cotta
/ˈkɔt.ta/feminine
In Italian, the English phrase 'crush' is translated as cotta.
The noun cotta refers to a feeling of love or infatuation, often one that is short-lived or unrequited. To say you have a crush on someone, use the construction avere una cotta per qualcuno (to have a crush on someone), specifically using the preposition per. You can describe a sudden, intense and often short-lived infatuation as una cotta fulminante (a lightning crush).
Meaning: love or infatuation or its object (often short-lived or unrequited) (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun cotta is feminine. When using the indefinite article to say 'a crush', you must use the feminine form una cotta.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /ˈkɔt.ta/. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first syllable.
Did you know?
- While you might expect the word to be related to 'crushing' or 'breaking', cotta is actually a culinary term. It is the feminine form of the past participle of 'cuocere', which means 'to cook'.
- In some regional Italian slang, calling a person cotto (masculine) or cotta (feminine) can mean they are completely 'exhausted' or 'done', much like one might say someone is 'cooked' in English.
- An English speaker might assume 'crush' relates to the physical act of smashing something, but the Italian word cotta shares no linguistic root with physical crushing or breaking.
Examples in context
- Ha una cotta per lui?Do you have a crush on him?This sentence is useful for asking if someone has a crush on him.Tatoeba #4078204 by Guybrush88, translation #1908423 by Spamster
- Ha una cotta per lei?Do you have a crush on her?This sentence is useful for asking if someone has a crush on her.Tatoeba #4078211 by Guybrush88, translation #1908427 by Spamster
- Ha una cotta per lei.He's got a crush on her.This sentence is useful for stating that someone has a crush on her.Tatoeba #5814454 by Guybrush88, translation #1407467 by PeterR
- 104 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alessandro and Sofia are talking about a mutual friend.
- AlessandroSofia, hai una cotta per Marco?Sofia, do you have a crush on Marco?
- SofiaSì, ma credo che lui non lo sappia.Yes, but I think he doesn't know.
- AlessandroSecondo me gli piaci molto.I think he likes you a lot.
- SofiaSpero che la mia cotta sia ricambiata!I hope my crush is mutual!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “crush” translations and entries cotta, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cotta, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
