Skip to content

gentile

kind

adjective jen-TEE-leh Rare

Origin: From Latin gentilis ('of the same clan').

Also means

gentle

Usage Note

Gentile is the standard polite adjective for 'kind' and is ubiquitous in formal written correspondence: Gentile Signora Rossi opens a formal letter ('Dear Ms Rossi'). Do not confuse with the English 'gentile' (non-Jewish) — Italian uses non ebreo for that sense. The adverb is gentilmente, and the noun is gentilezza ('kindness').

Examples

"È stata molto gentile ad aiutarmi con i bagagli."

Natural Translation

She was very kind to help me with my luggage.

Literal Translation

She has-been very kind to help-me with the luggage.

Explore Italian by topic