bell'anima
The Italian phrase for "beautiful soul" is bell'anima.
Which one should you use?
While the unelided form bella anima is grammatically possible, it is much less common in natural speech than the elided form bell'anima.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form bell'anima uses an elision where the final vowel of bella is dropped and replaced by an apostrophe because the following word anima begins with a vowel.
Did you know?
- The term anima is used in Italian music to describe the 'sound post' of a violin, the small piece of wood that transmits vibrations.
- In Italian, calling someone a bella anima can sometimes imply they are a 'naive' or 'simple' person, rather than just a kind one.
- The word anima shares a deep linguistic root with the English word 'animate', as both derive from the Latin word for 'breath'.
Examples in context
- La tua anima bellissima illumina ogni stanza.Your beautiful soul lights up every room.
- La tua anima meravigliosa rende ogni giorno speciale.Your marvelous soul makes every day special.
Example conversation
Giulia and Alessandro are talking about a kind volunteer.
- GiuliaQuel ragazzo aiuta tutti, è una bell'anima.That boy helps everyone, he is a beautiful soul.
- AlessandroSì, Giulia, è davvero molto generoso.Yes, Giulia, he is really very generous.
- GiuliaIl mondo avrebbe bisogno di più bell'anima.The world would need more beautiful souls.
- AlessandroHai ragione, Alessandro concorda con te.You are right, Alessandro agrees with you.
