50 basic Italian words, phrases & expressions to master

The only country in the world in the shape of a boot, Italy is the cradle of European civilization, and its contributions to gastronomy, music, and soccer are undeniable.

It is widely known that Italian is a direct descendant of Latin, but it is a lesser-known fact that the Sun hymn by Francis of Assisi (Cantico delle Creature – The song of the creatures) is the first written record of vernacular.

Naturally, the language has changed and evolved – let us list a few expressions to help you contact others when you are in Italy.

You can also download our free Italian language essentials eBook here, a trusty guide to all the Italian basics.

Basic Italian words

Start improving your language skills by these fundamental expressions, which you can also use to build up simple sentences.

1. Ciao (Hi)
2. Arrivederci (Goodbye)
3. Grazie (Thank you)
4. Per favore (Please)
5. Sí (Yes)
6. Certo (Sure)
7. No (No)
8. Amore (Love)
9. Tutto (Everything)

The simplest Italian questions

It is hard to maintain a conversation without questions. You’ll find a few ones below to help you move things along.

1. Come ti chiami? (What is your name?)
2. Che ora é? (What time is it?)
3. Di dove sei? (Where do you come from?)
4. Dove abiti? (Where do you live?)
5. Puoi aiutarmi? (Can you help me?)
6. Posso aiutarti? (Can I help you?)
7. Quanto costa? (How much does it cost?)
8. Hai capito? (Do you understand?)

Basic Italian greetings

Greeting others is an essential part of Italian culture. Use the terms listed below to greet your Italian friends according to the time of day.

1. Buongiorno! (Good morning!)
2. Buona sera! (Good evening!)
3. Buona notte! (Good night!)
4. Come stai? (How are you?)
5. Stai bene? (Are you all right?)
6. Cosa c'è di nuovo? (What’s up?)
7. Che cosa stai facendo? (What do you do?)

Basic Italian verbs

There are three different types of verbs in Italian: those which ends in -are, -ere, and -ire. These last ones have a special type, the so called „-isc” verbs, which have a slightly different conjugation. Along the adventurous course of discovering this language, you will soon realize that Italian is full of exceptions anyway.

1. Aprire (Open)
2. Aiutare (Help)
3. Essere (Be)
4. Piacere (Like)
5. Giocare (Play)
6. Chiamare (Call)
7. Volere (Want)
8. Avere (Have)
9. Vivere (Live)
10. Sapere (Know)

Italian expressions for people

One of the central elements of Italian culture is family - without the related terms, this dictionary would be incomplete for sure.

1. Famiglia (Family)
2. Figlio/figlia (Son/daughter)
3. Fratello/sorella (Brother/sister)
4. Amico (Friend)
5. Ragazza (Girl)
6. Ragazzo (Boy)
7. Uomo (Man)
8. Donna (Woman)

Basic words for the weather

Weather in Italy is indeed variable – and the many related expressions reveal just that.

1. Fa caldo. (It’s hot.)
2. Fa freddo. (It’s cold.)
3. Piove. (It’s raining.)
4. C’é il sole. (It’s sunny.)
5. C’è la luna (The moon has risen.)
6. Sta nevicando. (It’s snowing.)
7. C’é vento. (It’s windy.)
8. And an extra tip for the pronunciation: if there is a front vowel (e or i) behind the letters “c” and “g,” we pronounce them softly as “cs” and “dzs”. When there is a back vowel (a, o, or u) behind the above consonants, or if there is an “h” in front of the front vowel, we pronounce it hardly as “k” and “g”.

These basic expressions above give you a hint on how melodic Italian is. If this has given you itch to learn more, don’t hesitate to contact us and book an appointment for a free consultation and find out more about your possibilities.