Sei il mio tesoro.
Ti amo tesoro mio.
Has a special someone called you tesoro? Time to find out the meaning of tesoro in Italian, what the nickname tesoro means, how to pronounce it, whether it’s masculine or feminine, the plural form, expressions with tesoro, and their pronunciations. Andiamo!
Table of Contents
WHAT DOES TESORO MEAN?
Tesoro means treasure in Italian.
I pirati hanno rubato il tesoro.
The pirates stole the treasure.
What if someone calls you tesoro? Then you are very dear to them. Tesoro is a common Italian term of endearment, and an affectionate nickname. Tesoro has many meanings in Italian: darling, honey, sweetheart, treasure, pet, sweet, lamb, love, sweetie pie, sugarplum, honeybun, precious . . . You can use it with your family members, or to be romantic.
Good To Know: Tesoro is a masculine noun, but you can absolutely still say tesoro to a woman. However, it always remains masculine, and ends in o. This can feel counterintuitive, but I promise it is correct!
Ciao tesoro! Come sei bella oggi!
Hello honey! How beautiful you look today!
HOW DO YOU PRONOUNCE TESORO IN ITALIAN?
The pronunciation of tesoro is: tehz-OHR-oh
Listen to how to pronounce tesoro here:
The plural form of tesoro is tesori. The noun stays masculine in the plural form and ends in i, even if you are speaking about a group of women.
The pronunciation of tesori is: tehz-OHR-ee
Listen to how to pronounce tesori here:
Fun Fact: The word tesoro has roots in Ancient Greek, from the word thēsaurós, which means storehouse, or treasure.
EXPRESSIONS WITH TESORO IN ITALIAN
There are many Italian expressions and sayings with the word tesoro. Here are a few:
Caccia al tesoro: Treasure hunt
Example:
I bambini adorano fare la caccia al tesoro!
Children love treasure hunts!
Fare tesoro di: to treasure, to take to heart, to cherish
Example:
La mia mamma è molto saggia. Ho fatto tesoro dei suoi consigli.
My mom is very wise. I took her advice to heart.
Costare un tesoro: “to cost a treasure” ie to cost a lot, to cost a fortune.
Example:
Sono d’oro quelle scarpe? Costano un tesoro, non le compro!
Are those shoes made of gold? They cost a fortune, I’m not buying them!
Valere un tesoro: to be worth a fortune
Example:
Questo vecchio mobile è un pezzo di antiquariato, vale un tesoro!
This old piece of furniture is an antique, it’s worth a fortune!
Chi trova un amico trova un tesoro: To find a friend is to find a treasure
This is also the name of a 1981 film: read more below.
TESORO NICKNAMES
To create a nickname from the word tesoro, or treasure in Italian, you can add the suffixes -uccio, -ino or -etto to lay on another layer of affection.
Tesoruccio: my dear treasure
Tesorino: my little treasure
Tesoretto: my little treasure
HOW TO USE TESORO IN ITALIAN
Here are some common phrases with the word tesoro:
| Italian phrase | English meaning | Audio |
| Tesoro mio | My treasure, my darling, my pet, etc.v(use when addressing the person you’re talking about) | |
| Il mio tesoro | My treasure, my darling, my pet, etc. | |
| Ciao tesoro | Hello treasure, darling, pet, etc. | |
| Sei il mio tesoro | You are my treasure, darling, pet, etc. | |
| Sei un tesoro | You are a treasure, darling, pet, etc. | |
| Ti amo tesoro | I love you treasure, darling, pet, etc. | |
| Buonanotte tesoro | Good night treasure, darling, pet, etc. |
ALTERNATIVES TO TESORO IN ITALIAN
Here are some other Italian words and terms of endearment with a similar meaning to tesoro:
| Caro (masculine), cara (feminine) | Dear |
| Caro mio, cara mia | My dear |
| Amore | Love |
| Amore mio | My love |
| Bello | Handsome |
| Bello mio | My handsome |
| Bella | Beautiful |
| Bella mia | My beauty |
| Gioia | Joy |
| Gioia mia | My joy |
TESORO AT THE MOVIES
In the Lord of the Rings series, the creature Gollum calls the ring precious. Here in the Italian version, Il Signore degli Anelli, he calls it il mio tesoro, and pronounces it with sinister extra s’s: tesssoro.
Chi trova un amico trova un tesoro is a 1981 film starring the famous Italian comedy duo Terence Hill and Bud Spencer, directed by Sergio Corbucci.
TESORO IN MUSIC
There are many famous opera arias with the word tesoro, but probably the most famous is from Act 2 scene 2 of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Don Giovanni: Il mio tesoro. It is a tenor aria sung by the character Don Ottavio. Here are the lyrics:
| ll mio tesoro intanto Andate a consolar, E del bel ciglio il pianto Cercate di asciugar. Ditele che i suoi torti A cendicar io vado; Che sol di stragi e morti Nunzio vogl’io tornar. | My treasure, meanwhile, Go and console. And from her beautiful eyes, the tears, Try to wipe away. Tell her that the wrongs against her, I’m going to avenge, That only of killing and death As announcer will I return. |
One of my favorite arias by George Frideric Handel with the word tesoro is Ritorna, oh dolce e caro mio tesoro (Return, oh my dear sweet treasure), a soprano aria from Rodelinda.
Mio bel tesoro (My beautiful treasure) an aria for mezzo soprano, is from the Handel opera Alcina.
FAMOUS PEOPLE NAMED TESORO
Laura Tesoro is a Belgian singer and actress born in 1996 (her father is Italian and her mother is Belgian). She became famous all over Europe when she competed in Eurovision Song Contest 2016, representing Belgium with the song What’s the Pressure.
Jeanine Tesori is a Tony award-winning Broadway composer and music arranger. Here is a guide to some of her work.
WHAT DOES TESORO MEAN IN SPANISH?
Just like in Italian, tesoro in Spanish means treasure. It is also used as a term of endearment, sweetheart, just as it is in Italian. Mi tesoro means my treasure, or my sweetheart.
A similar word is querido, which means dear or darling in Spanish. So mi querido means my dear, or my darling.