che bello
/ˈke ˈbɛl.lo/word by word
The English phrase "how beautiful" can be translated into Italian as che bello.
Che bello is an exclamation used to express admiration for something visually pleasing or wonderful. While bello refers to aesthetic beauty, the full phrase che bello is often used idiomatically as a general exclamation of pleasantness or excitement to mean "how nice" or "how great" regarding an abstract situation or good news.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of che (what/how) and bello (beautiful).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Sicily, you may hear the Sicilian dialectal version Comu è bedda! to mean "how beautiful!"
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the adjective changes depending on what you are admiring. Use the feminine form che bella if you are specifically admiring a feminine noun, such as una vista (a view). Use the masculine plural form che belli when referring to a group of masculine or mixed-gender objects or people. Use the feminine plural form che belle when referring to a group of feminine objects or people.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˈke ˈbɛl.lo/. It has 3 syllables, with the stress on the 1st syllable.
Did you know?
- In Italy, a common gesture to accompany che bello is to bring the fingertips of one hand together and move them up and down, emphasizing a feeling of delicacy or perfection.
- While che bello typically expresses joy, it can be used sarcastically to mean 'how wonderful' in a negative sense, similar to 'great' when something goes wrong.
- The word bello comes from the Latin adjective bellus, which was originally a diminutive used to describe things as 'pretty' or 'cute' rather than 'beautiful'.
Examples in context
- Che bello!How beautiful!This is useful for expressing admiration with the form che bello.Tatoeba #348001 by grantortino, translation #1913083 by CK
- Quanto è bello! Ti sta benissimo!How beautiful! It looks great on you!
- Che meraviglia! La vista è incredibile!What a marvel! The view is incredible!
- Che bello questo tramonto!How beautiful this sunset is!
- Che bello il tuo vestito.How beautiful your dress is.
Example conversation
Matteo and Chiara are looking at a view from a balcony.
- MatteoGuarda la città dall'alto, che bello!Look at the city from above, how beautiful!
- ChiaraHai ragione, Matteo, è stupenda.You're right, Matteo, it's wonderful.
- MatteoChe bello vivere qui.How beautiful it is to live here.
- ChiaraSì, è un sogno.Yes, it's a dream.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (che, bello) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bello, che, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
