Which one should you use?
While il mio amico is used to describe or identify a friend, you should use amico mio when addressing a friend directly, such as when saying "My friend, listen!" Additionally, if you want to say "a friend of mine" rather than "my friend", you should use the indefinite article un to form un mio amico instead of the definite article il.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase must change to agree with the gender and number of the friends being discussed. Use la mia amica when referring to a single female friend. For a group of male friends or a mixed-gender group, use the masculine plural i miei amici. If the group consists entirely of female friends, use the feminine plural le mie amiche.
How do you pronounce it?
/il ˈmi.o aˈmi.ko/. The phrase has 5 syllables and the stress is on the 2nd syllable.
Did you know?
- In Italy, calling a complete stranger amico mio can sometimes be perceived as overly familiar or condescending depending on the tone.
- While it means 'my friend', using the phrase amico mio at the start of a sentence can sometimes sound much more dramatic or emotional than the English equivalent.
- The word amico shares the same Latin root as the English word 'amicable', which describes a friendly or peaceable relationship.
Examples in context
- È il mio amico?Are you my friend?This is useful for asking if someone is your friend regarding the form il mio amico.Tatoeba #2749302 by Guybrush88, translation #2684428 by DJ_Saidez
- È il mio amico.You are my friend.This is useful for stating that someone is your friend regarding the form il mio amico.Tatoeba #2749319 by Guybrush88, translation #370562 by saeb
- Tom è il mio amico.Tom is my friend.This is useful for identifying a specific person as your friend regarding the form il mio amico.Tatoeba #1267810 by Guybrush88, translation #406604 by CK
- Vorrei presentare il mio amico, Giovanni.I would like to introduce my friend, Giovanni.
- Ho un amico che si chiama Luca.I have a friend named Luca.
- Ho visto il mio amico stamattina.I saw my friend this morning.
- 184 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alessandro and Sofia are at a cafe.
- AlessandroTi presento il mio amico Marco.I would like to introduce my friend Marco to you.
- SofiaPiacere di conoscerti, Marco!Nice to meet you, Marco!
- AlessandroLui è il mio amico di sempre.He is my lifelong friend.
- SofiaSembrate molto uniti.You two seem very close.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (il, mio, amico) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries amico, il, mio, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
