78 essential Italian phrases for everyday conversations

Planning a trip to Italy, working with Italian colleagues or just wanting to connect with locals? Learning Italian phrases is your shortcut to building meaningful connections and navigating everyday situations. If you’re struggling to get by with single vocabulary words, memorizing a few choice phrases can give you more confidence and a better sense of how Italians actually communicate.

In this guide, we’ll explore phrases associated with greetings, dining, shopping and travel,  along with pronunciation tips and a few quirky idioms. If you’re interested in practicing any of these phrases with a native-level teacher, you can continue your education in one of Lingoda’s Italian courses.

young women having a conversation using italian phrases sitting at a bar in Italy and sipping coffee and eating pastries.

Learn Italian with Lingoda

How it works

Basic Italian phrases for everyday use

Greetings and introductions

ItalianEnglish
Buongiorno, come stai?Good morning, how are you?
Buona giornata!Have a good day!
Ciao ragazzi! Come va?Hi guys! How’s it going?
Buonasera, come stai?Good evening, how are you?
Buona serata!Have a good evening!
Buonanotte a tutti!Good night everyone!
Piacere di conoscerti.Pleased to meet you.
Ciao, mi chiamo Marco. Piacere!Hi, I’m Marco. Pleased to meet you!
ItalianEnglishPronunciation
buongiornogood morning/daybwohn-jyohr-noh
ragazziguysrah-gah-tsee
piacerepleasedpyah-cheh-reh
conoscertito meet youkoh-noh-shehr-tee

Common courtesies

ItalianEnglish
Prego, entra/vieni.Please, come in/come.
Grazie, sei molto gentile.Thanks, that’s kind of you.
Mi scusi, devo passare.Excuse me, I need to pass. (polite)
Ricordami il tuo nome, per favore.Remind me your name, please.
Grazie milleThank you very much
PregoYou’re welcome
ItalianEnglishPronunciation
gentilekindjen-tee-leh
scusiexcuse meskoo-see

Italian phrases for travel and navigation

Asking for directions

ItalianEnglish
Dov’è la stazione?Where is the station?
Dov’è il bagno?Where is the bathroom?
Come si arriva al museo?How do I get to the museum?
A sinistra o a destra?Left or right?
È lontano?Is it far?
Quanto ci vuole per arrivare?How long does it take to get there?
Può mostrarmelo sulla mappa?Can you show me on the map?
C’è un parcheggio qui vicino?Is there parking nearby?
Come si chiama questa strada?What is the name of this street?
ItalianEnglishPronunciation
stazionestationsta-tsioh-neh
mostrarmeloto show memos-trahr-meh-loh
parcheggioparking spacepar-keh-jyoh

Phrases for public transport

ItalianEnglish
Quanto costa un biglietto?How much is a ticket?
Vorrei andare a...I would like to go to...
Dove si prende il treno per...?Where do I take the train to...?
Qual è la prossima fermata?What is the next stop?
Questo treno va a...?Does this train go to...?
A che ora parte il treno?What time does the train leave?
C’è un biglietto giornaliero?Is there a daily ticket?
Dove posso comprare i biglietti?Where can I buy tickets?
Può aiutarmi con l’orario?Can you help me with the schedule?
ItalianEnglishPronunciation
bigliettoticketbee-lyeh-toh
giornalierodailyjyohr-nah-lee-eh-roh
orarioscheduleoh-rah-ryoh

Essential Italian phrases for dining out

Ordering at a restaurant

ItalianEnglish
Vorrei un tavolo per due, per favore.I’d like a table for two, please.
Avete un menù in inglese?Do you have a menu in English?
Posso vedere il menù, per favore?May I see the menu, please?
Qual è il piatto del giorno?What is the dish of the day?
Vorrei (ordinare)...I’d like (to order)...
Potrei avere un bicchiere d’acqua?Could I have a glass of water?
C’è qualcosa per i vegetariani/vegani?Is there something for vegetarians/vegans?
C’è qualcosa vegetariano/vegano?Is there anything vegetarian/vegan?
Questo è piccante?Is this spicy?
ItalianEnglishPronunciation
vorrei…I’d like…vohr-ray
bicchiere d’acquaglass of waterbee-kyeh-reh dah-kwah
qualcosa somethingkwahl-koh-sah

Understanding the menu

ItalianEnglish
Cosa c’è nell’antipasto?What’s in the appetizer?
Quali sono i primi piatti?What are the first courses?
Qual è il secondo piatto?What’s the main course?
Posso cambiare il contorno?Can I change the side dish?
Posso avere un dolce?Can I have a dessert?
È incluso un digestivo nel menù?Is a digestif included in the menu?
È possibile avere una porzione piccola?Is it possible to have a small portion?
Questo è senza glutine?Is this gluten-free?
ItalianEnglishPronunciation
contornoside dishkohn-tohr-noh
digestivodigestifdee-jes-tee-voh
porzioneportionpohr-tsio-neh
senza glutinegluten-freesen-tsah gloo-tee-neh

Paying the bill

ItalianEnglish
Mi porta il conto, per favore?Could you bring me the check, please?
Il servizio è incluso?Is the service charge included?
Posso pagare con carta di credito?Can I pay with a credit card?
Accettate contanti?Do you accept cash?
Posso avere la ricevuta/lo scontrino, per favore?Can I have the receipt, please?
Tenga il resto.Keep the change.
ItalianEnglishPronunciation
servizioservicesehr-vee-tsyo
accettate..?do you accept…?ah-cheh-tah-teh
ricevutareceiptree-cheh-voo-tah

Italian phrases for shopping

Asking about prices and sizes

ItalianEnglish
Quanto costa questo?How much does this cost?
Quanto costa al chilo?How much does it cost per kilo?
È in saldo?Is it on sale?
Avete una taglia più grande/piccola?Do you have a larger/smaller size?
Posso vedere altri colori?Can I see other colors?
ItalianEnglishPronunciation
quantohow muchkwan-toh
tagliasizetah-lya
disponibileavailabledees-poh-nee-bee-leh

Negotiating and expressing preferences

ItalianEnglish
Posso provare questo?Can I try this?
Mi piace, ma è troppo caro.I like it, but it’s too expensive.
Cerco qualcosa di meno costoso.I’m looking for something less expensive.
Mi farebbe un prezzo migliore?Can you give me a better price?
Questo è troppo grande/piccolo.This is too big/small.
Vorrei qualcosa in seta/lana/cotone.I’d like something in silk/wool/cotton.
ItalianEnglishPronunciation
prezzopricepreh-tsoh
migliorebettermee-lyoh-reh
piccolosmallpeek-koh-loh

Learn Italian with Lingoda

How it works

Phrases for Emergencies and asking for help

Emergency phrases

ItalianEnglish
Chiamate un’ambulanza!Call an ambulance!
Ho bisogno di un dottore.I need a doctor.
C’è stato un incidente.There’s been an accident.
Dov’è l’ospedale più vicino?Where is the nearest hospital?
Mi hanno rubato il portafoglio.My wallet has been stolen.
Chiamate la polizia!Call the police!
ItalianEnglishPronunciation
chiamatecall (imperative)kyah-mah-teh
bisognoneedbee-soh-nyoh
ospedalehospitaloh-speh-dah-leh
portafogliowalletpor-tah-foh-lyoh

Getting help in daily situations

ItalianEnglish
Può aiutarmi, per favore?Can you help me, please?
Mi sono perso/a.I am lost.
Non capisco.I don’t understand.
Può ripetere, per favore?Could you repeat that, please?
C’è qualcuno che parla inglese?Is there someone who speaks English?
Potrebbe scriverlo, per favore?Could you write it down, please?
ItalianEnglishPronunciation
aiutarmito help meah-yoo-tar-mee
ripetererepeatree-peh-teh-reh
qualcunosomeonekwal-koo-noh
scriverloto write it downskree-vehr-loh

Fun and quirky Italian phrases to impress locals

Want to charm Italians and spark a smile? Try using some of their colorful idiomatic expressions!

  • Instead of saying “good luck,” you can say, “In bocca al lupo!” (literally, “In the wolf’s mouth!”), to which the proper reply is, “Crepi il lupo!” (“May the wolf die!”).
  • If someone is all talk and no action, you might hear them described as tutto fumo e niente arrosto (all smoke and no roast), a playful jab at empty promises.
  • When someone is in a tough spot, they might exclaim, “Sono nei guai fino al collo!” (“I’m in trouble up to my neck!”).

These phrases showcase Italy’s flair for blending humor with wisdom, and using them will surely make locals appreciate your effort to connect with their culture.

FAQs

What is a very Italian thing to say?

Mamma mia! (Oh my goodness!)

What is a beautiful short quote in Italian?

La vita è bella. (Life is beautiful.)

What is the most common Italian phrase?

Ciao! (hello/goodbye) is by far the most common word or phrase heard in Italian. It’s used universally in casual settings. Another popular one is allora, which is usually used to introduce an explanation. It roughly translates to “so” or “then” in English.

‘In bocca al lupo’ with these Italian phrases!

Learning Italian phrases is about more than just mastering words. It’s about diving into the culture, connecting with the people and learning to navigate everyday situations with ease. From simple greetings to essential travel phrases, you’re now equipped to engage with locals and enjoy all that Italy has to offer.

Remember that language is best learned through practice, and that’s where Lingoda can help. Our lessons are focused on real-life conversational skills, and they’re taught by native-level teachers who encourage you to speak confidently and naturally from day one. Ready to start your journey?

Learn Italian with Lingoda

How it works
Imanol Rodríguez Guridi

Imanol Rodríguez Guridi

Imanol Rodríguez Guridi is a Uruguayan polyglot writer with a moderate obsession for world music research. As a former Literature student who realized he should’ve aimed for Ethnography instead, he has spent serious amounts of time thoroughly traveling through over 40 countries, engaging with locals to a maximum degree with the hopes of understanding their traditions, habits, languages, religions, virtues and vices directly from the source. Writing and traveling aside, he’s an Abhyanga massage therapist and loves mixing music.