Common Words and Phrases

When you meet people you will have to communicate with them, introduce yourself, and know how to ask and answer some basic questions. You may not be fluent yet, and you may not be quoting renaissance poetry, but at least you can communicate and find your way around, which will open up many doors for you when you're traveling around Italy. A few rules to keep in mind for Italian: It might seem to have quite a few rules, but once you learn these you are golden, since there are basically no exceptions (unlike English, which has many).

ETÀ - Informale

A: Michela quanti anni hai?
B: Ho otto anni.

A: Quanti anni ha Maria?
B: Maria ha dieci anni.

ETÀ - Formale

A: Signora Lippi quanti anni ha?
B: Ho trentacinque anni.

Listen

Days of the Week

When you learn Italian words, the basics are important, like days of the week and months of the year. These following Italian words can be very helpful when traveling or making social plans:

Monday. – Lunedì.
Tuesday. – Martedì.
Wednesday. – Mercoledì.
Thursday. – Giovedì.
Friday. – Venerdì.
Saturday. – Sabato.
Sunday. – Domenica.

Practice

Months

January. – Gennaio.
February. – Febbraio.
March. – Marzo.
April. – Aprile.
May. – Maggio.
June. – Giugno.
July. – Luglio.
August. – Agosto.
September. – Settembre.
October. – Ottobre.
November. – Novembre.
December. – Dicembre.

Che ore sono? Che ora è?

Telling Time

Time expressions

Useful Phrases
When traveling around Italy, some of the most useful phrases and words you can learn are those that can help you with your journey, whether you're walking around or if you need help. Here are a few key words and phrases to keep handy:

Hello! – Buongiorno! / Ciao! (informal)
Good-bye! – Arrivederci! / Ciao! (informal)
It is nice to meet you! – Piacere!
How are you? – Come sta? / Come stai? (informal)
Yes. – Si.
No. – No.
Please. – Per favore.
Thank you. – Grazie.
Good morning. – Buongiorno.
Good night. – Buona sera.
What time is it? – Che ore sono?
What is your name? – Come si chiama? / Come ti chiami? (informal)
Let me introduce myself... – Mi presento...
My name is... – Mi chiamo...
I don't understand. – Non capisco.
Happy birthday! – Buon Compleanno!
Merry Christmas! – Buon Natale!
Happy New Year! – Buon Anno Nuovo!
Where is...? – Dov'è...?
I need help. – Ho bisogno di aiuto.
I don't speak Italian. – Non parlo l'italiano.
I speak a little Italian. – Parlo un po' d'italiano.
Do you speak English? – Parla inglese? / Parli inglese? (informal)
Where is the restroom? – Dov'è il bagno?
I would like a glass of water. – Vorrei un bicchiere d'acqua.
I'm not well. – Non mi sento bene.
I live in the United States. – Abito negli Stati Uniti.
I live in Canada. – Abito in Canada.
I am on vacation. – Sono in vacanza.
I am lost. – Mi sono perso/a.
I can't find my passport. – Non trovo il mio passaporto.
Taxi. – Un taxi.
Bus. – Il bus.
Train. – Il treno.
Airplane. – L'aereo.
Car. – La macchina.
Where can I catch a taxi (a bus)? – Dove posso prendere un taxi (un bus)?

Common Phrases of Love
Italian is a romance language, and known for being very romantic, so it is only right to learn phrases of love in Italian:

I love you. – Ti amo.
You are beautiful. – Sei bella.
You are handsome. – Sei bello.
Would you like to go out with me? – Vorresti uscire con me?
Would you like to have dinner with me? – Vorresti cenare con me?
You have beautiful eyes. – Hai degli occhi bellissimi.
Will you marry me? – Mi vuoi sposare?

Practice

Numbers

One of the most basic sets of words in any language is numbers. We rely on numbers so much every day, and sometime we don't even realize how important they are on a daily basis. Knowing the basics can help immeasurably in shopping, communicating, and getting around town.

One. – Uno.
Two. – Due.
Three. – Tre.
Four. – Quattro.
Five. – Cinque.
Six. – Sei.
Seven. – Sette.
Eight. – Otto.
Nine. – Nove.
Ten. – Dieci.
Twenty. – Venti.
Thirty. – Trenta.
Forty. – Quaranta.
Fifty. – Cinquanta.
Sixty. – Sessanta.
Seventy. – Settanta.
Eighty. – Ottanta.
Ninety. – Novanta.
One hundred. – Cento.
One thousand. – Mille.

Practice i

Practice ii

Practice iii