Italian Language Guide
Our How To Guide.
Below please find a few examples of different situations.
If you would like to submit any new ideas for this page
1. Some Basic Phrases
Buon giorno
bwon zhor-no
Hello / Good morning/afternoon |
Buona sera
bwoh-nah seh-rah
Good evening |
Buona notte
bwoh-nah noht-teh
Good night |
Ciao
chow
Hi / Hello / Bye (informal) |
Arrivederci
ah-ree-vuh-dehr-chee
Goodbye |
ArrivederLa
ah-ree-vuh-dehr-lah
Goodbye (formal) |
A più tardi
ah pyoo tar-dee
See you later |
A presto
ah press-toh
See you soon |
A domani
ah doh-mahn-ee
See you tomorrow |
Per favore / Per piacere
pehr fah-voh-reh / pehr pee-ah-cheh-reh
Please |
Grazie (mille)
graht-zee-eh (mee-leh)
Thank you (very much) |
Prego
preh-goh
You're Welcome |
Mi dispiace
mee dee-spyah-cheh
Sorry |
Scusi / Scusa
skoo-zee / skoo-zah
Excuse me (formal / informal) |
Andiamo!
on-dee-ah-mo
Let's go! |
Come sta? / Come stai?
koh-meh stah / koh-meh sty
How are you? (formal / informal) |
Sto bene.
stoh beh-neh
I am fine / well. |
Non c'è male.
nohn cheh mah-leh
Not bad. |
Abbastanza bene.
ah-bah-stahn-tsah beh-neh
Pretty good. |
Così così.
koh-zee koh-zee
So so. |
Sì / No
see / noh
Yes / No |
Come si chiama?
koh-meh see kee-ah-mah
What's your name? (formal) |
Come ti chiami?
koh-meh tee kee-ah-mee
What's your name? (informal) |
Mi chiamo...
mee kee-ah-mo
My name is... |
Piacere / Molto lieto.
pee-ah-cheh-reh / mohl-toh lee-eh-toh
Pleased / Nice to meet you. |
Signore, Signora, Signorina
seen-yoh-reh, seen-yoh-rah, seen-yoh-reen-ah
Mister, Misses, Miss |
Di dov'è?
dee doh-veh
Where are you from? (formal) |
Di dove sei?
dee doh-veh seh-ee
Where are you from? (informal) |
Sono di...
soh-noh dee
I am from... |
Quanti anni ha?
kwahn-tee ahn-nee ah
How old are you? (formal) |
Quanti anni hai?
kwahn-tee ahn-nee ah-ee
How old are you? (informal) |
Ho ______ anni.
oh ______ ahn-nee
I am _____ years old. |
Parla italiano?
par-lah ee-tahl-ee-ah-no
Do you speak Italian? (formal) |
Parli inglese?
par-lee een-gleh-zeh
Do you speak English? (informal) |
[Non] parlo...
[non] par-lo
I [don't] speak... |
Capisce? / Capisci?
kah-pee-sheh / kah-pee-shee
Do you understand? (formal / informal) |
[Non] capisco.
[non] kah-pees-koh
I [don't] understand. |
Non so. / Lo so.
non soh / low soh
I don't know. / I know. |
Può aiutarmi? / Puoi aiutarmi?
pwoh ah-yoo-tar-mee / pwoh-ee ah-yoo-tar-mee
Can you help me? (formal / informal) |
Certamente / D'accordo.
cher-tah-mehn-teh / dah-kohr-doh
Sure / OK. |
Come?
koh-meh?
What? / Pardon me? |
Desidera? / Desideri?
deh-zee-deh-rah / deh-zee-deh-ree
May I help you? (formal / informal) |
Come si dice ____ in italiano?
koh-meh see dee-cheh ____ een ee-tah-lee-ah-noh
How do you say ____ in Italian? |
Dov'è / Dove sono...?
doh-veh / doh-veh soh-noh
Where is / Where are... ? |
Ecco...
eh-koh
Here is / Here are... |
C'è / Ci sono...
cheh / chee soh-noh
There is / There are... |
Cosa c'è?
koh-zah cheh
What's the matter? / What's wrong? |
Non importa. / Di niente.
nohn eem-por-tah / dee nee-ehn-teh
It doesn't matter. |
Non mi frega.
nohn mee freh-gah
I don't care. |
Non ti preoccupare.
nohn tee preh-ohk-koo-pah-reh
Don't worry. (informal) |
Ho dimenticato.
oh dee-men-tee-kah-toh
I forgot. |
Devo andare adesso.
deh-voh ahn-dah-reh ah-des-soh
I have to go now. |
Ho fame. / Ho sete.
oh fah-meh / oh seh-teh
I'm hungry. / I'm thirsty. |
Ho freddo. / Ho caldo.
oh freh-doh / oh kal-doh
I'm cold. / I'm hot. |
Mi annoio.
mee ahn-noh-ee-oh
I'm bored. |
Salute!
sah-loo-teh
Bless you! |
Congratulazioni!
kohn-grah-tsoo-lah-tsee-oh-nee
Congratulations! |
Benvenuti!
behn-veh-noo-tee
Welcome! |
Buona fortuna!
bwoh-nah for-too-nah
Good luck! |
Tocca a me! / Tocca a te!
tohk-kah ah meh / tohk-kah ah teh
It's my turn! / It's your turn! (informal) |
Ti amo.
tee ah-moh
I love you. (informal) |
È pazzo! / Sei pazzo!
eh pats-soh / seh-ee pats-soh
You're crazy! (formal / informal) |
Sta zitto! / Stai zitto!
stah tseet-toh / sty tseet-toh
Be quiet / Shut up! (formal / informal) |
Va bene!
vah beh-neh
OK! |
Notice that Italian has informal and formal ways of saying things. This is because there is more than one meaning to "you" in Italian (as well as in many other languages.) The informal you is used when talking to close friends, relatives, animals or children. The formal you is used when talking to someone you just met, do not know well, or someone for whom you would like to show respect (a professor, for example.) There is also a plural you, used when speaking to more than one person.
Days of the Week
Monday |
lunedì |
loo-neh-dee |
Tuesday |
martedì |
mahr-teh-dee |
Wednesday |
mercoledì |
mehr-koh-leh-dee |
Thursday |
giovedì |
zhoh-veh-dee |
Friday |
venerdì |
veh-nehr-dee |
Saturday |
sabato |
sah-bah-toh |
Sunday |
domenica |
doh-men-ee-kah |
yesterday |
ieri |
yer-ee |
last night |
ieri sera |
yer-ee seh-rah |
today |
oggi |
ohd-jee |
tomorrow |
domani |
doh-mahn-ee |
day |
il giorno |
eel zhor-noh |
Note: To say on Mondays, on Tuesdays, etc., use il before lunedì through sabato , and la before domenica.
Months of the Year
January |
gennaio |
jehn-nah-yoh |
February |
febbraio |
fehb-brah-yoh |
March |
marzo |
mar-tsoh |
April |
aprile |
ah-pree-leh |
May |
maggio |
mahd-joh |
June |
giugno |
joo-nyoh |
July |
luglio |
loo-lyoh |
August |
agosto |
ah-goh-stoh |
September |
settembre |
seht-tehm-breh |
October |
ottobre |
oht-toh-breh |
November |
novembre |
noh-vehm-breh |
December |
dicembre |
dee-chem-breh |
week |
la settimana |
lah sett-ee-mah-nah |
month |
il mese |
eel meh-zeh |
year |
l'anno |
lahn-noh |
Note: Days and months are not capitalized . To express the date, use È il (number) (month). May 5th would be È il 5 (or cinque) maggio . But for the first of the month, use primo instead of 1 or uno.
To express ago , as in two days ago, a month ago, etc., just add fa afterwards. To express last , as in last Wednesday, last week , etc., just add scorso (for masculine words) or scorsa (for feminine words) afterwards. Un mese fa means a month ago and l'anno scorso means last year
Seasons
Summer |
l'estate |
leh-stah-teh |
Fall |
l'autunno |
low-toon-noh |
Spring |
la primavera |
lah pree-mah-veh-rah |
Winter |
l'inverno |
leen-vehr-noh |
Note: To say in the (season), just use in . In estate is in the summer, in primavera is in spring. D'estate and d'inverno can also be used instead of in estate or in inverno.
13. Directions
North |
nord |
nohrd |
South |
sud |
sood |
East |
est |
est |
West |
ovest |
oh-vest |
14. Color
white |
bianco/a |
square |
il quadrato |
yellow |
giallo/a |
circle |
il cerchio |
orange |
arancione |
triangle |
il triangolo |
pink |
rosa |
rectangle |
il rettangolo |
red |
rosso/a |
oval |
l'ovale |
light blue |
azzurro/a |
cube |
il cubo |
dark blue |
blu |
sphere |
la sfera |
green |
verde |
cylinder |
il cilindro |
brown |
marrone |
cone |
il cono |
grey |
grigio/a |
octagon |
l'ottagono |
black |
nero/a |
box |
la scatola |
Note: Colors are adjectives and must agree with the nouns they modify; -o is the masculine ending, -a is the feminine ending. For example, rosso is masculine and rossa is feminine. Color words always go after the noun they describe.
1. How To Ask Questions In Italian
Who is Carlo? Where is the train station? What time is it? Why do Italians talk with their hands? How do you make gnocchi? This How-To will help you ask all the right questions!
Difficulty: Average
Here's How:
1. In questions beginning with an interrogative word, the subject is usually placed at the end of the sentence. Quando guarda la TV Michele? - When does Michael watch TV?
2. Chi? means Who? or Whom?
3. To ask Which (one)? or Which (ones)? Use Quale? or Quali? (plural).
4. Che? signifies What? or What kind of?
5. If inquiring about How much? or How many? use Quanto/a/i/e?
6. Come? means How?
7. To ask Why? use Perché?
8. Quando? (Che cosa è, cos'è) expresses English What is...? in a request for a definition or an explanation.
9. Dove? means Where?
Tips:
- Che and cosa are abbreviated forms of che cosa . The forms are interchangeable.
- As with all adjectives, the interrogative adjectives agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify, except for che , which is invariable.
- Prepositions such as a , di , con , and per always precede the interrogative chi . In Italian, a question never ends with a preposition.
2.How To Ask For Directions in Italian
Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel is around the corner. Or so you thought the sign said. Avoid missing the highlights of Italy with these simple instructions on asking for directions in Italian.
Difficulty: Hard
1. To ask how far it is to someplace, ask: Quant'è lontano a...?
2. To find where the bathroom is in a public place, ask: Dove sono i gabinetti? In a private home, ask: Dov'è il bagno? or Posso usare il bagno, per favore?
3. To ask someone to point out something on a map, ask: Mi indichi sulla carta, per favore.
4. Typical responses to requests for directions include a destra (right), a sinistra (left), vicino (near), lontano (far), and gira a (turn to). Other responses include:
. Come? means How?
7. To ask Why? use Perché?
8. Quando? (Che cosa è, cos'è) expresses English What is...? in a request for a definition or an explanation.
9. Dove? means Where?
Tips:
- Che and cosa are abbreviated forms of che cosa . The forms are interchangeable.
- As with all adjectives, the interrogative adjectives agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify, except for che , which is invariable.
- Prepositions such as a , di , con , and per always precede the interrogative chi . In Italian, a question never ends with a preposition.
3. How To Decipher an Italian Menu
If spaghetti and meatballs with a glass of red wine from a straw-covered flask is the closest you've come to authentic Italian cuisine, then these quick, step-by-step instructions will help you order like a native when traveling to Italy.
Difficulty: Average
1. Restaurants in Italy include the autogrill , or roadside snack bar, the osteria , an informal place, and the trattoria , which is a medium-priced, often family-run eating establishment.
2. To make a reservation (which is relatively rare in Italy except at the most expensive restaurants) for two people at 8:00 PM, use this phrase: Vorrei fare una prenotazione per due alle otto .
3. In Italy, dishes are usually served on separate plates in a specific order. In order of appearance on a typical menu there is:
4. L'antipasto , which literally means "before the meal" and includes hot and cold appetizers such as crostini , bruschetta , and mozzarella in carrozza .
5. Il primo , or "first course" usually consisting of pasta, minestrone, risotto, or zuppa (soup).
6. Il secondo , or "second course," and is the main course - often meat, poultry, game, or fish.
7. Il contorno , or "side dish" which consists of vegetables such as melanzane (eggplant), spinaci (spinach), or insalata mista (mixed salad).
8. Il dolce , or "dessert," which includes such favorite sweets as tiramisù , torta della nonna (custard shortbread pie), or zabaglione (custard of egg yolks with wine and brandy).
9. To ask for the bill, say: Il conto, per favore . If you want the waiter to keep the change, say: Tenga pure il resto .
Tips:
- In Italy, those milky concoctions - cappuccino and caffe' latte - are drunk only at breakfast. And it's ESPRESSO! (expresso is a fast train).
- Al dente means "to the tooth," or slightly chewy. It is used to describe pasta and rice. The inside should be somewhat crisp-tender.
- Italians often say Buon appetito ! or "Enjoy your meal" when the first course is served, and Salute ! or "To your health" when toasting with a drink.
- Both il servizio (service charge/tip) and il coperto (cover charge - for bread and water) are usually included in il conto .
- By Italian law, the gratuity is included in the bill, and extra tipping isn't necessary. If the service warrants it, leave your waiter a little extra.
