How do you say shy in Italian?
Timido
Use timido to say shy in Italian.
| Origin | From the Latin word timēre, meaning “to dread” |
| Pronunciation | /aˈpɛrto/ |
Timido
Shy
Shy in Italian: Different forms
Like all other adjectives in Italian, timido needs to match the gender (masculine or feminine) and the number (singular or plural) of the noun.
| Singular | Plural | |
| Masculine | Timido | Timidi |
| Feminine | Timida | Timide |
Shy in Italian: Examples
Mio figlio è sempre stato molto timido.
My son has always been very shy.
Non siate così timidi, ragazzi. Fatevi avanti!
Don’t be so shy, boys. Step right up!
Una persona timida tende a parlare poco.
A shy person tends to speak little.
Non essere timida!
Don’t be shy!
Shy in Italian: Related words
Timido is an adjective, and timidezza, shyness, is derived from it. It is a masculine noun and it is not used in the plural.
Mi piace la tua timidezza.
I like your shyness.
Another type of emotion is imbarazzo, embarrassment.
Essere in imbarazzo is a very common idiom that means “to be embarrassed” and literally translates to “to be in embarrassment”. Sentirsi in imbarazzo, on the other hand, means “to feel embarrassment”.
Il bambino si sente in imbarazzo in mezzo agli adulti.
The child feels embarrassed in the presence of adults.
Mattia ha le guance rosse per l’imbarazzo.
Mattia’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
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