Italian · People & Family
"Friend" in Italian: amico / amica
l'amico / l'amica
Friend in Italian depends on who you mean: amico (ah-MEE-koh) for a man and amica (ah-MEE-kah) for a woman. Both start with a vowel, so the article shortens to l': l'amico, l'amica. For a group, say gli amici, or le amiche if they are all women.
Introducing someone at a party
Ti presento Luca, un mio amico dell'università.Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free
How to pronounce amico / amica
Say it
ah-MEE-koh
/aˈmi.ko/
Amico has three syllables with the weight on the middle one: ah-MEE-koh. In the plural amici, the c softens to "ch" (ah-MEE-chee). Amiche keeps a hard k sound (ah-MEE-keh), because the h stops the c from softening.
"Friend" in Italian: quick reference
| Italian | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| l'amico | friend (male) A man or boy you are friends with. With un: un amico. | A man or boy you are friends with. With un: un amico. |
| l'amica | friend (female) A woman or girl you are friends with. With un': un'amica. | A woman or girl you are friends with. With un': un'amica. |
| gli amici | friends A group of men, or any mixed group. | A group of men, or any mixed group. |
| le amiche | friends (all female) A group made up only of women or girls. | A group made up only of women or girls. |
| il mio migliore amico | my best friend For a woman, say la mia migliore amica. | For a woman, say la mia migliore amica. |
How to use amico / amica in real life
- 1Introducing someone at a party
Ti presento Luca, un mio amico dell'università.
This is Luca, a friend of mine from university.
Un mio amico is the natural way to say "a friend of mine".
- 2Texting about weekend plans
Sabato esco con le mie amiche, vieni anche tu?
On Saturday I'm going out with my friends, are you coming too?
Uscire (to go out) is the verb Italians use for spending an evening with friends.
- 3Clearing up a misunderstanding
Marco non è il mio ragazzo, è solo un amico!
Marco isn't my boyfriend, he's just a friend!
Il mio ragazzo means my boyfriend, so solo un amico makes the difference clear.
Mistakes English speakers make with amico / amica
Incorrect: Lei è il mio amico Giulia.
Correct: Lei è la mia amica Giulia.
A female friend is amica, and the possessive changes with it: la mia, not il mio.
Incorrect: Vado al cinema con i miei amichi.
Correct: Vado al cinema con i miei amici.
The plural of amico is amici, with a soft "ch" sound. The feminine is different: amica becomes amiche.
Good to know
Italian draws the line between friend and partner with different words. Il mio ragazzo and la mia ragazza mean boyfriend and girlfriend, even for adults, while il mio compagno or la mia compagna often means a long-term partner. A close circle of friends is often called la compagnia, and old friends from school are gli amici di sempre.
Try it in a ChatPal conversation
Telling a new friend in Florence who you're traveling with
ChatPal
Con chi sei qui a Firenze?
Who are you here in Florence with?
You
Con due amici di lavoro. Stasera andiamo a vedere il Ponte Vecchio.
With two friends from work. Tonight we're going to see the Ponte Vecchio.
ChatPal
Che bello! Anche i miei amici vanno spesso lì al tramonto.
How nice! My friends often go there at sunset too.
You
Vuoi venire con noi? Così ti presento i miei amici.
Do you want to come with us? Then I can introduce you to my friends.
This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.
Practice this conversation in ChatPal"Friend" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "Friend" in Italian
Is amico masculine or feminine?
Amico is masculine and amica is feminine. Because both take l', the definite article won't show the gender. The indefinite one does: un amico, but un'amica with an apostrophe.
What is the plural of amico and amica?
Amico becomes amici (ah-MEE-chee) and amica becomes amiche (ah-MEE-keh). Use amici for a mixed group, even if only one of them is a man.
Does la mia amica mean my girlfriend?
No. La mia amica is simply a female friend. A girlfriend is la mia ragazza, and a boyfriend is il mio ragazzo.
Is there a word for a very close friend?
Yes. Besides il mio migliore amico (my best friend), Italians say amico del cuore, literally "friend of the heart", for someone especially close.
Learn a word, then use it out loud
- Step 1: See it in context
- Step 2: Say it out loud
- Step 3: Get feedback
- Step 4: Use it in real scenarios
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