felice
/feˈli.t͡ʃe/
The English phrase "delighted" is translated into Italian as felice.
felice means greatly pleased or happy. It is the standard word used to express happiness in both mild and intense contexts.
Meaning: Greatly pleased (adj)
Which one should you use?
While felice is the standard word for both happy and delighted, you can use the superlative form felicissimo to express that you are extremely happy or delighted.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective felice is invariable in gender, so it remains the same for both masculine and feminine singular subjects. For plural subjects, the form changes to felici, which is used for both masculine and feminine plural subjects.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has three syllables, with the stress on the second syllable: /feˈli.tʃe/.
Did you know?
- In Italian, you can say sono al settimo cielo to express being delighted, which translates to 'I am in the seventh heaven'.
- The Latin root of felice was originally associated with 'fruitfulness' and 'fertility' before it came to mean 'happiness'.
- The English word 'felicitations' is a direct linguistic relative of felice, sharing the same Latin ancestor.
Examples in context
- Sono felice di essere qui.I am delighted to be here.This sentence shows how to use felice to say you are delighted to be in a certain place.Tatoeba #4721155 by Guybrush88, translation #1690490 by Spamster
- Io sono felice di essere qui.I'm delighted to be here.This sentence provides an alternative way to express being delighted to be in a location using the subject pronoun.Tatoeba #4721156 by Guybrush88, translation #1690492 by Spamster
- Era molto felice per il mio dono.She was very delighted with my gift.This sentence demonstrates using felice to describe being delighted with a gift.Tatoeba #3777560 by Guybrush88, translation #312463 by CM
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lorenzo and Sofia meet for the first time.
- LorenzoPiacere di conoscerti, Sofia.Nice to meet you, Sofia.
- SofiaAnche piacere mio, sono felice di incontrarti.Mine too, I am delighted to meet you.
- LorenzoHai sentito che andremo al cinema insieme?Did you hear that we are going to the cinema together?
- SofiaSì, sono davvero felice per questa notizia!Yes, I am truly delighted about this news!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry felice, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries felice, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
