grazie, mi fa molto piacere che tu lo dica Thank you, that's so nice of you to say
Grazie, lo apprezzo molto Thank you, I appreciate that
Grazie, le tue parole mi lusingano Thank you, your words flatter me
Thanks, you too Grazie, anche tu
Grazie Thank you
Grazie mille Thank you very much
Molte grazie Many thanks
Grazie davvero Thanks, I really mean it
Grazie di cuore Thanks with all my heart
Grazie dal profondo del cuore Thank you from the bottom of my heart
Grazie, troppo gentile Thank you, too kind
Grazie, un complimento detto da te vale doppio Thank you, a compliment from you is worth a dozen from anyone else.

After showing your appreciation, you could then return the compliment by saying something nice about the other person.

For example:

Complimenti for making it to the end of this lesson!

Some more Italian compliments are covered in the following article on Italian terms of endearment.

By Jessica Maggi
Jessica is a native Italian speaker