caro

Both 'caro' and 'costoso' mean 'expensive'. However, 'caro' can also mean 'dear' or 'beloved', like in 'caro amico' (dear friend). 'Costoso' only means 'expensive'. So, if you're talking about something with a high price, you can use either, but if you want to say something is precious or important to you, use 'caro'.

Yes, you can! When describing a person, 'caro' means 'dear' or 'beloved'. For example, 'il mio caro amico' means 'my dear friend'.

Since 'caro' is an adjective, it needs to agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies.

• For masculine plural, it's 'cari' (e.g., 'i libri cari' - the expensive books, or 'cari amici' - dear friends).
• For feminine plural, it's 'care' (e.g., 'le case care' - the expensive houses, or 'care amiche' - dear female friends).

The feminine form of 'caro' is 'cara'. For example, 'una macchina cara' (an expensive car) or 'cara amica' (dear female friend).

Not necessarily. While it can mean 'expensive' in a negative sense, it simply refers to a high price. You can also use it in a neutral way, like 'questo ristorante è un po' caro' (this restaurant is a bit expensive), which is a factual statement. When referring to people, it's a positive term, meaning 'dear' or 'beloved'.

You can use it like this: 'Questo vestito è caro' (This dress is expensive). Or, 'Non compro questa borsa, è troppo cara' (I'm not buying this bag, it's too expensive).

Yes! Besides 'caro amico/a' (dear friend), you might hear 'A caro prezzo' (at a high price), meaning something was achieved or bought with great effort or cost.

Yes, it does! Beyond 'expensive' and 'dear/beloved', it can also be used as a noun, for example in 'il mio caro' which means 'my dear one' or 'my darling'.

The opposite of 'caro' when meaning 'expensive' is 'economico' (economical, cheap) or 'a buon mercato' (cheap, inexpensive). For example, 'Questo libro non è caro, è economico' (This book isn't expensive, it's cheap).

'Caro' is a fundamental A1 word because it's used for basic descriptions of prices and for addressing people. You'll encounter it often in simple conversations about shopping, expressing preferences, and greeting others. It's essential for building foundational Italian communication skills.