cane carino
/ˈka.ne kaˈri.no/word by word
The English phrase "cute dog" is translated into Italian as cane carino.
cane carino is used to describe a dog that is attractive or endearing in a sweet way. If you wish to describe a dog as "adorable," you may use the word adorabile.
Which one should you use?
While cane carino implies a sweet or endearing quality, the phrase cane bello is used to describe a dog that is physically handsome or beautiful.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of the phrase is cani carini, where both the noun and the adjective take the masculine plural ending.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of cane carino is /ˈka.ne kaˈri.no/. The word has 4 syllables, and the stress is on the 1st syllable of the first word.
Did you know?
- In Italian, the word cane is often used in idioms to describe something of very poor quality, such as tempo di cane for 'terrible weather'.
- While cane carino describes the dog, if you were to call a person carino, you might accidentally imply they are 'pretty' in a somewhat condescending or 'cute' way.
- While carino means 'cute', its root word caro also means 'expensive', creating a linguistic link between something endearing and something costly.
Examples in context
- È un cane carino.That's a cute dog.This sentence is useful for saying that a dog is cute.Tatoeba #11290151 by Guybrush88, translation #6274622 by CK
- Che cane carino!What a cute dog!This sentence is useful for exclaiming how cute a dog is.Tatoeba #12763328 by Guybrush88, translation #8440364 by CK
- Il tuo cane è davvero carino!Your dog is really cute!
- Guarda quel cagnolino carino, sembra un peluche!Look at that cute dog, it looks like a stuffed toy!
- Il loro cane adorabile è sempre così felice di vederti.Their cute dog is always so happy to see you.
- Quel cane carino è tuo?Is that cute dog yours?
Example conversation
Giulia is walking her pet in a park.
- FrancescoGuarda quel cane carino!Look at that cute dog!
- GiuliaGrazie, è un cane carino davvero.Thanks, he is a really cute dog.
- FrancescoCome si chiama il tuo cane?What is your dog's name?
- GiuliaSi chiama Luna.Her name is Luna.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (cane, carino) and can differ in connected speech.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
