“Good” in Italian
The English word “good” has many uses. In Italian, there are multiple ways to translate it, which depend, indeed, on the way it is used.
It takes on different forms and meanings depending on the context: it can function as an adjective, an adverb, and even as a noun, with each form serving a distinct role.
As an adjective, it describes the quality of a person, object, or food. As an adverb, it modifies verbs to describe how something is done. As a noun, it represents goodness in a moral or philosophical sense, often used in contexts of ethics or well-being.
Below, I will show you the different grammatical roles of the word “good” in Italian, with its corresponding translations and uses. Meanwhile, have a look at how to use buono, bravo, bello, bene in Italian, as these are the main translations of “good”.
Before diving into the explanation, remember that adjectives in Italian must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify.
How to say “Good” in Italian
The Adjective “Buono”
The most common translation for “good” in Italian is buono. It is used to describe people, food, or things that are inherently good or of good quality.
As an adjective, it varies its form depending on whether it is masculine, feminine, singular, or plural:
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | Buono | Buoni |
| Feminine | Buona | Buone |
For example:
Questo caffè è buono.
This coffee is good.
Lei è una persona buona.
She is a good person.
The Adverb “Bene”
While buono describes things and people, bene is the adverbial form of “good”. To make it easier, you can translate it as “well”.
It is used to describe how something is done, rather than what something is. For example:
Hai fatto bene il tuo lavoro.
You did your job well.
Ultimamente non dormo bene.
Lately I am not sleeping well.
Remember, bene doesn’t change form because it is an adverb, not an adjective. It stays the same regardless of gender or number.
The Noun “Bene”
In Italian, bene can also be a noun, with the meaning of “good” in a more abstract or moral sense, or a person’s welfare or overall well-being.
It is a masculine singular noun, and, when used to refer to the good in the sense of what is right, it can never be pluralized, for example:
Devi distinguere il bene e il male.
You have to distinguish between good and evil.
La salute è il bene più prezioso
Health is the most precious good.
Finally, it also refers to assets or material possessions. Unlike the previous cases, here it is always pluralized, as in:
I beni di famiglia.
Family assets.
The Adjective “Bravo”
If you want to say someone is “good” at something, such as being skilled or talented, you can use the adjective bravo. Also in this case, remember to change its gender and number if needed:
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | Bravo | Bravi |
| Feminine | Brava | Brave |
È un bravo insegnante.
He’s a good teacher.
Sei molto brava a cantare.
You’re very good at singing.
This word focuses on a person’s abilities or achievements, so you’ll commonly hear this in contexts where you’re praising someone for their skills.
Also, notice that when it is used to express someone’s skills at doing something, it is followed by the preposition a and a verb in the present infinitive, like in the second example.
“Very Good” in Italian
In Italian, the phrase “very good” can be expressed in several ways, depending on what type of translation you choose. The adverb “very” can be translated as molto, tanto, davvero, but these words as well have a peculiar behavior.
Both molto and tanto can behave both as adverbs and adjective, which you now know what it means: as adverbs they do not vary, as adjectives they have to. Davvero is an adverb only.
Recall that adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs, meaning that davvero can basically be used with all possible translations of “good”, as you can see below:
Il cibo è davvero buono.
The food is really good.
It can even combine with another adverb which is in turn modifying an adjective:
Il cibo è davvero molto buono.
The food is really very good.
Adjectives, instead, modify nouns. This means that molto and tanto are used as adjectives in combination with “good” only when this is used as a noun:
La tua famiglia possiede tanti beni di valore.
Your family owns many valuable assets.
Of course, as you can see, when they are adjectives they must agree in gender an number.
When used as adverbs, they do not vary and can be used with all the other alternative translations of “good” that I listed above:
Il servizio è stato molto buono.
The service was very good.
Another way to say “very good” is with the absolute superlative benissimo, but this is typically used in response to how someone is feeling or to express satisfaction with how something has been done:
Oggi mi sento benissimo!
Today I feel very good!
Other Words in Italian for “Good”
Bello
While the adjective bello means “beautiful” in Italian, it can also be used to mean “good” when describing experiences, things, or events that are aesthetically pleasing or enjoyable.
It is often used to compliment something that is visually or experientially delightful, for example:
Che bel film!
What a good (or beautiful) movie!
È stata una bella giornata.
It was a good day.
Ottimo
When you want to express that something is better than just “good” and is actually “excellent” or “very good”, you can use the irregular absolute superlative ottimo. It is stronger than buono and suggests top quality.
Il pranzo è stato ottimo.
Lunch was excellent.
È un’ottima idea.
That’s an excellent idea.
Eccellente
Similar to ottimo, eccellente also means “excellent” or “outstanding”. It can be used interchangeably with ottimo but it tends to sound a bit more formal, which is why I rarely use it.
Il servizio in questo ristorante è eccellente.
The service in this restaurant is excellent.
