Published on November 26, 2024
Essential Italian vocabulary: 144 words to get you started
Getting familiar with essential Italian vocabulary can be a major confidence booster and a strong foundation for fluency. But which words and phrases really qualify as “essential”? We recommend starting with the most common Italian words and phrases you’ll need to travel, meet new people, or simply start a conversation.
We’ve curated a list of 144 words to help you broaden your vocabulary and speak with ease. Let’s dive into these core words and start your Italian journey on the right track!
We’ll start with some basic phrases to help you feel more comfortable in everyday conversations.
| English | Italian | Pronunciation |
| Hello/Goodbye | Ciao | chow |
| Good morning | Buongiorno | bwon-jor-no |
| Good evening | Buonasera | bwon-ah-seh-rah |
| How are you? | Come stai? | koh-meh stai |
| I’m fine | Sto bene | stoh beh-neh |
| Thank you | Grazie | graht-see-eh |
| Please/You’re welcome | Prego | preh-goh |
| Yes | Sì | see |
| No | No | noh |
| Please | Per favore | pehr fah-voh-reh |
| My name is… | Mi chiamo… | mee kyah-moh |
| Excuse me | Scusi | skoo-zee |
| I don’t understand | Non capisco | non kah-pee-skoh |
| Do you speak English? | Parli inglese? | pahr-lee een-gleh-zeh |
| See you soon | A presto | ah preh-stoh |
While we won’t dive into the three verb declensions in Italian (-are verbs, -ere verbs and -ire verbs), here’s a list of some verbs you’ll hear and use the most.
| English | Italian | Pronunciation |
| to be | essere | es-seh-reh |
| to have | avere | ah-veh-reh |
| to go | andare | an-dah-reh |
| to do/to make | fare | fah-reh |
| to want | volere | voh-leh-reh |
| to say/to tell | dire | dee-reh |
| to know | sapere | sah-peh-reh |
| to give | dare | dah-reh |
| to stay/to be | stare | stah-re |
| to see | vedere | veh-deh-reh |
| to eat | mangiare | man-jah-reh |
| to drink | bere | beh-reh |
| to ask | chiedere | kyeh-deh-reh |
For more on verbs, check out our comprehensive guide to the present tense in Italian.
Memorizing numbers and time words is essential if you hope to make plans and talk about your daily activities. Here’s your starter pack:
| English | Italian | Pronunciation |
| one | uno | oo-no |
| two | due | doo-eh |
| three | tre | treh |
| four | quattro | kwah-troh |
| five | cinque | cheen-kweh |
| six | sei | seh-ee |
| seven | sette | set-teh |
| eight | otto | ot-toh |
| nine | nove | no-veh |
| ten | dieci | dyeh-chee |
| eleven | undici | oon-dee-chee |
| twelve | dodici | doh-dee-chee |
| thirteen | tredici | treh-dee-chee |
| fourteen | quattordici | kwat-tor-dee-chee |
| fifteen | quindici | kween-dee-chee |
| sixteen | sedici | se-dee-chee |
| seventeen | diciassette | dee-chas-set-teh |
| eighteen | diciotto | dee-chot-toh |
| nineteen | dicianove | dee-cha-noh-veh |
| twenty | venti | ven-tee |
| Monday | lunedì | loo-neh-dee |
| Tuesday | martedì | mar-teh-dee |
| Wednesday | mercoledì | mer-koh-leh-dee |
| Thursday | giovedì | jee-oh-veh-dee |
| Friday | venerdì | veh-ner-dee |
| Saturday | sabato | sah-bah-toh |
| Sunday | domenica | doh-meh-nee-kah |
| morning | la mattina | lah mah-tee-nah |
| afternoon | il pomeriggio | eel poh-meh-ree-jee-oh |
| evening | la sera | lah seh-rah |
| night | la notte | lah not-teh |
| What time is it? | Che ore sono? | keh oh-reh soh-noh |
| It’s half past nine in the morning. | Sono le nove e mezza del mattino. | Soh-noh leh noh-veh eh meh-tsah del mah-tee-noh |
| It’s ten o’clock in the evening. | Sono le dieci di sera. | Soh-no leh dee-eh-chee dee seh-rah |
Family vocabulary in Italian is a must-have if you really want to get immersed in Italian social dynamics. Community and family are foundational aspects of Italian culture, so it’s a good idea to master these important terms:
| English | Italian | Pronunciation |
| mother | la madre | mah-dreh |
| father | il padre | pah-dreh |
| son/daughter | il/la figlio/a | feel-yoh/yah |
| brother | il fratello | frah-tel-oh |
| sister | la sorella | soh-rel-ah |
| grandpa/grandma | il/la nonno/nonna | non-noh/nah |
| uncle/aunt | lo/la zio/ia | tsee-oh/ah |
| cousin | il/la cugino/a | koo-jee-noh/nah |
| nephew/niece/grandchild | il/la nipote | nee-poh-teh |
| child | il/la bambino/a | bam-bee-noh/nah |
| friend | l’ amico/a | ah-mee-koh/kah |
| partner | il/la compagno/a | lom-pah-nee-oh/ah |
You won’t spend a day among Italian people without talking at least once (and probably many times) about food. To that end, here are some of the most important food words in Italian.
| English | Italian | Pronunciation |
| restaurant | il ristorante | ree-stoh-ran-teh |
| family-run restaurant | la trattoria | trah-toh-ree-ah |
| menu | il menù | meh-noo |
| waiter/waitress | il/la camariere/a | kah-meh-ryeh-reh / rah |
| water | l’acqua | ahk-kwah |
| wine | il vino | vee-noh |
| bread | il pane | pah-neh |
| cheese | il formaggio | for-maj-joh |
| salad | l’insalata | een-sah-lah-tah |
| fish | il pesce | peh-sheh |
| meat | la carne | kar-neh |
| dessert | il dolce | dol-cheh |
| coffee | il caffè | kah-feh |
| tea | il iè | teh |
| appetizer | l’antipasto | an-tee-pah-stoh |
| first course | il primo | pree-moh |
| second course | il secondo | seh-kon-doh |
| I would like… | Vorrei… | voh-ray |
| How much does it cost? | Quanto costa? | kwan-toh kos-tah |
| Could I have the bill, please? | Mi porta il conto, per favore? | mee por-tah eel kon-toh, pehr fah-voh-reh |
| Enjoy your meal! | Buon appetito! | bwon ah-peh-tee-toh |
Time to broaden your skills with a few useful adjectives! Here are some common ones you’ll often need in conversation.
| English | Italian | Pronunciation |
| beautiful | bello/a | bel-loh |
| good | buono/a | bwoh-noh |
| big | grande | gran-deh |
| small | piccolo/a | peek-koh-loh |
| old | vecchio/a | vehk-kee-oh |
| new | nuovo/a | nwoh-voh |
| tall | alto/a | ahl-toh |
| short (height) | basso/a | bahs-soh |
| long | lungo/a | loon-goh |
| short (length) | corto/a | kor-toh |
| easy | facile | fah-chee-leh |
| difficult | difficile | dee-fee-chee-leh |
| English | Italian | Pronunciation |
| Where is the bathroom? | Dov’è il bagno? | doh-veh eel ban-yoh |
| How do you say…? | Come si dice…? | koh-meh see dee-cheh |
| Can I help you? | Posso aiutarti? | pos-soh ah-yoo-tar-tee |
| I am lost. | Mi sono perso/a. | mee soh-no per-soh / sah |
| Could you repeat that? | Potresti ripetere? | poh-tres-tee ree-peh-teh-reh |
| I’m here for work. | Sono qui per lavoro. | soh-no kwee per lah-voh-roh |
| Where can I find…? | Dove posso trovare…? | doh-veh pos-soh troh-vah-reh |
| I am looking for… | Sto cercando… | stoh cher-kan-doh |
| English | Italian | Pronunciation |
| I need help! | Ho bisogno d’aiuto! | oh bee-zoh-nyo dee ah-yoo-toh |
| Where is the hospital? | Dov’è l’ospedale? | doh-veh loh-speh-dah-leh |
| I’m injured. | Mi sono ferito/a. | mee soh-no feh-ree-toh / tah |
| Call an ambulance! | Chiamate un’ambulanza! | kyah-mah-teh oon am-boo-lan-tsah |
| Where is the pharmacy? | Dov’è la farmacia? | doh-veh lah fahr-mah-chah |
| I’m allergic to… | Sono allergico/a a… | soh-noh ah-ler-jee-koh / kah |
| Is there a doctor here? | C’è un medico qui? | cheh oon meh-dee-koh kwee |
| I am diabetic. | Sono diabetico/a. | soh-noh dee-ah-bet-ee-koh / kah |
| Can you help me? | Può aiutarmi? | pwoh ah-yoo-tar-mee |
It’s not literally true that all roads lead to Rome. If you need directions and your smartphone can’t help you, you’ll need to reach for human help. Here’s how.
| English | Italian | Pronunciation |
| Where is the station? | Dov’è la stazione? | doh-veh lah stah-tsyoh-neh |
| Where is the (bus) stop? | Dov’è la fermata? | doh-veh lah fehr-mah-tah |
| To the right | A destra | ah deh-strah |
| To the left | A sinistra | ah see-nee-strah |
| Straight ahead | Dritto | dree-toh |
| How much is a ticket? | Quanto costa un biglietto? | kwan-toh kos-tah oon bee-lyeh-toh |
| Is there a bus to…? | C’è un autobus per…? | cheh oon ow-to-boos pehr |
| Where is the train to…? | Dov’è il treno per…? | doh-veh eel treh-noh pehr |
| How far is it? | Quanto dista? | kwan-toh dee-stah |
And if you ever find yourself seated next to a stranger alla fermata dell’autobus (at the bus stop), here are a few words of small talk to try out while you wait.
| English | Italian | Pronunciation |
| What’s the weather like today? | Che tempo fa oggi? | keh tem-poh fah oh-jee |
| It’s sunny | C’è il sole | cheh eel soh-leh |
| Rain | la pioggia | la pee-oh-jee-ah |
| It’s cloudy | Ci sono nuvole | chee soh-noh noo-voh-leh |
| It’s hot | Fa caldo | fah kal-doh |
| How cold! | Che freddo! | keh freh-doh |
| Winter | l’inverno | een-vehr-noh |
| Spring | la primavera | pree-mah-veh-rah |
| Summer | l’estate | eh-stah-teh |
| Autumn | l’autunno | ow-too-noh |
Some of the most basic Italian words are:
The best way to learn Italian fast is:
Learning basic Italian vocabulary is essential for integrating into Italian communities. Knowing how to order food, ask for directions or start a conversation with a local is the first step toward a more fluent use of the language. Sooner than you think, you can immerse yourself in this beautiful culture and language!
At Lingoda, our structured Italian courses and small-group classes offer a personalized approach to learning, in which you can progress at your own pace. Our focus on real-life conversational skills helps you master practical expressions from Day One, so you can quickly get involved in authentic conversations. Take the first step towards fluency—explore Lingoda’s Italian courses today!
