ama te stesso
The phrase "love yourself" in Italian is translated as ama te stesso.
This phrase is used to express the idea of having a high opinion of oneself and caring for one's own well-being and happiness.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ama te stesso is composed of the imperative ama (love), the pronoun te (yourself) and stesso (self/same).
Which one should you use?
While ama te stesso is grammatically correct, it sounds slightly more emphatic or literary than the standard reflexive imperative amati.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say "love yourself" in a more common, informal way, you can use the reflexive imperative amati. If you are telling a group of people to "love yourselves", use the plural form amatevi.
Did you know?
- In Italian, using the phrase amarsi troppo can imply an unhealthy level of vanity or narcissism rather than healthy self-care.
- To express 'loving oneself' in a purely psychological sense, Italians often use the noun amor proprio, meaning 'proper love'.
- The word stesso is a hybrid creation from the Latin words istum meaning 'that' and ipsum meaning 'himself'.
Examples in context
- Ama te stesso!Love yourself!This sentence is useful for expressing the command "Love yourself!" using ama te stesso.Tatoeba #13297255 by Guybrush88, translation #9155468 by Gavbigav
Example conversation
Martina is giving Lorenzo some emotional advice.
- MartinaLorenzo, non essere così duro con te.Lorenzo, don't be so hard on yourself.
- LorenzoHo solo fatto troppi errori.I've just made too many mistakes.
- MartinaImportante è che ama te stesso nonostante tutto.The important thing is that you love yourself despite everything.
- LorenzoHai ragione, ci proverò.You are right, I will try.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries stesso, te, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
