volere bene

Italian

Etymology

From Latin benē volō. Literally, “to wish well”.

Verb

volére bene (first-person singular present vòglio bene, first-person singular past historic vòlli bene, past participle volùto bene, first-person singular future vorrò bene, second-person singular imperative vògli bene, auxiliary avére)

  1. (transitive with a) to be affectionate to someone, to feel affection or love for someone; to care for/about; to be fond of
    ti voglio bene ― I love you
    voglio bene a Marco ― I love Marco

Usage notes
  • volere bene is an expression of non-romantic affection toward a friend, family member or other loved one. Romantic love is usually expressed with amare. In much of southern and central Italy, volere bene may carry a romantic connotation and amare a more platonic one.
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.