Meaning of carino in Italian
As we said, carino is a very common Italian adjective. Most of the time it can be translated into English as cute, sweet or nice. But there’s more to it than that, and if you stick with this lesson, you’ll see why.
First of all, let’s hear how carino is pronounced.
Carino
Cute, sweet, nice
Carino in Italian: Examples
Il cane del mio vicino è davvero carino. Ha degli occhi dolcissimi.
My neighbor’s dog is really cute. He has the sweetest eyes.
È un gesto carino da parte tua portarmi la colazione a letto.
It is a nice gesture of you to bring me breakfast in bed.
Ho comprato un regalo carino per la mia migliore amica.
I bought a nice gift for my best friend.
Questo cappello è molto carino. Lo compro!
This hat is very cute. I will buy it!
Using carino in Italian
Like all other adjectives in Italian, carino needs to match the noun in both gender and number.
| Singular | Plural | |
| Masculine | Carino | Carini |
| Feminine | Carina | Carine |
If you are talking about some cute girls, for example, you will need to use carine, because girls, ragazze, is a feminine plural noun in Italian.
Likewise, if you are talking about some cute drawings, you will need to use carini instead, since drawings, disegni in Italian, is a masculine plural noun.
For example, you could say…
Mi piace indossare vestiti carini quando esco con le amiche.
I like to wear nice clothes when I go out with my friends.
Abbiamo visitato un negozio di souvenir con tante cose carine da portare a casa.
We visited a gift store with many nice things to take home.
Le sue parole di incoraggiamento sono state molto carine.
His words of encouragement were very thoughtful.
Il ristorante che abbiamo provato ieri sera aveva un’atmosfera carina e accogliente.
The restaurant we tried last night had a nice and cozy atmosphere.
The most common English translation for carino in Italian is cute.
Questo micetto è molto carino!
This kitty cat is very cute!
It is also a common word for nice.
Luca è un ragazzo molto carino.
Luca is a very nice guy.
Finally, it can also mean kind.
Il tuo è stato un gesto molto carino.
Yours was a very kind gesture.
More free Italian resources
You might want to keep learning Italian online with these free Italian resources:
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