Ciao ragazzi! Vi va di fare un po' di flirt? Bene, iniziamo!
Flirting can be so much fun, especially when you have some funny and playful pick up lines in your arsenal! What better way to learn Italian than to pick up a few flirty phrases you can use to break the ice and start talking to native Italians.
Whether you're looking to strike up a conversation with your amore a prima vista (love at first sight), you're looking for a vacation romance, you want to make plans for a night out, impress people around the world with your language skills, or you just want to meet someone new, get ready to take some notes because today you're going to learn some phrases to flirt in Italian!
First thing's first, if you want to impress people with your Italian skills, you should probably learn how Italians flirt, right?
Through watching movies or visiting Italy, you may have noticed that Italians tend to use a lot of body language when they speak. They hug a lot, they kiss on the cheek, they talk with their hands, etc.
If that's not how you normally speak, you don't have to worry about that when you want to flirt as a non-Italian. Like Americans, Italian men and Italian women like to break the ice with a good old-fashioned pick up line.
In Italian, the verb you'd use to say "to pick up" men or women is rimorchiare. It's a regular verb, so you would conjugate it the way you would any other regular -are verbs.
Or, you'd use the verb flirtare to, well, say you're going to flirt! It's also a regular verb, so you can conjugate it the same way as other, regular, -are verbs.
So, now that you know that Italian flirting (and dating!) isn't too different than flirting in other languages, let's get you started with some Italian pick up lines, the good, the bad, and the ugly!
It can be difficult to understand if someone is flirting in Italian. Italians tend to give a lot of compliments even when they're just being friendly and they're a very passionate group of people. That means hugging, cheek kisses, and calling each other bella or caro doesn't necessarily mean someone is flirting with the intent of "picking up" someone. However, if you want to flirt in Italian, giving compliments and being friendly is the easiest way to go!
The easiest pick up lines to learn in Italian if you want to make new friends or maybe try your hand at dating an Italian are also the simplest to learn!
If you just want to start talking to someone, start by saying hi!:
Ciao bella/o! (Hi, beautiful)
NOTE: You can substitute bella with another word if you want. A few examples of substitute words you can use are:
As you've already learned, Italian adjectives change a little depending on who or what you're using them with. Adjectives will typically end with -a when talking about a singular woman or "female" thing, or -o when talking about a man or "masculine" thing.
Another easy to learn and remember pick up line tactic you might want to use if you meet someone new in Italy or just want to impress people anywhere in the world is simply to ask someone to go out for something specific.
Here are some examples:
NOTE: You can substitute the words above with any other word you'd like, pizza, ice cream, drink, etc!
Phrases like these are great if you want to spend a little more time with someone without coming off as too romantic. These are lines that you can use both if your intention is dating or if you just want to get to know someone as a friend!
Another great pick up line tactic to break the ice with someone new is to go the compliment route.
For compliments, you'll want to remember the verb piacere, like you've seen above, which means to like. Be careful, though! If you've never encountered this verb before, you might need some time to get used to this verb. Unlike in English where you say "I like", in Italian you essentially say that something is liked by you. So, the subject of the verb phrase will be whatever you're complimenting.
Compliments are a great way to start talking to someone. Just make sure your compliments are personal and are relevant to the person you're talking to! As can be seen in the video below, creativity and personalization are your friends when you want to flirt in Italian.
Simple compliments are your best bet at the beginning of your Italian flirtation journey, but you can build them up and get more complicated. Just be careful that you don't wander into cheesy pick up line territory!
Italian girls are used to Italian men being very flirty and charming. Italian guys tend to try to be "players" so, to combat that, many Italian women may seem like they play hard to get. Sometimes that's the case, but other times, they really aren't interested! If you're honest and friendly, you'll likely be able to find out which case applies!
Like French and Spanish, Italian is considered one of the romance languages by people around the world. That doesn't mean that Italian isn't full of some cheesy-pick up lines.
Using one of these lines has its pros and cons.
While they may make who you're speaking to roll their eyes, when delivered with a smile and when done in good fun, like in the videos below, they can still be a great way to open a conversation and get to know someone new!
Let's look at a few pick up lines that are definitely cheesy, but could still lead to a funny story or a fun conversation!
Pick up lines are great, whether they're cheesy or not. However, the best way to win over an Italian girl, if that's what you want to do, is to be yourself!
If you love the idea of using a jokey, fun pick up line to start a conversation with an Italian man or woman, the subjunctive mood is great!
You've probably heard plenty of lines that use the subjunctive without even realizing it!
Let's look at a few examples of phrases that would use the subjunctive mood in Italian. (note that "if" is the word spoken most often to introduce your subjunctive):
In Italian, subjunctive pick up lines usually follow the structure of:
Se io fossi (if I were) or Se tu fossi (if you were) to express a hypothetical situation.
The subjunctive mood really sparks creativity. If you want to use a pick up line to ask someone out for a date, and, who knows, fall in love, take this as a sign to brush up on your subjunctive mood skills.
You can see an example of the subjunctive mood being used as part of a pick up line in the following video.
If you haven't already, you can check out our post dedicated to giving you a crash course on the subjective mood as soon as you're done here!
Italians still use the subjunctive mood in everyday life. It's often used in writing and certain tenses are used in conversation fairly often. While you can get by without being an expert in this mood, especially while you're getting the hang of it, it's a great mood to incorporate into your Italian flirtations!
There are plenty of ways pick up lines can go too far.
If you have romantic intentions when asking someone on a date, being too forward can work against you. Here are some phrases to avoid if you want to avoid being too intense:
Note: if you smile and make it absolutely clear you're just having fun, these still might work, but definitely proceed with caution!
Like in the video below, if the person you're trying to talk to seems uncomfortable, that's your signal to stop.
It depends on what you consider "flirty". If you consider flirty as the intent to pursue something romantic with someone, then Italians are no flirtier than people from other countries. If you consider flirty to just be a slightly more intimate or passionate version of being friendly, but without necessarily intending to pursue anything else, then, yes. Italians are naturally flirty in general. Giving compliments, hugging, and being very friendly and open with people you want to talk to is a natural part of the culture.
Pick up lines are great ice breakers. Whether you use them seriously to flirt in Italian or not they're a lot of fun to learn! While Italian flirty phrases aren't much different than English ones, there are a few things to keep in mind.
Keeping it simple is your best bet at actually asking someone out. A simple compliment or a nice, friendly invitation if someone is free will do perfectly.
Cheesy lines can be great, but try to keep them light and jovial. If that's your style, try to make people laugh or smile!
Don't be too intense; you'll likely push away people you could otherwise have a nice conversation with!
Of course, if the person you're talking to, whether an Italian man or woman, seems uncomfortable, that's your sign to back off.
This post has given you everything you need to properly use and create Italian pick up lines. Who knows, maybe they'll even help you fall in love with the Italian love of your life.
If you intend to try dating in Italy, it's good to know that it's pretty similar to dating cultures in other parts of the world. The biggest differences tend to arise later in the relationship when marriage is a greater possibility. You also may be more likely to date someone who still lives at home as many Italians wait until they're in a long-term relationship or until they're married before they move out.
