Love Island viewers have called Davide Sanclimenti’s bluff after he appeared to “friendzone” Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu during the latest episode of the dating show.
The couple were seen discussing their budding relationship on Tuesday (19 July), with Sanclimenti inviting his beau on a trip to Italy to meet his family.
Cülcüloğlu proceeds to show off her language skills, declaring “ti amo” – Italian for “I love you”.
After asking whether she really means the words, Sanclimenti tells her: “You can say ‘ti vogle bene’. It’s like ‘I love you’ with more of affection.”
While the conversation appeared to be a heartfelt moment between the couple, those with a knack for the Italian language took issue with Sanclimenti’s choice of words.
As pointed out by social media users, there is a clear distinction between “ti amo” and “ti vogle bene”.
The first phrase has a clear romantic connotation and is a strong declaration of romantic love, which should be reserved for serious relationships.
On the other hand, “ti vogle bene” conveys affectionate feelings towards someone without deep romantic undertones.
It is typically used when speaking to friends or family members but can also be used in the early stages of a relationship.
“Davide just friendzoned Ekin-Su!!! ‘Ti voglio bene’, it’s I love you for friends,” one Twitter user wrote.
Another wrote: “Not Davide relegating Ekin-Su to ti voglio bene? That’s a friendly ‘I love you’, not a romantic ‘ti amo’.”
“I’m screaming, Davide told her to go with the less serious one,” a third person said.
Another said: “Apparently ‘ti voglio bene’ is for friends. Davide is the lierrrr here.”
One person joked: “Davide don’t start with the ‘ti voglio bene’ to our Ekin because she doesn’t speak Italian and you think you can get away with it, I’m onto you ragazzo.”
Others came to Sanclimenti’s defence, writing that “ti amo” should only be used by those in serious romantic relationships.
“Thank God Davide corrected her with the ti voglio bene. Ti amo is a big deal,” one Twitter user wrote.
Another said: “But it just means ‘I’m fond of you’, but its not that deep yet. I kinda agree with davide on this one.
“He’s taking his time and she is too but Ekin-Su is more silly and expressive so she would throw around “ti amo”, whereas he’s emotionally constipated and serious.”
Sanclimenti and Cülcüloğlu are currently fan favourites to win the show, despite their relationship getting off to a rocky start.
Sanclimenti previously ended things with Cülcüloğlu after she confessed to kissing fellow islander, Jay Younger, behind his back.
They rekindled their romance after they both chose to remain coupled up with one another after Casa Amor.
