Meglio and Migliore – What’s the difference?

The Italian words meglio and migliore sometimes create some confusion in some Italian learners because they don’t know which one to choose when they want to make a sentence.

So, today I’ve decided to explain the difference between meglio and migliore in Italian and how to use them.

Ready? Let’s start.

Meglio

Meglio is the comparative of the word bene and it generally means better.

In Italian meglio is an adverb so it modifies a verb. As such, it’s always used after a verb. This is the first important thing to remember when you don’t know which one to use between meglio and migliore.

Examples:

Daniele nuota meglio di Luigi

Daniele swims better than Luigi

Lucia stava male ieri ma oggi sta meglio

Lucia was unwell yesterday but today she is better

Se non l’avete ancora trovato, cercate meglio

If you haven’t found it yet, search better

Migliore

Migliore is the comparative of the word buono and it generally means better. If we add a definite article before migliore, it becomes a relative superlative meaning the best.

Migliore is used as an adjective in Italian and as such it modifies a noun..

Examples:

Anche se aveva le migliori intenzioni, ha sbagliato a farlo

Even if he had the best intentions, he was wrong to do that

Dovrebbe fare scelte migliori

He should make better choices

Questo vino è migliore di quell’altro

This wine is better than the other one

Paolo è il nostro miglior giocatore

Paolo is our best player

Migliore can also be used as a noun in expressions like “è il migliore, sei il migliore – he’s the best; you’re the best.”

Spoken Italian

As we’ve seen, meglio is used as an adverb while migliore is used as an adjective. However, in spoken Italian you can hear sentences like:

Paolo è meglio di suo fratello a cucinare

Paolo is better than his brother at cooking

Questo vino sembra/pare meglio di quell’altro

This wine seems better than the other one

In both these examples meglio is used as an adjective, not as an adverb.

So, is it possible to use meglio as an adjective instead of migliore?

Well, migliore is the super correct choice. However, in spoken Italian you’re allowed to use meglio as an adjective when you use it as a comparative with verbs such as essere, sembrare, and parere – look at the two examples above.

If this article helped you understand the difference between meglio and migliore, don’t forget to share it!

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Credits

Original image by shilmar