sono felice
/ˈso.no feˈli.t͡ʃe/word by word
sono felice is the Italian way to say "I am happy".
sono felice is a common way to express that a person feels pleasure or contentment. You might also use Mi sento felice to say "I feel happy".
Which one should you use?
While sono felice expresses a deep or profound happiness, sono contento/a is often used for more situational satisfaction or being "glad" about something.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective felice is invariant for gender, meaning both male and female speakers use sono felice to mean "I am happy". To express the plural "they are happy", the verb remains sono but the adjective changes to the plural form felici, resulting in sono felici.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˈso.no feˈli.tʃe/. It has 4 syllables and the stress is on the 1st syllable.
Did you know?
- While sono felice describes a state of being, Italians often use the phrase essere al settimo cielo to describe extreme happiness, which translates to 'being in the seventh heaven'.
- The word felice comes from the Latin fēlīcem, which originally meant 'fruitful' or 'lucky' rather than just experiencing a positive emotion.
- The phrase sono felice can be used sarcastically in Italian to express the exact opposite, often accompanied by a specific shrug or a roll of the eyes.
Examples in context
- Di fatto sono felice.In fact, I am happy.This sentence shows how to use sono felice to state a fact.Tatoeba #2674043 by Guybrush88, translation #265256 by CM
- Io sono felice di sentirlo.I am happy to hear that.This sentence uses sono felice to express being happy about hearing something.Tatoeba #7803999 by Guybrush88, translation #7803176 by sharris123
- Sono felice con la mia morosa.I am happy with my girlfriend.This sentence uses sono felice to describe being happy in a relationship.Tatoeba #4698280 by Guybrush88, translation #1758716 by shanghainese
- Sono felice di ricevere questa opportunità.I am happy to receive this opportunity.
- Sono contenta perché ho incontrato un vecchio amico.I am happy because I met an old friend.
- 20 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alessandro and Chiara are having coffee in a cafe.
- AlessandroCome stai oggi, Chiara?How are you today, Chiara?
- ChiaraSto bene, sono felice di essere qui.I am fine, I am happy to be here.
- AlessandroAnche io sono felice di vederti.I am also happy to see you.
- ChiaraGrazie, Alessandro, è una bella giornata.Thank you, Alessandro, it is a beautiful day.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (sono, felice) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries felice, sono, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
