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PhrasesFlirting in ItalianSei la persona con cui mi piacerebbe perdere il tempo.
B2informal

Sei la persona con cui mi piacerebbe perdere il tempo.

You're the person I'd happily waste time with.

Pronunciation

sei la per-SO-na con KWI mi pia-ce-REBbe per-de-re il TEM-po — stress on 'so-', 'kwi', 'reb-', 'tem-'.

When to use it

A sophisticated and slightly paradoxical flirt — 'losing time' with someone is actually the most pleasurable form of time spent.

What it means

'Con cui mi piacerebbe perdere il tempo' = with whom I would like to lose/waste time. 'Mi piacerebbe' = I would like (conditional of 'piacere'). 'Perdere il tempo' = to waste/lose time. In Italian, losing time with someone you enjoy is not truly wasted — this ambivalence is the beauty of the phrase.

Variations

Con te, il tempo non esiste.

With you, time doesn't exist.

Time disappears in their company — the highest compliment

Non ho mai visto il tempo passare così in fretta.

I've never seen time pass so quickly.

Specific to this encounter — the speed of enjoyable time

Potrei restare qui con te per sempre.

I could stay here with you forever.

Bold and beautiful — 'per sempre' is a big Italian promise

Mini Dialogue

— Sei la persona con cui mi piacerebbe perdere il tempo. — Perdere il tempo? Come? — Nel senso migliore — dimenticare l'orologio, le responsabilità, tutto. — Allora proviamo. Hai impegni stasera?

— You're the person I'd happily waste time with. — Waste time? How? — In the best sense — forget the clock, responsibilities, everything. — Then let's try. Do you have plans tonight?

Cultural Note

Italians have a complex relationship with time — the concept of 'dolce far niente' (the sweetness of doing nothing) celebrates the pleasure of unhurried time. Choosing to spend time with someone — even if nothing productive happens — is a very Italian form of appreciation and affection.