How to say best friend in Italian
Migliore amico / Migliore amica
The direct translation for best friend in Italian is migliore amico, if your bestie is a boy or a man, and migliore amica if she’s a girl or a woman.
Migliore means best and is one of those adjectives that don’t change in the singular depending on the gender of the noun.
Migliore amico
Best friend (male)
Migliore amica
Best friend (female)
So in order to say “you are my best friend in Italian”, you would simply say…
Sei il mio migliore amico.
You are my best friend.
(Masculine)
Sei la mia migliore amica.
You are my best friend.
(Feminine)
But wait! What if you have more than one best friend, either male or female? Here’s what you have to say:
Siete i miei migliori amici.
You are my best friends.
(Masculine)
Siete le mie migliori amiche.
You are my best friends.
(Feminine)
When it comes to mixed groups, the masculine gender wins. So if there’s only one girl in a group of five people, you have to say siete i miei migliori amici because the group will have a masculine gender.
Other ways to say best friend in Italian
Amico/amica per la pelle
Amico per la pelle (male) and amica per la pelle (female) are synonyms for migliore amico/a. They are used to refer to very close friends that are fond of each other.
Literally, they would be translated as “friend for the skin”, with pelle meaning skin.
Amico per la pelle
Best friend (male)
Amica per la pelle
Best friend (male)
Io e Luana siamo amiche per la pelle.
Luana and I are best friends.
Amico/amica del cuore
This is yet another synonym for best friend in Italian, and it would literally translate as “friend to the heart”. It can also be translated as BFF.
Amico del cuore
Best friend (masculine)
Amica del cuore
Best friend (feminine)
Chi è la tua amica del cuore, Claudia?
Who is your BFF, Claudia?
Amico intimo / Amica intima
If you have an amico intimo or an amica intima, it means that you have a friend you trust with all your heart. It literally means “intimate friend”.
Amico intimo
Very close friend (male)
Amica intima
Very close friend (male)
An Italian saying with “best friend”
There’s a saying that goes…
Il cane è il migliore amico dell’uomo.
Dogs are a man’s best friend.
It literally translates as “The dog is man’s best friend”.
More free Italian resources
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