“Better” in Italian is meglio when it describes a verb or a situation, and migliore when it describes a noun. To say “you’d better”, use faresti meglio a, è meglio che or ti conviene.
“You Better (…)” in Italian
In today’s lesson, you’re going to learn different ways to say “you’d better” or “you better“, as in “you’d better help your brother”.
As you know, we use this construction in English to talk about actions we think people should do or which are desirable in a specific situation.
In both English and Italian, this expression is an idiomatic phrase, meaning that its use is metaphorical, yet it is conventionally understood by native speakers.
Better in Italian: Meglio or Migliore?
English has one word, “better”, but Italian has two, and you choose according to the word it goes with:
- meglio is the comparative of bene (well). It never changes, and it goes with verbs: “better” as in “more well”.
- migliore is the comparative of buono (good). It goes with nouns and changes only in the plural (migliori): “better” as in “of higher quality”.
Oggi sto meglio.
I feel better today.
Parla italiano meglio di me.
He speaks Italian better than me.
Questo vino è migliore di quello.
This wine is better than that one.
Ho un’idea migliore.
I have a better idea.
A few useful expressions with meglio:
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| molto meglio | much better |
| ancora meglio | even better |
| tanto meglio | so much the better |
| meglio così | better this way |
| sentirsi meglio / stare meglio | to feel better |
| Meglio tardi che mai. | Better late than never. |
To say that something gets better over time, use the verb migliorare (Il tempo migliora, “the weather is getting better”), and to say that someone recovers from an illness, use guarire (Guarisci presto!, “Get well soon!”). For the rules of comparison, see my lessons on buono, bravo, bello and bene and on how to make comparisons.
The rest of this lesson is about one special use of “better”: the English “you better” or “you’d better”.
How Do You Say “You Better” (do something) in Italian?
There are three main ways to say “you’d better” or “you better” in Italian. Let’s have a look at them:
- Fare meglio a
- È / sarà meglio che
- Conviene
Here’s the same sentence with the four options:
Ora faresti meglio a tornare a casa.
È meglio che tu torni a casa.
Sarà meglio che tu torni a casa.
Ti conviene tornare a casa.
You’d better come back home.
Speaking both English and Italian daily, I noticed that, most of the time, I use the English expression when I think there will be consequences if what is suggested is not done.
However, as an Italian native speaker I can ensure you that Italians don’t always use it in an imperative way, but more as a gentle piece of advice.
For instance, if you want to suggest a friend to start learning Italian today, you can say “faresti meglio a iniziare oggi!” (you better start today!) and the subtle encouragement would resonate without sounding too bossy.
Contextual Use of “You Better” in Italian
How to use “Fare Meglio a”
The construction of this expression is the following:
Conjugated form of the verb fare + meglio a + verb in the infinitive.
Where the infinitive is what the person better do.
Faccio meglio ad andare a dormire.
I’d better go to sleep.
Fate meglio a rimanere qua.
You’d better stay here.
Facciamo meglio a studiare.
We’d better study.
In everyday Italian, this expression is most often used in the conditional, which sounds like softer advice:
Farei meglio ad andare a dormire.
I’d better go to sleep.
Faresti meglio a rimanere qua.
You’d better stay here.
Faremmo meglio a studiare.
We’d better study.
How to Use “è meglio che” or “sarà meglio che”
These two are slightly more complicated. In fact, depending on the introductory verb, the meaning that is conveyed changes a little.
However, the main structural difference between these two expressions is the tense of the verb essere (to be): in the first case it is present tense, while in the second is the future tense to make assumptions.
Let’s analyze them separately.
- è meglio che + verb in the present subjunctive.
This expression sounds softer than the other, because it’s more like a mere piece of advice, as in the following examples:
È meglio che tu sparisca prima che arrivi.
You’d better get out of here before he gets here.
È meglio che impariate a nuotare.
You’d better learn to swim.
- sarà meglio che + verb in the present subjunctive.
This construction sounds stronger, almost like a warning, as in these sentences:
Sarà meglio che abbiate una risposta!
You’d better have an answer!
Sarà meglio che tu mi dica la verità!
You’d better tell me the truth!
As you can see, in both cases, the verb “essere” is conjugated in the third person singular (è and sarà) and never changes.
How to Use “conviene”
This construction is different from the ones we saw above:
Indirect object pronoun + conviene + verb in the infinitive.
However, the indirect object pronoun is not always mandatory, because it depends on whether you are directing the sentence to someone specifically or it just general advice.
Let’s have a look at some examples:
Non conviene prendere la scorciatoia.
We’d better not take the shortcut.
Literally: Taking the shortcut isn’t convenient.
Ti conviene fare in fretta.
You’d better hurry up.
Literally: It’s convenient for you to hurry up.
Vi conviene fare attenzione.
You’d better be careful.
Literally: It’s convenient for you to be careful.
Ci conviene cominciare adesso.
We’d better start now.
Literally: It’s convenient for us to start now.
Compared to the others, this expression is a little firmer, which can be effective when giving important advice and sounds more like a wake-up call.
What does conviene mean?
Conviene comes from the verb convenire and means “it is advisable” or “it is worth it”, something that is in your interest. This is why ti conviene is translated as “you’d better” (in English, “it is in your interest”).
Conviene prenotare in anticipo.
It’s best to book in advance.
Non mi conviene aspettare.
It’s not worth it for me to wait.
Non ti conviene arrabbiarti.
You’d better not get angry.
The related adjective conveniente means “cheap” or “good value”, as in un prezzo conveniente (a good price).
You Better Start Learning!
You see? In English it always sounds very bossy, but I swear it is not what I mean!
My purpose is to advise you to start using this expression to better master your Italian and engage in conversations with native speakers.
Now that you are learning how to say “you better” in Italian, make sure you recognize the subtle differences between each phrase. Embrace the nuances, and you’ll find yourself confidently giving advice in Italian like a local!
