piccola principessa
/ˈpik.ko.la prin.t͡ʃiˈpes.sa/word by word
The English phrase "little princess" is translated into Italian as piccola principessa.
piccola principessa is a term of endearment used for young girls by parents, relatives or close family friends.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of piccola (little/small) and principessa (princess).
Which one should you use?
While piccola principessa is a standard way to express the idea, Principessina is also used as an informal and playful way to say little princess.
How does it change in a sentence?
Both the adjective piccola and the noun principessa are in the feminine singular form to agree with the gender of the girl being addressed.
How do you pronounce it?
It has 6 syllables, and the stress is on the 1st syllable.
Did you know?
- The word piccola can be used as a standalone noun of endearment, which functions similarly to calling someone 'sweetie' or 'baby' in English.
- While standard Italian uses principessa, speakers of the Sicilian dialect may say principissa.
- The suffix -essa used in principessa is a consistent linguistic pattern across Italian used to create female versions of various titles.
Examples in context
- Ciao, piccola principessa!Hello, little princess!
- La mia piccola principessa è già sveglia.My little princess is already awake.
- Sei la mia piccola principessa.You are my little princess.
Example conversation
Lorenzo is greeting his daughter Martina at her birthday party.
- MartinaGrazie per il regalo, papà!Thank you for the gift, dad!
- LorenzoPrego, piccola principessa.You're welcome, little princess.
- MartinaÈ bellissimo!It is beautiful!
- LorenzoTi sta molto bene.It looks very good on you.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (piccola, principessa) and can differ in connected speech.
