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!

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Greetings and basic conversation

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

Essential verbs and everyday actions

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. 

Numbers, days and time vocabulary

Memorizing numbers and time words is essential if you hope to make plans and talk about your daily activities. Here’s your starter pack:

Numbers in Italian from 1 to 20

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

Days of the week in Italian

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

Times of the day in Italian

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

People and family terms

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

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Food and dining out

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

Common adjectives and descriptive phrases

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

Common phrases for daily life

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

Health and emergencies

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

Directions and transportation

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

Weather and seasons

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

FAQs

What are basic Italian words?

Some of the most basic Italian words are:

• Ciao (Hello / Goodbye)
• Grazie (Thank you)
• Per favore (Please)
• Scusa (Excuse me)
• Sì (Yes)
• No (No)
• Buongiorno (Good morning)
• Arrivederci (Goodbye)
• Prego (Please / You’re welcome)
• Come stai? (How are you?)
  

How can I learn Italian vocabulary quickly?

The best way to learn Italian fast is:

• Focus on essential vocabulary
• Practice daily
• Try to speak from Day One
• Immerse yourself in the language
• Learn grammar basics
  

What are some essential Italian verbs I should know?

• essere (to be)
• avere (to have)
• fare (to do/to make)
• andare (to go)
• dire (to say/to tell)
• vedere (to see)
• mangiare (to eat)
• volere (to want)
• dare (to give)
• sapere (to know)

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Bravo! This is the beginning of an exciting journey.

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!

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