Meaning
poor thing; poor guy
- an unfortunate, pitiable person or animal
In a sentence
Il cane zoppica, poverino, si è fatto male a una zampa.
The dog is limping, poor thing, he hurt his paw.
Poverino, ha dovuto lavorare anche la domenica!
Poor guy, he had to work on Sunday too!
Non trattarlo come un poverino, sa badare a se stesso.
Don't treat him like a helpless soul; he can look after himself.
Word forms (2)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| poverino | masculine · singular |
| poverini | masculine · plural |
Usage notes
- Diminutive of 'povero'; feminine form is 'poverina', plural 'poverini/poverine'.
- Often used as an exclamation of sympathy: 'Poverino!' ('Poor thing!').