Learn Italian: Che bel complimento! Grazie! - What a nice compliment! Thank you!

In Italian, when you make an exclamation using che, you do not use the word for 'a' or 'an' (un or una). So 'What a nice compliment!' translates directly to Che bel complimento! without needing to translate the 'a'.

Why does the sentence use bel instead of bello?

The adjective bello (beautiful or nice) changes its ending based on the noun that follows it, matching the pattern for the word 'the'. Because complimento is a masculine singular noun starting with a standard consonant, it would normally take the word il for 'the'. Therefore, bello shortens to bel.

Doesn't che usually mean 'that'?

Yes, in regular sentences che often connects ideas and means 'that' or 'who'. However, when used at the beginning of an exclamation like this one, it translates to 'What a...!' or 'How...!'.

What exactly does grazie mean literally?

Grazie is the plural form of the noun grazia, which means 'grace'. When you thank someone in Italian, you are literally offering them 'graces'. Make sure to pronounce that final 'e'!