caro
/ˈka.ro/
The English phrase "dear someone" is expressed in Italian using caro.
In Italian, caro is used as a friendly greeting at the beginning of a letter or email to address someone. It is important to note that caro is a homonym. Depending on the context, it can mean both the affectionate "dear" and the adjective "expensive".
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the word changes to agree with the gender and number of the person or people being addressed. Use cara when addressing a single female, cari when addressing a group of men or a mixed-gender group and care when addressing a group of only women.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /ˈka.ro/. It has 2 syllables, with the stress on the 1st syllable.
Did you know?
- In formal Italian correspondence, the word caro is replaced by gentile, which translates literally to 'kind'.
- The Italian word caro is a cognate of the English word 'care', as both share an ancient root relating to something held dear or valued.
- In very formal letters, the greeting doesn't use caro at all, but instead uses Egregio, which implies a sense of 'distinguished'.
Examples in context
- Gentile Signore, mi rivolgo a lei per chiederle informazioni riguardanti il suo prodotto.Dear Sir, I am writing to inquire about your product.
- Egregio Signore, mi permetta di rivolgermi a lei per presentare la mia candidatura.Dear Sir, let me address you to submit my application.
- Egregia Signora, sono lieto di invitarla al nostro evento di gala.Dear Madam, I am pleased to invite you to our gala event.
- Ciao caro, come stai?Hi dear, how are you?
- Cara Luisa, ti scrivo per invitarti alla nostra festa.Dear Luisa, I am writing to invite you to our party.
- Caro Marco,Dear Marco,
Example conversation
Sofia is reading an email from Alessandro.
- SofiaCaro Alessandro, grazie per l'email.Dear Alessandro, thank you for the email.
- AlessandroDi nulla, Sofia! Mi fa piacere.You're welcome, Sofia! I'm glad.
- SofiaQuando ci vediamo di nuovo?When are we seeing each other again?
- AlessandroForse questo fine settimana.Maybe this weekend.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry caro, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
