Ti voglio bene

I care for you + I love you + I’m (very) fond of you and wish for your wellness

Approximately translatable as I love you, Ti Voglio Bene is a coniugation of the phrasal verb voler bene. A combination of to want (volere) and good/goodness/well (bene ). This Italian expression is used to express love and yet not that of romantic passion and intensity which would be instead expressed by the verb amare (to love) and ti amo (I love you).

Voler bene is used to express the love between family members or that between friends. It is also used often to express one’s feelings towards a former partner. When the passionate and romantic love is gone the more sedate and sometimes longer-lasting voler bene takes its place and stays.
It is uncommon for a Italian parent would say ti amo to their child, and viceversa. Ti voglio bene it is the way parents and children declare their reciprocal love, care and affection for one another. Voler bene is different in quality from amare yet not of lesser importance or commitment. It is not mutually exclusive of the partnership sense of ‘amare’ and can often include it within itself.

Ti voglio bene

• Phonetic: ti vˈɔʎʎo bˈɛne
  
  
• Italian definition: Voler bene a qualcuno, essergli affezionato, avere affetto, amore per lui (propr., augurare il suo bene);
  
  
• English definition: Voler bene a qualcuno (to love someone) to be attached to, loving, fond of someone (to wish one wellness0;