Ciao! 👋
Learning to talk about clothes in Italian can be fun but a bit confusing at first. 🤪
Italians have several verbs for getting dressed or wearing clothes.
Each one has its own nuance. Don’t worry – we’ll explain them clearly and give you plenty of examples.
By the end, you’ll know exactly when to use mettersi, vestirsi, vestire, or indossare.
Iniziamo! Let’s start!
Vestirsi
Vestirsi is a reflexive verb that means “to get dressed” in general. You use it when you talk about dressing yourself, but without naming a specific garment.
For example:
👉 “Mi vesto” means “I get dressed”
Because it’s reflexive, you put a reflexive pronoun (mi, ti, si, etc.) before the verb:
io mi vesto
tu ti vesti
lui/lei si veste…and so on.
⚠️ Important: You do not follow vestirsi with a clothing item. It already means “to dress oneself” – just like saying “I am getting dressed” in English, without mentioning what you’re putting on.
In English, this idea doesn’t exist in exactly the same way, but in Italian, the reflexive form makes it clear that the action is done to yourself.
Examples:
- Mi vesto velocemente la mattina. (I get dressed quickly in the morning.)
- Ci vestiamo eleganti per la festa. (We dress up elegantly for the party.)
- Si vestono di nero per il matrimonio. (They dress in black for the wedding.)
Mettersi
Mettersi is also a reflexive verb, but it means “to put on” something specific, like a jacket or a hat.
👉 “Mi metto la giacca” = “I put on my jacket”
Use it when you name a specific piece of clothing or accessory.
Reflexive pronouns stay the same:
- io mi metto
- tu ti metti
- lui/lei si mette, etc.
🎯 Think of it as:
“I put [something] on myself.”
Examples:
- Mi metto il cappotto quando fa freddo.
- Ti metti il berretto prima di uscire?
- Ci mettiamo i guanti per giocare nella neve.
This verb is very common in daily conversation!
Vestire
Vestire (without “-si”) means “to dress” someone else, or sometimes a doll, a child, or even a style.
👉 “La mamma veste i bambini” = “The mom dresses the children”
This is a transitive verb, so it takes a direct object (the person or thing being dressed).
You can also use it in fashion:
👉 “La stilista veste le modelle” = “The stylist dresses the models”
It’s not reflexive, unless you say vestirsi to talk about dressing yourself (as above).
Examples:
- La mamma veste i bambini per andare a scuola.
- Vesto la bambola con un vestito rosa.
- Questa camicia ti veste bene. (= This shirt fits you well / looks good on you.)
Indossare
Indossare is a regular, non-reflexive verb that means “to wear”.
It’s a bit more formal than mettersi, and you’ll often find it in fashion or written Italian.
👉 “Lui indossa una camicia” = “He’s wearing a shirt”
💬 In spoken language, Italians often prefer mettersi or even portare (to wear/carry), but indossare is correct and elegant.
Examples:
- Oggi indosso un cappotto blu.
- Lei indossa sempre occhiali da sole eleganti.
- Indosserò un vestito elegante per la festa.
Conclusion
Now that you know the difference between vestirsi, mettersi, vestire, and indossare, you can start using them with more confidence.
Each verb has its own place:
- Use vestirsi when you talk about getting dressed in general,
- mettersi when you’re putting on a specific item,
- vestire when you’re dressing someone else,
- and indossare when you want to sound a bit more formal or stylish.
🎯 These little details might seem tricky at first, but they help you sound more natural and expressive in Italian.
So go ahead — talk about what you’re wearing, what you’re putting on, or how you’re dressing your kids (or your dog 🐶). The more you practice, the more these verbs will feel like second nature!
Buono studio! 🇮🇹✨
Dillo in Italiano 