Italian · Emotions & Descriptions

"Happy" in Italian: felice

felice

Say it: feh-LEE-chehadjective/feˈli.tʃe/

Happy in Italian is felice (feh-LEE-cheh). It stays felice for masculine and feminine singular, then becomes felici in the plural. A common line is sono felice (I am happy).

Good news from a friend

Sono felice per te!
I'm happy for you!
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How to pronounce felice

Say it

feh-LEE-cheh

/feˈli.tʃe/

Felice stresses LEE: feh-LEE-cheh. The c before e is a soft ch. Keep the final e light.

"Happy" in Italian: quick reference

ItalianEnglish
felicehappy

Singular for any gender.

felicihappy (plural)

For duo or groups: siamo felici.

contento/aglad, pleased

Happy about something specific; agrees in gender.

felicissimo/avery happy

Stronger emotion.

How to use felice in real life

  1. 1Good news from a friend

    Sono felice per te!

    I'm happy for you!

    Per te marks who the happiness is for.

  2. 2A sunny weekend

    Oggi sono davvero felice.

    Today I'm really happy.

    Davvero intensifies felice.

  3. 3Talking about a couple

    Loro sembrano felici insieme.

    They look happy together.

    Plural adjective: felici.

Mistakes English speakers make with felice

Incorrect: Sono felica.

Correct: Sono felice.

Felice does not take a final a in the feminine singular. It stays felice.

Incorrect: Siamo felice.

Correct: Siamo felici.

Plural needs felici.

Good to know

Felice is the clear word for happy as a state. Contento often means pleased about a concrete thing (contento del risultato). Auguri di felicità appears on cards, from the related noun felicità.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Celebrating an exam result

  1. ChatPal

    Hai passato l'esame? Sono felice già solo a pensarlo!

    Did you pass the exam? I'm happy just thinking about it!

  2. You

    Sì! Anch'io sono felice, non ci credo.

    Yes! I'm happy too, I can't believe it.

  3. ChatPal

    Dovremmo festeggiare. Ti senti felice abbastanza per una pizza?

    We should celebrate. Happy enough for a pizza?

  4. You

    Felice e affamato! Andiamo.

    Happy and hungry! Let's go.

This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.

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"Happy" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Happy" in Italian

Does felice change for feminine?

Not in the singular. Men and women both say sono felice. Only the plural becomes felici.

What is the difference between felice and contento?

Felice is happy. Contento is often glad or pleased about something specific and must agree: contento/contenta.

How do I say we are happy?

Siamo felici. Use the plural form felici.

How do I say happy birthday?

Say buon compleanno. Felice compleanno is understood but buon compleanno is the usual Italian phrase.

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