Greetings and polite phrases
| Italian | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ciao | hi / bye | CHAH-oh | Ciao, come stai?Hi, how are you? |
| buongiorno | good morning | bwohn-JOR-noh | Buongiorno, signora.Good morning, madam. |
| buonasera | good evening | bwoh-nah-SEH-rah | Buonasera a tutti.Good evening, everyone. |
| buonanotte | good night | bwoh-nah-NOHT-teh | Buonanotte, dormi bene.Good night, sleep well. |
| per favore | please | pehr fah-VOH-reh | Un caffè, per favore.A coffee, please. |
| grazie | thank you | GRAH-tsyeh | Grazie mille!Thanks a lot! |
| prego | you're welcome | PREH-goh | Grazie! Prego.Thank you! You're welcome. |
| scusa | excuse me / sorry | SKOO-zah | Scusa, dov'è il bagno?Excuse me, where is the bathroom? |
| arrivederci | goodbye | ah-ree-veh-DEHR-chee | Arrivederci, a presto.Goodbye, see you soon. |
| come stai | how are you | KOH-meh sty | Ciao, come stai oggi?Hi, how are you today? |
Numbers
| Italian | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| zero | zero | DZEH-roh | Il conto è zero.The bill is zero. |
| uno | one | OO-noh | Ho un fratello, uno solo.I have one brother, only one. |
| due | two | DOO-eh | Vorrei due caffè.I would like two coffees. |
| tre | three | treh | Ho tre gatti.I have three cats. |
| quattro | four | KWAHT-troh | Sono le quattro.It's four o'clock. |
| cinque | five | CHEEN-kweh | Ho cinque euro.I have five euros. |
| sei | six | say | Ci vediamo alle sei.See you at six. |
| sette | seven | SEHT-teh | Ho sette libri.I have seven books. |
| otto | eight | OHT-toh | Il negozio apre alle otto.The shop opens at eight. |
| nove | nine | NOH-veh | Ho nove anni.I am nine years old. |
| dieci | ten | DYEH-chee | Conto fino a dieci.I count to ten. |
| cento | hundred | CHEHN-toh | Costa cento euro.It costs a hundred euros. |
Colors
| Italian | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| rosso | red | ROHS-soh | La mela è rossa.The apple is red. |
| blu | blue | bloo | Il cielo è blu.The sky is blue. |
| verde | green | VEHR-deh | L'erba è verde.The grass is green. |
| giallo | yellow | JAHL-loh | Il sole è giallo.The sun is yellow. |
| nero | black | NEH-roh | Ho una gatta nera.I have a black cat. |
| bianco | white | BYAHN-koh | La neve è bianca.The snow is white. |
| viola | purple | VYOH-lah | Mi piace il viola.I like purple. |
| arancione | orange | ah-rahn-CHOH-neh | L'arancia è arancione.The orange is orange. |
| marrone | brown | mahr-ROH-neh | Il cane è marrone.The dog is brown. |
| rosa | pink | ROH-zah | Il fiore è rosa.The flower is pink. |
Family
| Italian | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| madre | mother | MAH-dreh | Mia madre cucina bene.My mother cooks well. |
| padre | father | PAH-dreh | Mio padre lavora molto.My father works a lot. |
| fratello | brother | frah-TEHL-loh | Ho un fratello.I have a brother. |
| sorella | sister | soh-REHL-lah | Mia sorella studia medicina.My sister studies medicine. |
| figlio | son | FEE-lyoh | Mio figlio ha cinque anni.My son is five years old. |
| figlia | daughter | FEE-lyah | Sua figlia è simpatica.His daughter is nice. |
| nonno | grandfather | NOHN-noh | Mio nonno vive in campagna.My grandfather lives in the countryside. |
| nonna | grandmother | NOHN-nah | Mia nonna fa la torta.My grandmother makes the cake. |
| marito | husband | mah-REE-toh | Suo marito è italiano.Her husband is Italian. |
| moglie | wife | MOH-lyeh | Sua moglie lavora a Roma.His wife works in Rome. |
Food and drink
| Italian | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| pane | bread | PAH-neh | Mangio pane a colazione.I eat bread for breakfast. |
| acqua | water | AHK-kwah | Vorrei un bicchiere d'acqua.I would like a glass of water. |
| vino | wine | VEE-noh | Il vino rosso è buono.The red wine is good. |
| caffè | coffee | kahf-FEH | Prendo un caffè al mattino.I have a coffee in the morning. |
| pasta | pasta | PAHS-tah | La pasta è pronta.The pasta is ready. |
| pizza | pizza | PEET-tsah | Mangiamo la pizza stasera.We're eating pizza tonight. |
| formaggio | cheese | for-MAHD-joh | Mi piace il formaggio.I like cheese. |
| carne | meat | KAHR-neh | Non mangio carne.I don't eat meat. |
| pesce | fish | PEH-sheh | Il pesce è fresco.The fish is fresh. |
| frutta | fruit | FROOT-tah | Mangio frutta ogni giorno.I eat fruit every day. |
| verdura | vegetables | vehr-DOO-rah | La verdura fa bene.Vegetables are good for you. |
| latte | milk | LAHT-teh | Bevo latte a colazione.I drink milk for breakfast. |
| zucchero | sugar | TSOOK-keh-roh | Non metto zucchero nel caffè.I don't put sugar in my coffee. |
| sale | salt | SAH-leh | Passa il sale, per favore.Pass the salt, please. |
Time and days
| Italian | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| lunedì | Monday | loo-neh-DEE | Lunedì inizio il lavoro.On Monday I start work. |
| martedì | Tuesday | mahr-teh-DEE | Martedì ho lezione.On Tuesday I have class. |
| mercoledì | Wednesday | mehr-koh-leh-DEE | Mercoledì è il mio giorno libero.Wednesday is my day off. |
| giovedì | Thursday | joh-veh-DEE | Giovedì andiamo al cinema.On Thursday we go to the cinema. |
| venerdì | Friday | veh-nehr-DEE | Venerdì sera usciamo.Friday evening we go out. |
| sabato | Saturday | SAH-bah-toh | Il sabato dormo di più.On Saturdays I sleep more. |
| domenica | Sunday | doh-MEH-nee-kah | La domenica riposo.On Sundays I rest. |
| oggi | today | OHD-jee | Oggi fa bel tempo.Today the weather is nice. |
| domani | tomorrow | doh-MAH-nee | Domani parto per Roma.Tomorrow I leave for Rome. |
| ieri | yesterday | YEH-ree | Ieri ho studiato molto.Yesterday I studied a lot. |
Common verbs
| Italian | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| essere | to be | EHS-seh-reh | Sono felice.I am happy. |
| avere | to have | ah-VEH-reh | Ho una macchina.I have a car. |
| andare | to go | ahn-DAH-reh | Vado a scuola.I go to school. |
| fare | to do / make | FAH-reh | Faccio colazione.I have breakfast. |
| parlare | to speak | pahr-LAH-reh | Parlo italiano.I speak Italian. |
| mangiare | to eat | mahn-JAH-reh | Mangio la pasta.I eat pasta. |
| bere | to drink | BEH-reh | Bevo acqua.I drink water. |
| dormire | to sleep | dor-MEE-reh | Dormo otto ore.I sleep eight hours. |
| vedere | to see | veh-DEH-reh | Vedo il mare.I see the sea. |
| volere | to want | voh-LEH-reh | Voglio un gelato.I want an ice cream. |
| potere | to be able to | poh-TEH-reh | Posso aiutarti.I can help you. |
| sapere | to know | sah-PEH-reh | So parlare francese.I know how to speak French. |
Adjectives
| Italian | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| grande | big | GRAHN-deh | La casa è grande.The house is big. |
| piccolo | small | PEEK-koh-loh | Il gatto è piccolo.The cat is small. |
| bello | beautiful | BEHL-loh | Il tramonto è bello.The sunset is beautiful. |
| brutto | ugly / bad | BROOT-toh | Il tempo è brutto oggi.The weather is bad today. |
| buono | good | BWOH-noh | Questo dolce è buono.This dessert is good. |
| cattivo | bad / naughty | kaht-TEE-voh | Non è un cattivo ragazzo.He is not a bad boy. |
| nuovo | new | NWOH-voh | Ho un telefono nuovo.I have a new phone. |
| vecchio | old | VEHK-kyoh | Vivo in una casa vecchia.I live in an old house. |
| facile | easy | FAH-chee-leh | L'italiano è facile.Italian is easy. |
| difficile | difficult | deef-FEE-chee-leh | Il cinese è difficile.Chinese is difficult. |
Question words
| Italian | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| chi | who | kee | Chi sei?Who are you? |
| che cosa | what | keh KOH-zah | Che cosa vuoi?What do you want? |
| dove | where | DOH-veh | Dove abiti?Where do you live? |
| quando | when | KWAHN-doh | Quando arrivi?When are you arriving? |
| perché | why | pehr-KEH | Perché piangi?Why are you crying? |
| come | how | KOH-meh | Come stai?How are you? |
| quanto | how much | KWAHN-toh | Quanto costa?How much does it cost? |
| quale | which | KWAH-leh | Quale preferisci?Which one do you prefer? |
Travel and directions
| Italian | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| aeroporto | airport | ah-eh-roh-POR-toh | L'aeroporto è lontano.The airport is far. |
| stazione | station | stah-TSYOH-neh | La stazione è vicina.The station is close. |
| treno | train | TREH-noh | Prendo il treno.I take the train. |
| autobus | bus | OW-toh-boos | L'autobus arriva alle nove.The bus arrives at nine. |
| biglietto | ticket | bee-LYEHT-toh | Compro un biglietto.I buy a ticket. |
| albergo | hotel | ahl-BEHR-goh | L'albergo è pulito.The hotel is clean. |
| strada | street | STRAH-dah | Questa strada è lunga.This street is long. |
| sinistra | left | see-NEES-trah | Gira a sinistra.Turn left. |
| destra | right | DEHS-trah | Gira a destra.Turn right. |
| mappa | map | MAHP-pah | Guardo la mappa.I look at the map. |
Study tips for Italian
- Italian words are pronounced almost exactly as they are written, so learning the sound of letter groups like gli and gn goes a long way.
- Word stress usually falls on the second-to-last syllable; when it falls elsewhere, an accent mark (as in città) shows you where.
- Nouns and adjectives change ending for gender and number (o/a for masculine/feminine, i/e for plurals), so learn each word with its article, e.g. il pane, la pasta.
- Double consonants, as in otto or caffè, are pronounced noticeably longer than single ones, so slow down on them when speaking.
- Practice numbers and colors together with real objects around you so the vocabulary sticks through repetition.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best Italian words to learn first as a beginner?
Start with core greetings like ciao and grazie, the numbers one to ten, and everyday nouns such as pane and acqua; these appear constantly in daily conversation.
What Italian food vocabulary should beginners know?
Key food words include pane (bread), pasta, formaggio (cheese), carne (meat), pesce (fish) and frutta (fruit); learning these helps you order food and read menus.
How do you say please and thank you in Italian?
Please is per favore and thank you is grazie; you can reply to grazie with prego, meaning you're welcome.
Is Italian pronunciation hard for English speakers?
Italian is largely phonetic, meaning words are pronounced close to how they are spelled, which makes it easier than English once you learn a few letter combinations.