Chi incontra buona moglie ha gran fortuna.
A person who finds a good wife is very lucky.
Learn all about how to say wife and wives (moglie and mogli) in Italian, and the trick to pronouncing them correctly. You’ll find out how to say wifey (mogliettina), other important wife terms like ex-wife (ex-moglie), my wife (mia moglie) and how to use the possessive form correctly. Discover sweet terms of endearment to use with your wife, and how to tell her you love her. We’ve also Italian proverbs and sayings about wives, and their modern translations.
Table of Contents
WIFE IN ITALIAN
MOGLIE
Moglie means wife in Italian. Una moglie is a wife, and la moglie is the wife.
The pronunciation of una moglie and la moglie is: OOH-nah MOH-lyee-eh, lah MOH-lyee-eh
Listen to how to pronounce moglie here:
La moglie di Francesco è fiorentina. Francesco’s wife is Florentine.
The “gli” sound in Italian is not pronounced like “gli” in English. GLI in Italian makes a kind of LYEE sound, almost like the LLI in scallion. It’s tricky, but practice makes perfect! Listen to how to pronounce the GLI sound:
MOGLI
Mogli means wives in Italian. Mogli is the plural of moglie.
The pronunciation of mogli is: MOH-lyee
Listen to how to pronounce mogli here:
Le mogli si sono abbracciate.
The wives hugged each other.
While Italy is still behind most of the EU and does not recognize same-sex marriages, Italy has granted same-sex civil unions since 2016.
MOGLIETTINA
Mogliettina means little wife, or wifey in Italian. When said with love, it’s a term of endearment.
The pronunciation of mogliettina is: moh-lyee-eh-TEE-nah
Listen to how to pronounce mogliettina here:
Finisco le ultime due cose in ufficio e torno a casa dalla mogliettina.
I’m finishing up the last couple things at work and then going home to wifey.
USING THE WORD MOGLIE
Prima moglie means first wife.
Seconda moglie means second wife.
Ex moglie means ex-wife.
The word for housewife in Italian does not use the word moglie. In fact, the word casalinga means homemaker, as well as housewife in Italian.
MY WIFE: POSSESSIVES

To say my wife, use mia moglie.
Usually possessives in Italian also require the direct article (the). For example: la mia amica means my (female) friend. However, family members are a big exception.
Do not use the direct article with the SINGULAR, unaltered nouns of most family members. If there is an adjective before or after the family member, use the article. Also, use the article with the possessive loro.
So:
mia moglie is my wife
tua moglie is your wife (informal you)
sua moglie is his/her/your wife (formal you)
But:
La loro moglie is their wife (uncommon but possible)
La mia ex-moglie is my ex-wife
La mia mogliettina is my wifey
TALKING TO YOUR WIFE IN ITALIAN
TERMS OF ENDEARMENT
Here are some sweet words for speaking to your wife:
amore: love
amore mio: my love
cara: dear
cara mia: my dear
bella: beautiful
tesoro: treasure
Cara mia, come sono fortunato di averti nella mia vita.
My dear, how lucky I am to have you in my life.
Amore mio, sei la persona più importante della mia vita.
My love, you’re the most important person in my life.
I LOVE YOU
To tell your wife you love her, say ti amo (I love you).
In Italian, there are two ways to say I love you. Take note in order to avoid any uncomfortable mixups! Ti amo is reserved for telling a special someone that you love them in a romantic way. Ti voglio bene (literally, I want you well), is for telling friends and family that you love them.
HUSBAND IN ITALIAN
The word for husband in Italian is marito.
Un marito means a husband, and il marito means the husband.
Moglie e Marito (Wife and Husband) is a 2017 film directed by Simone Godano. It follows the married couple Andrea and Sofia, played by Pierfrancesco Favino and Kasia Smutniak. The husband and wife switch bodies in a scientific experiment gone awry and learn more than they’d bargained for about each other. The film was nominated for Best Comedy at the 2017 Nastri d’Argento awards.
MOGLIE: ITALIAN SAYINGS
There is no shortage of Italian idioms and proverbs that feature wives. While quite a few are sexist and xenophobic, the first one here doesn’t need too much modernizing.
Tra moglie e marito non mettere il dito.
Direct translation: Don’t put your finger between a wife and husband.
Meaning: Don’t meddle in other people’s affairs.
Mogli e buoi dai paesi tuoi.
Direct translation: Choose wives and oxen from your own town.
While the meaning is Stick to your own kind, a generous modern adaptation of this saying is Stick to what you know or Don’t look further than your own backyard.
My Italian in-laws often tease my husband with this proverb, since I’m American and we met very far from his home.
Volere la botte piena e la moglie ubriaca.
Direct translation: To want the cask full and your wife drunk.
A modern, non-sexist version is To want your cake and eat it too.
You may want to read more about Relatives in Italian.