I know someone who is divorcing her husband because although she still "loves" him she is no longer "in love" with him. I want to write to an Italian friend what is happening and have no idea how to express this concept. Can anyone help me? Thanks!
I think you need to tell us EXACTLY what the difference is in English before you can expect anyone to help you with this. You have used the word "love" in both cases. Do you mean the difference between liking someone as a friend and having sexual feelings towards them or what?
Vasco as an English speaker the post by sundaze was very clear to me. In English you can love someone whom you are not "in love with" as you love someone like a brother or a sister for example, a dear friend and as Polo said not innamorata. There is love and there is "in love".
OK, but you need to be careful when translating these things in case you offend or give the wrong impression. Different people use the same words to mean different things.
I think all around the world the meaning is the same: she loves him enough to care about him but not enough to share her life with him, enough to call him for his birthday but not enough to travel with him, enough to drink un cappuccino al mattino with him but not to have un aperitivo at night with him, enough to live him but not enough to stay with him. Ciao
Originally posted by Diva: sta divorziando il suo marito
This is a bit of a false friend: in English to divorce is transitive, so you go "I divorce my husband". In Italian, "divorziare" is intransitive, so you go "Divorzio _da_ mio marito". And obviously, I just hope you don't need to divorce anyone anyhow! ^_^
Your freinds way of expressing her feelings toward her future EX will probably change several times. What Paolo says explains it well with irony.
I am divorced from my Italian husband and "provo un grande affetto per lui ma non lo sopporto più" We are "amici" but being in a car for together for more than 20 minutes is not a good idea.
When we were divorcing "l'ho amavo ancora ma non ero più inamorata." Now I know that "non lo amo più e non sono per niente inamorata di lui"
If you are lucky ther could be one more change: "it was a mistake not to divrce him earlier, if I had just imagined what good freinds we could turn into". Let's hope it goes like that (for my parents it worked).
I think I am not going to need this answer anymore because unfortunately all the love is going away. No "in love," no love, I hope for the children they learn to get along. This is very difficult concept for non Americans I think though because I don't know if there is anywhere else that people think they will marry and never again feel attraction or maybe more for another person. And that this doesn't have to mean breaking up a family. To me, love is what one feels for family, and close friends -- they can count on me in good times and bad to be there for them and do all I can. "In love" is sexual excitement being with them, looking at the telphone and waiting for it to ring, thinking of them through the day. I probably haven't said that too well.
