italian word meaning essay

• Vocabulary and Expressions

50 Helpful Italian Essay Phrases to Make Writing a Breeze

March 13, 2019 10:00 am

Writing an essay can be nerve-racking. But doing it in a foreign language like Italian? Well, hello anxiety! But you don’t need to worry too much because here in this article, we’ve compiled some of the most useful Italian essay phrases to help you. Try sprucing up your essays with these phrases and take it from there.

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Useful Phrases for Advanced Italian Students

We have been concentrating on beginners’ Italian in our language lessons so far but we know that some of you are quite advanced in your Italian studies. So we are going to give you some “link phrases” that you can use in discursive essays or in formal discussion situations. We have grouped the words and phrases into categories and we’ll start with giving opinions, agreeing and disagreeing.

secondo me /a mio parere / a mio avviso in my opinion

sono del parere / d’avviso / d’opinione che…. I’m of the opinion that..

penso / reputo che... I think / consider that..

sostengo che.. I maintain that..

è opinione comune che... it’s a common opinion that...

è una questione d’opinione... it’s a matter of opinion...

pare / sembra che [+ subjunctive] ... it seems that...

essere pro ... to be for...

sono della stessa opinione... I think the same..

sono assolutamente d’accordo... I agree wholeheartedly...

è un’idea convincente... it’s a persuasive idea...

sono d’accordo con quelli che dicono che... I agree with those who say that...

c’è molto da dire in favore dell’una e dell’altra parte... there’s much to be said on both sides...

è risaputo che... it’s accepted that...

Disagreeing

essere contro... to be against...

non sono d'accordo ... I disagree / take the opposite view...

dall'altro canto ...  conversely / on the other hand...

contrariamente a ciò che lei dice... contrary to the claims made by..

essere contrario/a a... to be opposed to...

è vero il contrario... the opposite is true...

osteggiare un progetto.. to be against a plan..

non c'è una base logica per questa affermazione .... there’s no sound basis for the argument..

è una politica destinata al fallimento... it’s a policy doomed to failure...

è un approccio datato... it’s an outdated approach...

è un modo superficiale di affrontare un problema difficile... it’a a casual approach to a difficult problem...

non vedo possibilità di riuscita... I see no prospect of success...

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Italian Conjunctions Every Aspiring Speaker Needs

Dunque, Allora, Anzi: Connector Words That Make Conversation Shimmy

Maurizio Cantarella / EyeEm / Getty Images

• History & Culture
• B.A., University of Nevada–Las Vegas

If you've ever sat in an Italian bar having a cappuccino or a glass of wine and listened to an animated conversation among Italians, even if you speak only a little bit you surely noticed a few words catching your ear over and over again. Short, punchy, and ubiquitous, they range from allora and dunque to ma , perché , come , eppure , and purché , and, well, back to allora and dunque again.

They are the words that make Italian shimmy and shine, twist and dance: the conjunctions, or connector words, that express contraposition, doubt, questioning, and disagreement, and that while conveying key connections between words and concepts, also add the salt and pepper to storytelling.

Italian conjunctions are plentiful and complex; these little connectors come in many guises and different types, simple and composite, disjunctive and declarative, and they are worth reading about and studying. Here, through, you will find a dozen or so very popular conjunctions that, once mastered and conquered and their power harnessed, will boost your confidence to speak and give you a much better sense of what is being said around you.

In this list we skipped over the straightforward conjunctions e , o , ma, and che because you know them—"and," "or," "but," and "that"—to favor these more interesting cohorts.

Però : But and However

On the surface, the adversative or contrasting conjunction però has the same meaning as its fellow ma . And it does mean but . But as usual, Italian is full of meaningful nuance and però is slightly more adversative (and to make it really adversative, sometimes people use both together, though purists frown upon it).

• Se vuoi andare, vai; però ti avverto che è di cattivo umore. If you want to go, go ahead; but, I warn you that she is in a bad mood.
• Ma però anche lui ha sbagliato. Yes, but he was wrong, too.

There, it almost could serve as a however . And here, too:

• Sì, il maglione mi piace, però è troppo caro. Yes, I like the sweater, but it is too expensive.

In addition, però can be placed at the end of a sentence (which ma cannot) to give it a stronger contrasting emphasis, with a bit of a though meaning. In that regard, però is a useful word to make a clarification or state a correction.

• Te lo avevo detto, però. I had told you, though.
• Però, lo sapevi. But, you knew (that was the case).
• È un bel posto però. It's a nice place, though.

In addition, you can also use però as a freestanding word with interjective value that conveys that you are surprised or impressed. It comes with the right tone of voice and facial expression.

For example, if you told someone that last year you made a million dollars, he might answer, " Però! "

Infatti : In Fact, Indeed

As in English, infatti is a declarative conjunction that confirms or validates something previously said (though sometimes in English it is used to mean "in actuality," contrasting what was previously said). In Italian , it is meant to agree and corroborate what is said. Sure thing ; sure enough . Indeed .

• Sapevo che Giulio non si sentiva bene, e infatti il giorno dopo aveva la febbre. I knew that Giulio was not feeling well and, indeed, the following day he had a fever.
• Pensavo che il mercato fosse chiuso il mercoledì, e infatti quando siamo andati era chiuso. I thought that the market was closed on Wednesdays, and, sure enough, when we went it was closed.
• I fumatori hanno maggiore probabilità di contrarre il cancro ai polmoni, e infatti il nostro studio lo conferma. Smokers have a greater probability of contracting lung cancer, and indeed, our study confirms it.

It also means as a matter of fact :

• Al contrario, Paolo non era a casa, come aveva detto, e infatti, lo vidi al mercato quel pomeriggio. To the contrary, Paolo was not home, as he said, and indeed, I saw him at the market that afternoon.

Infatti is sometimes used as a final, conclusive word of confirmation.

• "Lo sapevo che facevi tardi e perdevi il treno." "E infatti." "I knew that you were late and that you would miss the train." "Indeed, I did."

Anche : As Well, Also, and Even

One can't really function without anche . Depending on its position in the sentence, it covers a lot of ground, mostly putting emphasis in different places:

• Ho comprato il pane, il vino e anche dei fiori. I bought bread, wine, and some flowers, too (or, I bought bread, wine and also some flowers).
• Mi piace molto leggere; anche al mio ragazzo piace leggere. I love to read; my boyfriend also likes to read.
• Anche te hai portato il vino? You, too, brought wine ?
• Ho letto anche questo libro. I have read that book, too.
• Sì, mi ha detto questo anche. Yes, he told me that too.

Note the meaning of as well :

• Anche qui piove. It is raining here as well.
• Anche lui mi ha detto la stessa cosa. He as well told me the same thing.
• Vorrei anche un contorno. I would like a side as well.
• Abbiamo camminato moltissimo; ci siamo anche persi! We walked a lot; we even got lost!

Anche se means even though or even if .

Cioè : In Other Words, That Is

A good explicative and declarative conjunction, cioè is a keyword in refining what we say and mean: to clarify and correct what was said.

• Non voglio andare al museo; cioè, non ci voglio andare oggi. I don't want to go to the museum; that is, I don't want to go today.
• Ho visto Giovanni ieri—cioè, l'ho visto ma non ci ho parlato. I saw Giovanni yesterday—that is, I saw him but I didn't get to talk to him.
• Vado in Italia fra due mesi, cioè a giugno. I’m going to Italy in two months, in other words, in June.
• Mi piace; cioè, mi piace ma non moltissimo. I like it; that is, I like it, but not to die for.

Often you hear it asked, C ioè, vale a dire? That means, in other words, what does that mean exactly?

Purché : As Long As

Purché is a conditional conjunction that does— infatti —set up a condition: if ; as long as . Because of that conditional meaning, it is accompanied by the subjunctive .

• Vengo al mare con te purché guidi piano. I will come to the beach with you as long as you drive slowly.
• Gli ho detto che può uscire purché studi. I told him he could go out as long as he studies.
• Purché usciamo stasera, sono disposta a fare tutto. As long as we go out tonight, I am willing to do anything.

Purché can come at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence.

Sebbene and Benché : Though and Although

Sebbene and Benché are other essential connectors meaning even though, although, though. They suggest a contrast to what was previously said, or some kind of conflict of fact or emotion. You can't talk about love or intentions and anything of the heart without these. They are also used with the subjunctive most often.

• Sebbene il ristorante fosse chiuso ci ha serviti. Even though the restaurant was closed, he served us.
• Benchè non riesca a parlare l'italiano perfettamente, faccio comunque molto progresso. Although I cannot speak Italian perfectly, I am still making much progress.
• Sebbene ci abbiamo provato, non siamo riusciti a trovare la chiesa di cui mi avevi parlato. Although we tried, we were not able to find the church you told me about.

Siccome : Since, Given That

Siccome falls in the category of most used Italian words ever. It is a causal conjunction, and since you have been studying Italian for a long time, you should know how to use it.

• Siccome che non ci vediamo da molto tempo, ho deciso di invitarti a cena. Since we have not seen each other in a long time, I decided to invite you for dinner.
• Siccome che Fiesole è così vicina a Firenze, abbiamo deciso di visitarla. Since Fiersole is so close to Florence, we decided to visit.
• Siccome c'è lo sciopero dei treni, abbiamo affittato una macchina. Since there is a train strike, we decided to rent a car.

Comunque : In Any Case, Still, However

The queen of summing up, comunque is another essential word, thrown in here and there to say that whatever else is said, still , regardless , in any case , whatever the case may be , this final thing must be said. It is often used to offer a conclusive fact or opinion that rests the case.

• Il parco è chiuso; comunque, se volete visitare, fatemelo sapere. The park is closed; regardless, let me know if you want to visit it.
• Sei comunque un maleducato per avermi dato chiodo. You are, in any case, rude for having stood me up.
• In giardino era freddo, ma abbiamo comunque mangiato bene. The garden was cold, but, regardless, we ate well.
• Non vengo comunque. I am not coming in any case.
• Comunque, anche se pensi di avere ragione, hai torto. In any case, even if you think you are right, you are wrong.

Poi is technically an adverb , not a conjunction, but it merits mention for its vast uses as a connector word. Indeed, it has temporal value as then, later or afterwards, and also has meaning as in addition to or on top of .

• Prendi il treno #2 e poi un taxi. You take the #2 train, and then you get a cab.
• Poi te lo dico. I'll tell you later.
• Ho comprato una camicia e poi anche una giacca! I bought a shirt and then a jacket, too!
• Non voglio uscire con Luca. È disoccupato, e poi non mi piace! I don't want to go out with Luca. He is unemployed, and on top of it I don't like him!

It is used often as an interrogative word to bridge between passages of a conversation. If someone is telling a suspenseful story and it gets interrupted, you might ask, "E poi?"

Anzi : Rather, Moreover, What's More

This little word is a reinforcing conjunction that corrects, punches, and doubles down on something. It serves to contradict something entirely or to agree with it wholeheartedly. Confused? Take a look:

• Non mi è antipatico Ruggero; anzi, mi è simpaticissimo. I don't dislike Ruggero; to the contrary, I like him a lot.
• Gli ho detto di andare via; anzi, gli ho chiesto di restare. I didn't ask him to leave; what's more, I asked him to stay.
• Non sei carina; anzi, sei bellissima. You are not cute; rather, you are gorgeous.
• Non ti sei comportato male; ti sei comportato orribilmente. You didn't act poorly; you acted horribly to boot.

If you use anzi as the final word, it is understood that it means to the contrary and nothing more needs to be said.

• Non lo odio; anzi. I don't hate him; to the contrary.

Dunque , Quindi, and Perciò : So, Thus, Therefore

These three are the jewels of conclusive conjunctions: you use them to draw a consequence or conclusion from what was previously said or to connect something that is a consequence. As a result , therefore and so , they are used a lot. They are mostly interchangeable.

• Non ho studiato, quindi sono andata male all'esame. I didn't study, so I did poorly on the exam.
• Sono arrivata tardi e dunque mi sono perso lo spettacolo. I got there late and therefore I missed the show
• Non ha i soldi, perciò non va al teatro. He doesn't have the money, so he is not going to the theater.

Quindi is also used sometimes to indicate sequence in time rather than consequence, but the nuance is a fine one, and dunque you should not worry too much about it.

All three, by the way, are good for resuming a conversation that has been interrupted.

• E dunque, ti dicevo... And so I was saying...
• E quindi, come ti dicevo.. . And so, as I was saying...

Allora : So, In Sum, Therefore

And last but not least comes allora —the true star of Italian conversation. It is, infatti, ubiquitously used to the point of madness sometimes (and by foreigners as filler, which it is not). But, it's important to get it right. Technically an adverb, allora is also a conclusive conjunction that supports the wrapping up of a conversation or a story. Allora means so , as a consequence , and to conclude . It also means in that case .

• Giovanni è partito e non ci siamo più sentiti, e allora non so cosa fare. Giovanni left and we have not spoken since, so I don't know what to do.
• Il museo oggi è chiuso, allora ci andiamo domani. The museum is closed today, so we will go tomorrow.
• Allora, cosa dobbiamo fare? So, what do we need to do?
• Allora, io vado a casa. Ciao! So, I am going home. Bye!
• Se non ti piace, allora non te lo compro. If you do not like it, I will not buy it for you.

Allora also has an important interrogative value. If someone pauses in a story without reaching a conclusion, you might ask, " E allora? " "And then?"

It also can mean, "So? Now what?" Say two people are talking:

• " Giovanni ha rovesciato tutto il vino per terra. " "Giovanni spilled all the wine on the floor."
• " E allora? " "And now what?"
• " E allora dobbiamo andare a comprare il vino. " "So, we have to go buy more wine."

Allora also lends great dramatic flair if, for example, you walk into your children's room and they are pouring paint over each other. You put your hands together in prayer and yell, " Ma allora!! " "What now! What's this!"

Allora, avete imparato tutto? Bravissimi!

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Online Italian Club

How to write an essay in Italian, even if you barely speak the language

June 12, 2014 by Daniel

In 2003 I scraped together my meager savings and signed up for the part-time MBA at Alma Business School, here in Bologna where I live.

At the time, freelance English teaching was keeping me busy all hours, but didn’t generate much of an income.

And as our third child had just been born, I was pretty desperate to get some kind of ‘proper’ career going.

For an MBA, it was amazingly cheap, probably because it was taught in Italian and by professors from Bologna university.

Who wants to do an MBA in Italian?

But still, I thought, “Two birds with one stone!”

It would force me to improve my language skills, and at the same time I’d be working towards a qualification which would hopefully get me my dream job.

The course began and the workload was intense.

There were books to read, lectures to attend, and regular exams to study for, some of which involved writing essays…

While I could scrape by with the reading, and keep a low profile during lectures and group work, it was clear that the written work was going to be an issue.

Up to that time, I had done exactly zero writing in Italian!

Fortunately, I was saved by lurking on the course’s online discussion boards.

There, I was able to read what my fellow students thought about the course topics, pick up some of the key vocabulary, and generally orientate myself.

It was also a fantastic place to get Italian writing tips.

I quickly figured out that, while my grammar was surely a lost cause (I’d never done an Italian course) and my vocabulary was desperately limited, the one thing that I could quickly and easily fix was my non-use of ‘linking words’.

The other students sprinkled their writing with words like ‘quindi’, ‘invece’, ‘inoltre’, ‘tuttavia’ and many synonyms thereof, terms which helped connect their ideas in a coherent sequence (and make them sound more ‘figo’.)

So I started to make a list, grouping the more common words into categories, like this:

CONTRAST: invece, mentre, pero, tuttavia CAUSATION: poiche, siccome RESULT: quindi, perciò CONDITION: anche se, almeno che

A quick bit of dictionary work later, and I had a list of typical terms to memorize.

Come exam day, I would be able to supercharge my ‘unusual’ written Italian with expressions I’d copied from my classmates.

And lo, using this approach I managed to write something at least minimally coherent, and passed my first exam.

Time passed, and in 2005 I graduated.

After which I set about becoming rich and successful, by opening my own language school…

All this because of learning to write better!

The Italian writing course consists of five different writing tasks.

There are no fixed deadlines, so you can take as long as you want to get them done.

Your work will be corrected by a professional Italian teacher.

The course normally costs €50 (that’s just €10 per ‘lesson’), but until 20th June you can get it for the special launch price: just €37,50!

A number of OnlineItalianClub.com readers have already signed up.

They’ve been allocated their tutors, and are hopefully getting started right now on improving their Italian writing.

Why not join them?

Go here to find out how.

June 12, 2014 at 5:32 pm

Well if I hadn’t signed up an hour ago, this post would have hooked me in. Those pesky little words are the bane of my life and I only have a handful for each category, so I already have a task, and I haven’t even started yet. As has been mentioned by another poster, the snag is that the range of meanings for each word, doesn’t always quite correlate with English so I have to go with the context. Roll on joined up thinking/writing

Daniel says

June 12, 2014 at 5:42 pm

Practice makes perfect, Karen. Thanks for signing up for the writing course. I hope it’ll prove useful…

John Thomson says

June 13, 2014 at 9:12 am

Le congiunzioni !!!!!!!

Excellent article, as ever Daniel

I would love to see your essay when you passed your exam, which conjunctions you used, where, when and why – akin to adding chopped parsley to a dish how much is “some” is it the same as “Q.B.” “quanto basta” I have looked at a list of 25 conjunctions and selected one English word “although”

Depending on the dictionary one uses (my preferred is Word Reference) This can be translated as

Benche / malgrado / sebbene / quantunque / anche / nonostante / pure / seppure

I am sure there will be more and the same is true, though to a lesser extent, when translating from Italian to English

So how do you choose, is there a regional variation?

The English language tends to use a comma to separate blocks of related text or at best uses “and” or “or” with the odd “while” thrown in

All part of the beauty of la bella lingua !

John P.S. my beautiful wife is buying me your writing course for Father’s day.

June 13, 2014 at 10:07 am

Hi John, When you get a list of ‘synonyms’like that, say from wordreference.com, you need to appreciate the various ways they could differ: – the meaning may not be exactly the same (for example, one version may have other unrelated meanings or uses) – they may be used in a different position in a sentence – there might be a different level of formality – there may be other grammatical ‘issues’ etc.

One way to deal with that is to try to study them formally.

Another option (my preferred one..) is to try to take on board the one or two most common ones for use when you speak and write, while aiming to at least recognize the others when you see or here them

In that way, you don’t immediately have to worry about the bits you don’t know as sooner or later the context will provide that info for you..

Reading a lot helps.

Good on your wife! Hope you enjoy the course, and she enjoys the peace and quiet while you’re busy doing the tasks.

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40 Cool Italian Idioms for the Smooth-talking Language Learner

Do you want to really sound like an Italian?

If so, it’s time to take on Italian culture and unique native speech with Italian idioms.

Idioms are words and expressions that are figurative in nature, but whose meanings are readily understood by speakers of the language.

This post will introduce you to 40 Italian idioms, getting you started on this important facet of Italian fluency.

• 1. In bocca al lupo (In the mouth of the wolf)
• 2. Buono come il pane (Good as bread)
• 3. L’erba del vicino è sempre più verde (Neighbor’s grass is always greener)
• 4. A mali estremi, estremi rimedi (To extreme evils, extreme remedies)
• 5. Affogare in un bicchier d’acqua (To drown in a glass of water)
• 6. L’amore domina senza regole (Love rules without rules)
• 7. I frutti proibiti sono i più dolci (Forbidden fruit is sweetest)
• 8. Conosco i miei polli (I know my chickens)
• 9. Minestra riscaldata (Reheated soup)
• 10. Non avere peli sulla lingua (Not to have hair on your tongue)
• 11. Trovarsi fra l’incudine e il martello (To be between the anvil and the hammer)
• 12. Hai voluto la bicicletta? Allora, pedala! (You wanted a bike? Now, pedal!)
• 13. Diciamo pane al pane e vino al vino (Let’s say bread for bread and wine for wine)
• 14. Ha molto sale in zucca (Has a lot of salt in his gourd)
• 15. È tutto pepe! (He is all pepper)
• 16. Ti sta a pennello (Fits you like a paintbrush)
• 17. Fare troppi atti in commedia (To make too many acts in a comedy)
• 18. Rompere il ghiaccio (To break the ice)
• 19. Sputa il rospo (Spit the toad)
• 20. Colto con le mani nel sacco (Caught with his hands in the bag)
• 21. Morto un papa, se ne fa un altro (One pope dies, another will be made)
• 22. Togliti dai piedi! (Take yourself out of my feet)
• 23. Alla come viene, viene (It comes out as it comes out)
• 24. Attaccare il cappello (To hang up one’s hat)
• 25. L’abito non fa il monaco (The dress does not make the monk)
• 26. Caduto dalle nuvole (Fallen from the clouds)
• 27. Mal comune, mezzo gaudio (Common bad, half rejoice)
• 28. Farsene un baffo (To make a mustache of it)
• 29. Ogni morte di papa (Every death of a pope)
• 30. Tale madre, tale figlia/Tale padre, tale figlio (Such mother, such daughter/Such father, such son)
• 31. Tutto fa brodo (Everything makes broth, soup)
• 32. Un pezzo grosso (A big piece)
• 33. Calare le brache (To pull down one’s pants)
• 34. Avere un cervello di gallina (To have a hen’s brain)
• 35. Cane non mangia cane (Dog does not eat dog)
• 36. Avere le braccine corte (To have short arms)
• 37. Cornuto (Horned)
• 38. Raro come una mosca bianca (Rare as a white fly)
• 39. Non vedo l’ora (I don’t see the hour)
• 40. Che palle! (What balls)

Why Learning Italian Idioms Is a Must for Learners of the Language

And one more thing....

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

1.  In bocca al lupo  (In the mouth of the wolf)

This is the equivalent of “break a leg.” Use this instead of  “Buona fortuna”  (Good luck).

There’s an Italian superstition that if you wish somebody good luck, bad things will happen instead.

But then the response should never be “Grazie,” instead, you would say  “Crepi il lupo,”  (May the wolf die).

2.  Buono come il pane  (Good as bread)

This will be the first of our food-related idioms, and I’m telling you that there will definitely be more on this list.

“Buono come il pane”  (Good as bread) is used to describe a person with a heart of gold.

He or she is somebody who’s generally known for being kind and generous, generally has the qualities of a good person.

You use “Buono come il pane”  as a blanket description of a good person, when you really don’t have anything else to say about him or her.

3.  L’erba del vicino è sempre più verde  (Neighbor’s grass is always greener)

You may have already guessed the English equivalent of this one: The grass is always greener on the other side.

The fact that it has an English equivalent suggests that this sentiment is part of human nature, a universal expression of discontent.

4.  A mali estremi, estremi rimedi  (To extreme evils, extreme remedies)

 This one means “desperate times call for desperate measures.” 

There’s not much more explanation needed for this as it is used anytime you normally would say the English version.

5.  Affogare in un bicchier d’acqua  (To drown in a glass of water)

To drown in a glass of water is to be easily overwhelmed with little problems.

For example, a not-so-bright fellow running around in circles, or a little girl who wails like it’s the end of the world because she lost her favorite hairpin could be said to be drowning in a glass of water.

6.  L’amore domina senza regole  (Love rules without rules)

Italy is known for its romantic aura, so it makes sense to have an idiom or two that surrounds love. This has a similar idea to “all is fair in love and war.”

So watch out when you visit Italia . You just might fall in love with the place, the pizza and the people.

7.  I frutti proibiti sono i più dolci  (Forbidden fruit is sweetest)

It seems that the more you’re prohibited from having something, the more that something becomes more appealing than ever.

You want what you can’t have, and “I frutti proibiti sono i più dolci”  is the Italian recognition of this basic human irony. 

8.  Conosco i miei polli  (I know my chickens)

Ever tried showing a toddler he’s not building his Legos right?

You know what happens? He defiantly snatches the blocks from your hand, as if saying, “Leave me alone! I know what I’m doing. I can handle this.”

“Conosco i miei polli”  is said in that same spirit.

So if Italians want to express something like, “I know what I’m talking about” they utter this idiom with an air of quiet confidence.

9.  Minestra riscaldata  (Reheated soup)

Italian boy meets Italian girl. The two fall in love.

The relationship has its ups and downs. Both fight to make it work.

They grow apart, and the relationship ultimately disintegrates.

Months after, they meet and try to rekindle the bond.

“Minestra riscaldata”  is that state of reviving a relationship gone sour. It’s just never the same.

The expression doesn’t just apply to romantic partners; it can also be appropriate to describe the bond between friends, business partners, etc.

10.  Non avere peli sulla lingua  (Not to have hair on your tongue)

This Italian idiom means to be straightforward and speak one’s mind, regardless of the possibility of upsetting or insulting someone.

In short, you’re not mincing any words. You simply say what needs to be heard. 

11.  Trovarsi fra l’incudine e il martello  (To be between the anvil and the hammer)

This happens when you’re left with a bad choice alongside another equally horrible option—like a lazy teenager made to choose between cleaning his car or cleaning his room.

This is a damned if you do, damned if you don’t kind of situation.

12.  Hai voluto la bicicletta? Allora, pedala!  (You wanted a bike? Now, pedal!)

Italy has fully embraced its biking culture, so it’s no wonder that the language has reflected this love affair with the bicycle in one of its idioms.

“You’ve made your bed, now lie in it” is its closest equivalent English idiom. Both have to do with gracefully facing the consequences of one’s actions or decisions.

13.  Diciamo pane al pane e vino al vino  (Let’s say bread for bread and wine for wine)

Remember what we said a few idioms back about someone who doesn’t have hair on their tongue? The one who’s a straight shooter, yeah?

They’ll probably be saying,  “Diciamo pane al pane e vino al vino.”

Or, if we go by the English equivalent, “Let’s call a spade a spade.” 

14.  Ha molto sale in zucca  (Has a lot of salt in his gourd)

To “lose one’s gourd” is to be crazy or to lose one’s mind.

“Ha molto sale in zucca”  refers to a person who has a good head—someone not only bright, but one who possesses a lot of good sense.

15.  È tutto pepe!  (He is all pepper)

“ È tutto pepe!”   is used to describe somebody full of life—someone with a vibrant personality and a sunny disposition that lifts everyone’s spirits.

So if you hear this said of you, take it as a high compliment.

16.  Ti sta a pennello  (Fits you like a paintbrush)

Speaking of compliments, if you hear this one in one of Italy’s premier fashion stores it means the person assisting you is working on commission.

Seriously though, it means the dress or whatever it is you’re trying on fits you perfectly. (It fits you so perfectly it looks like it’s been painted onto your body.)

17.  Fare troppi atti in commedia  (To make too many acts in a comedy)

To have too many acts in a comedy means someone is trying to accomplish too many things at once.

In English, you could say the person is “wearing too many hats” or has “hands/fingers in too many pies.”

18.  Rompere il ghiaccio  (To break the ice)

This one means exactly what it means in English.

“Rompere il ghiaccio”  is to obliterate awkwardness between people in social situations, especially for those who have just recently met.

19.  Sputa il rospo  (Spit the toad)

This means “speak up.” To remember it, you could imagine releasing a toad from your mouth and letting it freely speak about the beauty and wonders of from whence it came.

20.  Colto con le mani nel sacco  (Caught with his hands in the bag)

This one is comparable to the English idiom, “caught red-handed” or “caught with one’s hands in the cookie jar.”

These idioms refer to someone who got caught stealing cash or something else, often helping themselves to the detriment of others.

21.  Morto un papa, se ne fa un altro  (One pope dies, another will be made)

This Italian idiom is used to signify how life goes on even after the worst of tragedies.

Your Italian boyfriend broke up with you? Don’t worry, there are plenty of fish in the sea.

If even the pope isn’t indispensable, the loss of something or someone shouldn’t stop your world from turning. Life goes on, as it always has.

22.  Togliti dai piedi!  (Take yourself out of my feet)

Let’s say you’re peacefully walking the streets of Milan and somebody suddenly snatches your wallet.

You decide to get some much-needed exercise and pursue the offender through the major thoroughfares of a foreign city.

You would shout,  “Togliti dai piedi!”  as you gave chase. It means “Get out of my way!” 

23.  Alla come viene, viene  (It comes out as it comes out)

This means “It is what it is.” The expression gives the sense that a thing is done in a shoddy, slapdash manner.

24.  Attaccare il cappello  (To hang up one’s hat)

In English, we have expressions like “hang up one’s gloves” or “hang up one’s boots.” They all mean to retire, or quit doing something.

The Italian “Attaccarre il cappello”  not only means quitting in general, but has the added sense of quitting by virtue of marrying somebody rich (usually a man marrying a rich woman). 

25.  L’abito non fa il monaco  (The dress does not make the monk)

Everyone knows that “clothes don’t make the man.” We shouldn’t judge anybody on looks, we shouldn’t “judge a book by its cover.”

26.  Caduto dalle nuvole  (Fallen from the clouds)

This means to be completely taken by surprise, usually from news of something that’s negative in nature.

“Taken aback” captures some of the same meaning, as in “She was taken aback when she heard that I lost the baby.”

27.  Mal comune, mezzo gaudio  (Common bad, half rejoice)

Misery does love company. To put it in a more positive way, “a trouble shared is a trouble halved.”

28.  Farsene un baffo  (To make a mustache of it)

To make a mustache out of something means to treat something as insignificant, or not bothersome or burdensome at all.

So you don’t make a fuss about it.

29.  Ogni morte di papa  (Every death of a pope)

Italians revere the Pope, but they do have an expression for saying “once in a blue moon” that’s based on his demise.

It’s “ogni morte di papa.”  These fellows often reach a ripe old age before checking out. (Seems like being close to God does have its perks.)

So really, the death of a pope doesn’t come very often, making the idiomatic expression a fitting description.

30.  Tale madre, tale figlia/Tale padre, tale figlio (Such mother, such daughter/Such father, such son)

Like mother, like daughter. Like father, like son.

Such is life. Soon enough, you’ll embody your folks’ spirits—hovering over others, asking them if they’ve eaten, just like Mom. 

31.  Tutto fa brodo  (Everything makes broth, soup)

This Italian expression means every little thing counts.

Everything contributes something to the whole—whether it be a lone euro tossed into a donation basket, 10 minutes of quality time spent with your young daughter or a simple smile for a stranger.

32.  Un pezzo grosso  (A big piece)

From little things we go to big things.

“Un pezzo grosso”  is synonymous to the English idiom “big shot,” usually referring to somebody of high importance or someone who wields strong influence over the whole.

For example, the Italian prime minister is “un pezzo grosso”  of the whole Italian political system. In fact, the biggest of them all.

33.  Calare le brache  (To pull down one’s pants)

“Calare le brache”  means to chicken out and surrender. 

You may not master Italian in a week or two, but it’s no reason to give up. Keep your store open and your pants up!

34.  Avere u n cervello di gallina  (To have a hen’s brain)

A person who acts stupidly, has low intelligence or has poor judgment is said to have a hen’s brain.

It comes from the belief that the bigger the size of the brain, the more intelligent the animal.

And judging from the size of its head, one can clearly say that a hen (or bird) does have a small brain.

35.  Cane non mangia cane  (Dog does not eat dog)

This one is the complete opposite of the English “It’s a dog-eat-dog world.”

The Italian version holds a more optimistic view of the world. Yes, there’s “honor among thieves.”

There’s a line that cannot be crossed, there’s a code of conduct that governs even the most sinister of people.

36.  Avere le braccine corte  (To have short arms)

We all have that one family member or friend that is always trying to get out of paying for anything.

The expression refers to a cheap person who never seems to have the arm length or strength to reach for his wallet.

37.  Cornuto  (Horned)

This idiom refers to someone cheating on someone else. The offending party may be evil and deserve to wear the “horns,” but actually, the one wearing the “horns” is actually the one being cheated on.

The expression usually comes with a hand gesture  for which the index finger and the pinky are held up, like during rock concerts.

38.  Raro come una mosca bianca  (Rare as a white fly)

Have you ever seen a white fly?

39.  Non vedo l’ora  (I don’t see the hour)

This Italian idiom means you just absolutely cannot wait for something. You can’t think or see straight from excitement.

Be it your Italian vacation, your Italian girlfriend coming for a visit or that Italian cheese recipe bubbling in the oven.

40.  Che palle!  (What balls)

This is a (strong but) widely-used Italian expression that could be translated as “Dang!” or “Sucks!”

Use it to express annoyance or irritation at a situation or person. 

Anybody can pick up an Italian app and learn the meaning of individual words. But it takes a certain finesse to comprehend the full expression.

Idioms are creative ways of saying something with spice and punch.  

If you are able to understand Italian idioms, you will better understand speakers and their worldview.

Finally, it’s important to note that there’s a story or history to idioms.  They have origins and provenance, even if native speakers don’t remember them.

Idioms are little peeks into the history, beliefs and traditions of the language that they carry.

The best way to pick up on these idioms is by hearing them used by native speakers.

One useful resource is FluentU . On this immersive language learning program you can access hundreds of videos that will have native speakers using idioms in natural contexts. 

FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

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Home » Articles » 500 Core Italian Words for Everyday Conversations (Top 500 Most Used Italian Words)

Full disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. ?

written by Alice Cimino

Language: Italian

Reading time: 27 minutes

Published: Mar 6, 2023

Updated: Apr 9, 2024

500 Core Italian Words for Everyday Conversations (Top 500 Most Used Italian Words)

What if you could understand Italian conversations by only learning 500 of the most used Italian words?

The Italian language is made up of hundreds of thousands of words – while it is hard to pin down a specific number, some linguists have estimated it to be between 160,000 and 260,000!

If you’re learning Italian, I can already see the fear in your eyes: how is someone supposed to learn 260,000 words in a foreign language?

Don’t worry! I am Italian myself, and while I like to learn words, I can assure you that Italians themselves use only around 7,000 words throughout their lifetimes, and usually only about 1,000 in their daily routine.

So who says that with 500 words and some enthusiasm, you wouldn’t be able to understand what’s going on in conversations?

Table of contents

The 10 most used italian nouns related to places (+ an additional one), the 10 most used italian nouns related to time (+ four bonus words), the 11 most used italian nouns related to people (+ an additional one), the 10 most used italian nouns related to nature (+ two bonus words), the 8 most used italian nouns related to anatomy (+ three bonus words), 50 other frequently used italian nouns (+ ten additional italian nouns), the 2 italian auxiliary verbs, top 10 most frequently used italian verbs.

• The 34 Most Used Italian Verbs in the First Group:  -are
• The 33 Most Used Italian Verbs in the Second Group:  -ere ,  -arre ,  -orre , or  -urre
• The 21 Most Used Italian Verbs in the Third Group  -ire

The 8 Italian Possessive Adjectives

8 italian indefinite adjectives, 62 italian adjectives of number, 50 of the most frequently used italian adjectives, 23 italian adverbs derived from adjectives, 12 italian adverbs of place, 11 italian adverbs of quantity, 11 italian adverbs of time, 8 italian adverbs of manner, 5 miscellaneous italian adverbs, the 10 italian subject pronouns, the 10 italian reflexive pronouns, 20 core italian conjunctions and connectors, the 10 core italian prepositions, 7 italian question words, 7 popular italian interjections, the 4 italian indefinite articles, the 7 italian partitive articles, strengthen your italian with the most used italian words.

Pss: If you want to impress Italians in conversations even more, check out these everyday sayings you can use:

The 100 Most Used Italian Nouns (+ 20 More Nouns You Need to Know)

Along with verbs (which I’ll come to in a moment), nouns are the most important words to learn in a foreign language. Saying “hunger” or “apple” if you are hungry, will make your point come across much better than saying “this” or “red”.

You might not make Italian teachers proud, but at least you’ll fill your stomach.

The most used Italian word is arguably  cosa , which translates in many ways in English – including “what”, “thing”, and “matter” – depending on its inflection, grammatical function, or the overall context of the sentence.

• Dammi la cosa rossa.  – “Give me the red thing.” In this sentence,  cosa  is a feminine, singular noun translated as “thing”.
• Cosa vuoi?  – “What do you want?” Here,  cosa  is the pronoun “what”.
• Me ne ha parlato coso.  – “What’s-his-name told me about it.” Even if it is highly informal and somewhat disdainful, you can use  coso  to replace a man’s name when you don’t remember it.
• Spiegami come funziona questo coso.  – “Teach me how this thing works.”  Coso  as a masculine, singular noun also means “thing”, however, it is much more informal than  cosa . Being able to differentiate between when to use  coso  or  cosa  is mainly a matter of practice. In the meantime, try to avoid  coso  as much as possible.
• Hai troppe cose.  – “You have too many things.”  Cose  can mean both “things” and “matters”, and in this sentence, it’s the former.
• In Eros Ramazzotti’s song  Cose Della Vita ,  cose  means “matters”, so the full title translates as “Matters of Life”.

Knowing these are only a few ways to use  cosa/o/e/i  in a conversation, you can understand why it comes first in the list of most frequently used Italian nouns. By learning it, you would be able to vaguely say at least half of what you want.

But let’s put jokes aside. Even if it is tempting to handle a whole language with only a word, it’s not very realistic.

Here are the 99 nouns that pop up the most frequently in Italian conversations besides  cosa . I also included some extra words that are important to learn even though they are not among the most frequently used.

Related learning: [How to Form Plural Nouns in Italian – An Extensive Guide  With Examples

• casa  – “house” or ”home”
• paese  – “country” or “town”
• mondo  – “world”
• città  – “city”
• strada  – “road”
• piazza  – “square”
• sala  – “room”
• ufficio  – “office”
• zona  – “zone”
• isola  – “island”

Additional word:  posto  – “place”

• anno  – “year”
• giorno  – “day”
• volta  – “time” in the sense of “occasion”
• tempo  – “time”
• ora  – “hour”
• momento  – “moment”
• notte  – “night”
• sera  – “evening”
• mese  – “month”
• periodo  – “period” or “interval”

Additional words:

• ieri  – “yesterday”
• oggi  – “today”
• domani  – “tomorrow”
• minuto  – “minute”
• uomo  – “man”
• donna  – “woman”
• signore/a  – “sir”/“madam” or “man”/“woman”.  Signore  with a capital ‘s’ is used as another way to say “Dio” (“God”).
• padre  – “father”
• figlio/a  – “son”/“daughter”
• persona  – “person”
• gente  – “people”
• amico/a  – “friend”
• famiglia  – “family”
• nemico/a  – “enemy”
• sorella  – “sister”

Additional word:  madre  – “mother”

• acqua  – “water”
• aria  – “air”
• mare  – “sea”
• luce  – “light”
• sole  – “sun”
• albero  – “tree”
• fiore  – “flower”
• natura  – “nature”
• fuoco  – “fire”
• campagna  – “(the) country”
• terra  – “land” or “ground”, “Earth” when it is written with a capital “T”.
• vento  – “wind”
• vita  – “life”
• mano  – “hand”
• occhio  – “eye”
• parte  – “part”
• voce  – “voice”
• piede  – “foot”
• testa  – “head”
• mente  – “mind”
• bocca  – “mouth”
• gamba  – “leg”
• braccio  – “arm”
• modo  – “manner” or “way”
• parola  – “word”
• punto  – “dot”, “period”, or “moment”
• lavoro  – “job” or “work”
• stato  – “state”
• caso  – “case” or “coincidence”
• guerra  – “war”
• nome  – “name”
• fatto  – “fact”
• amore  – “love”
• storia  – “story” or “history”, occasionally “lies”, “fuss”, and “business” in informal conversations
• forza  – “strength”
• ragione  – “reason”
• via  – “street” or “road”
• capo  – “boss” or “head”
• specie  – “species” or “kind”
• governo  – “government”
• senso  – “sense”
• opera  – “work” or “opera”
• prodotto  – “product”
• festa  – “party”
• gioco  – “game”
• prova  – “test” or “trial”
• misura  – “measure”
• posizione  – “position”
• successo  – “success”
• vista  – “sight”
• libertà  – “freedom”
• risultato  – “result”
• importanza  – “importance”
• dubbio  – “doubt”
• ricerca  – “research”
• figura  – “figure” or “image”
• questione  – “matter” or “issue”
• pena  – “pain”, “sentence”, or “pity”
• motivo  – “motive”
• esperienza  – “experience”
• ricordo  – “memory” or “souvenir”
• politica  – “politics”
• processo  – “process”
• vino  – “wine”
• porta  – “door”
• sud  – “south”
• sogno  – “dream”
• cane  – “dog”
• movimento  – “movement”
• occasione  – “occasion”
• prezzo  – “price”
• causa  – “cause”
• sviluppo  – “development”
• fame  – “hunger”
• sete  – “thirst”
• niente  – “nothing”
• qualcosa  – “something”
• aiuto  – “help”
• errore  – “mistake”
• domanda  – “question”
• risposta  – “answer”
• macchina  – “car”
• aereo  – “plane”

Here’s an infographic you can keep at hand with the most important out of those 100 nouns:

The 100 Most Used Italian Verbs

Verbs are all about action – doing things. That could be running, cooking, sleeping, whatever. If you (or someone else, or something else) is doing something, there’s a verb involved. You’ll find a verb in every Italian sentence, so it’s important that you know them.

Learning 100 of the most used Italian verbs will allow you to understand way more conversations than you might think.

Related learning:  Imperfect Italian Tense: Easy Language Hacks to Use It Like a Pro!

Before we dive into the full list of most common Italian verbs, let’s take a good look at the Italian auxiliay verbs,  essere  (“to be”) and  avere  (“to have”). I’ll come to why these matter in just a moment.

• (io) sono  – “I am”
• (tu) sei  – “you are”
• (egli/essa/esso) è  – “he/she/it is”
• (noi) siamo  – “we are”
• (voi) siete  – “you (all) are”
• (essi/esse) sono  – “they are”
• (io) ho  – “I have”
• (tu) hai  – “you have”
• (egli/essa/esso) ha  – “he/she/it has”
• (noi) abbiamo  – “we have”
• (voi) avete  – “you (all)” have”
• (essi/esse) hanno  – “they have”

Not only are the  verbi ausiliari  (“auxiliaries”) useful for making up composed tenses, but many verbal phrases that in English start with “to be” use  avere  as their core.

• avere sonno  – “to be sleepy”
• avere fame  – “to be hungry”
• avere ragione  – “to be right”

By using  avere  + noun , you can even sometimes replace other verbs:  avere voglia  can replace  volere  (“to want”).

Besides the auxiliaries, there are 10 other most frequently used Italian verbs:

• fare  – “to do”
• dire  – “to say”
• potere  – “can” or “to be able to”
• volere  – “to want”
• sapere  – “to know”
• stare  – “to stay”
• dovere  – “to must” or “to have to”
• vedere  – “to see”
• andare  – “to go”
• venire  – “to come”

I’ve divided the next 88 most used Italian verbs into three lists, depending on the group of verbs they belong to.

The 34 Most Used Italian Verbs in the First Group:  -are

• dare  – “to give”
• parlare  – “to speak”
• trovare  – “to find”
• lasciare  – “to let go” or “to leave”
• guardare  – “to watch”
• pensare  – “to think”
• passare  – “to pass”, “to move”, or “to hand”
• portare  – “to bring”
• tornare  – “to come back”
• sembrare  – “to seem” or “to look like”
• chiamare  – “to call”
• cercare  – “to look for” or “to search for”
• entrare  – “to enter”
• ricordare  – “to remember”
• aspettare  – “to wait”
• arrivare  – “to arrive”
• diventare  – “to become”
• mangiare  – “to eat”
• camminare  – “to walk”
• toccare  – “to touch”
• considerare  – “to consider”
• mandare  – “to send”
• domandare  – “to ask”
• ascoltare  – “to listen”
• osservare  – “to observe”
• spiegare  – “to explain”
• mostrare  – “to show”
• significare  – “to mean”
• desiderare  – “to wish”
• giudicare  – “to judge”
• avvicinare  – “to move closer” or “to approach”
• ordinare  – “to organize”, “to tidy up”, or “to order”
• invitare  – “to invite”
• sbagliare  – “to make a mistake”, “to miss”, or “to be mistaken”

The 33 Most Used Italian Verbs in the Second Group:  -ere ,  -arre ,  -orre , or  -urre

• prendere  – “to take”
• mettere  – “to put”
• credere  – “to believe”
• vivere  – “to live”
• parere  – “to seem”, “to appear”, “to believe” or “to think”
• tenere  – “to keep” or “to grip”
• rispondere  – “to answer”
• chiudere  – “to close” or “to end”
• bere  – “to drink”
• raggiungere  – “to reach”
• comprendere  – “to understand” or “to comprehend”
• scendere  – “to get off” or “to go down”
• compiere  – “to accomplish”, “to complete”, or “to carry out”
• muovere  – “to move”
• conoscere  – “to know”
• chiedere  – “to ask”
• stringere  – “to tighten”
• decidere  – “to decide”
• ricevere  – “to receive”
• permettere  – “to allow”
• raccogliere  – “to pick up”
• ottenere  – “to obtain”
• ammettere  – “to admit”
• vendere  – “to sell”
• distinguere  – “to distinguish” or “to recognize”
• offendere  – “to offend”
• rimettere  – “to replace” or “to refer”
• rompere  – “to break”
• godere  – “to enjoy”
• imporre  – “to impose”
• produrre  – “to produce”
• discutere  – “to discuss” or “to argue”
• prevedere  – “to foresee”
• spegnere  – “to turn off” or “to put out”

The 21 Most Used Italian Verbs in the Third Group  -ire

• sentire  – “to feel” or “to hear”
• capire  – “to understand”
• morire  – “to die”
• aprire  – “to open”
• uscire  – “to go out”
• riuscire  – “to succeed”
• finire  – “to end” or “to finish”
• scrivere  – “to write”
• dormire  – “to sleep”
• avvenire  – “to happen” or “to take place”
• offrire  – “to offer”
• fuggire  – “to flee”
• riferire  – “to refer”
• impedire  – “to prevent” or “to forbid”
• divertire  – “to entertain” or “to amuse”
• fornire  – “to provide”
• riempire  – “to fill”
• scoprire  – “to discover”
• partire  – “to leave” or “to depart”
• unire  – “to unite”
• colpire  – “to hit”

If this seems like a lot to learn, let me reassure you: it only takes some motivation and an open mind. You’re already familiar with many of these words!

Take  unire  for example. Doesn’t it look awfully similar to its English translation, “to unite”?

And for the learning process, there are many useful techniques to help you memorize them quickly. Have a listen to this episode of the Language Hacking Podcast, in which Benny Lewis explains how to create your own immersion environment at home:

198 Frequently Used Italian Adjectives and Adverbs

Sometimes nouns and verbs on their own can’t convey a message clearly enough, and that’s when adjectives and adverbs come in handy.

These 198 frequently used Italian adjectives and adverbs will make your Italian much more colourful and bring your Italian to life.

• mio (mia/miei/mie)  – “mine”
• tuo (tua/tuoi/tue)  – “yours” (singular second person)
• suo (sua/suoi/sue)  – “his” or “hers”
• nostro (nostra/nostri/nostre)  – “ours”
• vostro (vostra/vostri/vostre)  – “yours” (plural second person)
• loro  – “theirs”

Unlike in English, possessive adjectives in Italian have to agree with the noun that is possessed, and not the possessor, in genre and number.

• Il  mio  albero  – “my tree”
• La  tua  famiglia  – “your family”
• I  suoi  amici  – “his friends”
• Le  nostre  mani  – “our hands”

Note:  Loro  is an exception as it always remains the same, no matter the noun to which it refers.

• I loro piedi  – “their feet”
• La loro vita  – “their life”
• Le loro parole  – “their words”

There are two additional Italian possessive adjectives which don’t have evident equivalents in English:

• proprio (a/i/e)  – “his own”/“her own”/“their own”

When  proprio  is a possessive adjective, it is used instead of  suo/a  and  loro  and only when it refers to something that belongs to the subject of the sentence:  Ognuno porta il proprio cuaderno.  (“Everyone brings their own notebook.”)

• altrui  – “of others”/“of someone else”

Altrui  is used when the noun to which it refers belongs to an indefinite person:  le cose altrui  (“other people’s things”).

Unlike  proprio ,  altrui  does not change depending on the genre and number of the noun it refers to.

Words we use on a daily basis like  tutto/a/i/e  (“all”),  troppo/a/i/e  (“too much/many”), and  altro/a/i/e  (“other”) are indefinite adjectives. They describe nouns in a non-specific sense:  devo parlare ad  altre  persone  (“I need to talk to  other  people”).

• tutto/a  – “all”
• poco/a  – “little”
• alcuno/a  – “not any”, “no”, or “some”
• ogni  – “each”
• qualsiasi  – “any”
• qualche  – “some” or “a few”
• altro/a  – “other” or “different”

In Italian, the principal types of adjectives of number include the  numeri cardinali  (“cardinal numbers”),  numeri ordinali  (“ordinal numbers”),  numeri moltiplicativi  (“multiplicative numbers”) and  numeri frazionari  (“fractional numbers”).

The terms might sound intimidating, but they are actually very simple.

31 Italian Cardinal Numbers:

• uno/a  – “one”
• due  – “two”
• tre  – “three”
• quattro  – “four”
• cinque  – “five”
• sei  – “six”
• sette  – “seven”
• otto  – “eight”
• nove  – “nine”
• dieci  – “ten”
• undici  – “eleven”
• dodici  – “twelve”
• tredici  – “thirteen”
• quattordici  – “fourteen”
• quindici  – “fifteen”
• sedici  – “sixteen”
• diciassette  – “seventeen”
• diciotto  – “eighteen”
• diciannove  – “nineteen”
• venti  – “twenti”
• trenta  – “thirty”
• quaranta  – “fourty”
• cinquanta  – “fifty”
• sessanta  – “sixty”
• settanta  – “seventy”
• ottanta  – “eighty”
• novanta  – “ninety”
• cento  – “hundred” or “a hundred”
• mille  – “thousand” or “a thousand”
• millione  – “million”
• milliardo  – “billion”

You can form other cardinal numbers by combining some of these 31 words, such as  trentuno  (“thirty-one”) or  duecentocinquantotto  (“two hundred fifty-eight”).

The 13 Main Italian Ordinal Numbers:

• primo/a  – “first”
• secondo/a  – “second”
• terzo/a  – “third”
• quarto/a  – “fourth”
• quinto/a  – “fifth”
• sesto/a  – “sixth”
• ottavo  – “eighth”
• nono  – “ninth”
• decimo  – “tenth”
• centesimo  – “hundredth”
• millesimo  – “thousandth”

Note:  ultimo  is “last”.

The 6 Main Italian Multiplicative Numbers:

• doppio/a  – “double”
• triplo/a / triplice  – “triple”
• quadruplo/a / quadruplice  – “quadruple”
• quintuplo/a / quintuplice  – “quintuple”
• decuplo/a / decuplice  – “tenfold”
• centuplo/a / centuplice  – “a hundred times as much”

The 12 Main Italian Fractional Numbers:

• mezzo/a / metà  – “half”
• un terzo  – “one third”
• un quarto  – “one fourth”
• un quinto  – “one fifth”
• un sesto  – “one sixth”
• un settimo  – “one seventh”
• un ottavo  – “one eighth”
• un nono  – “one ninth”
• un decimo  – “one tenth”
• un centesimo  – “one hundredth”
• un millesimo  – “one thousandth”

Some adjectives make it possible to describe the way something appears, where it is from, or the feelings it inspires. For example, I remember when seeing the  Altare della Pace  in Rome, I thought it was  monumentale  (“monumental”).

Here are 50 of the most frequently used Italian adjectives to help you do just so.

• grande  – “big”
• stesso/a  – “same”
• bello/a  – “beautiful” or “gorgeous”
• nuovo/a  – “new”
• certo/a  – “sure” or “certain”
• vero/a  – “true”
• buono/a  – “good”
• italiano/a  – “Italian”
• vecchio/a  – “old”
• piccolo/a  – “small”
• giovane  – “young”
• alto/a  – “tall”
• diverso/a  – “different”
• lungo/a  – “long”
• povero/a  – “poor”
• maggiore – “greater”, “elder”, or “older
• possibile  – “possible”
• caro/a  – “expensive” or “dear”
• pieno/a  – “full”
• nero/a  – “black”
• particolare  – “specific” or “unique”
• bianco/a  – “white”
• attuale  – “current”
• latino/a  – “Latin”
• impossibile  – “impossible”
• sereno/a  – “serene” or “sunny”
• puro/a  – “pure”
• normale  – “normal”
• perfetto/a  – “perfect”
• caratteristico/a  – “characteristic”
• russo/a  – “Russian”
• continuo/a  – “continuous”
• stupido/a  – “stupid”
• estremo/a  – “extreme”
• grigio/a  – “gray”
• reale  – “real”
• interessante  – “interesting”
• medesimo/a  – “same”
• religioso/a  – “religious”
• ampio/a  – “wide”
• biondo/a  – “blonde”
• ufficiale  – “official”
• attento  – “attentive” or “alert”
• enorme  – “enormous”
• sottile  – “thin”
• triste  – “sad”
• minimo  – “smallest”, “slightest”, or “minimal”
• privato/a  – “private”
• rapido/a  – “fast”
• diretto/a  – “direct”

While adjectives mainly describe nouns, adverbs tend to modify, well… verbs. If you need an adverb but know only the adjective that explains the concept, chances are you will be able to build the adverb following the following rules.

In English, we sometimes add the suffix -ly to an adjective to turn it into an adverb. In Italian, the process is similar.

With adjectives that end in  -o :  Add  -mente  to the  feminine form  of the adjective.

• veramente  – “truly”, “really”, or “actually”
• francamente  – “frankly”
• esattamente  – “exactly”
• sinceramente  – “sincerely”
• profondamente  – “deeply” or “profoundly”
• certamente  – “certainly”
• improvvisamente  – “suddenly”
• chiaramente  – “clearly”
• direttamente  – “directly”
• raramente  – “rarely”
• altamente  – “highly”

With adjectives that end in  -e :  Sometimes, you have to remove the  -e  and add  -mente

• specialmente  – “especially”
• particolarmente  – “particularly”
• talmente  – “so much” or “to such an extent”
• cordialmente  – “cordially”
• abitualmente  – “usually”
• finalmente  – “finally”
• probabilmente  – “probably”
• eventualmente  – “possibly”

Other times, you simply add  -mente  at the end of the word.

• velocemente  – “quickly”
• semplicemente  – “simply”
• recentemente  – “recently”
• fortemente  – “strongly”

Practice is your best ally to differentiate when to do what with adjectives ending in  -e .

Now let’s explore the realm of Italian adverbs that do not derive from adjectives.

• fuori  – “outside”
• dentro  – “inside”
• sotto  – “under” or “below”
• davanti  – “in front”
• dietro  – “behind” or “back”
• qui  – “here”, precise location
• qua  – “here”, imprecise location
• lì  – “there”, precise location
• là  – “there”, imprecise location
• via  – “away”
• lontano  – “far”
• vicino  – “close”
• più  – “more”
• meno  – “less”
• solo  – “only”
• tanto  – “more” or “very much”
• quasi  – “almost”
• poco  – “little”
• parecchio  – “quite a lot” or “much”
• abbastanza  – “quite” or “enough”
• almeno  – “at least”
• circa  – “about” or “around”
• per nulla  – “at all”
• poi  – “then”
• adesso  – “now”
• sempre  – “always” or “forever”
• mai  – “never” or “never”
• prima  – “before”
• subito  – “immediately”
• dopo  – “after”
• durante  – “during”
• ancora  – “again” or “still”
• presto  – “soon”, “early”, or “rapidly”
• già  – “before” or “already”
• bene / ben  – “well”
• male  – “bad”
• forte  – “heavily”
• piano  – “slowly” or “quietly”
• appena  – “just” or “only”
• insieme  – “together”
• volentieri  – “gladly” or “willingly”
• meglio  – “better”
• peggio  – “worse”
• pure  – “even”, “also”, or “too”
• forse  – “maybe”
• piuttosto  – “instead” or “rather”
• inoltre  – “moreover”
• oltretutto  – “besides”

Although these pronouns aren’t usually used in spoken Italian, it’s important to learn the 10 Italian subject pronouns to be able to study Italian conjugation.

• io  – “I”
• tu  – “you” (singular second person)
• egli, ella, esso, Lei  – “he”, “she”, “it”, “you” (formal singular)
• noi  – “us”
• voi  – “you” (plural)
• essi, esse  – “they” masculine, “they” feminine

Note:  Egli, ella, esso, essi, esse  are even less used than  io, tu, Lei, noi, and voi  in verbal communication as they sound very formal. Often, they are replaced by  lui  (for  egli ),  lei  (for  essa ), and  loro  (for  essi, esse ), but only colloquially. Using  lui ,  lei , and  loro  as subject pronouns is grammatically incorrect, but is done more and more often.

Reflexive pronouns are useful in sentences such as  mi lavo  (“I wash myself”). They indicate that the person who’s doing the action is also the recipient of the action.

In Italian, the reflexive pronouns are:

• mi  – “myself”
• ti  – “yourself”
• si  – “himself”/“herself”/“itself”/“yourself” (formal)
• ci  – “ourselves”
• vi  – “yourselves”
• si  – “themselves”

Conjunctions and connectors are, you guessed it, words that help us tie together two parts of a sentence.

In Italian, the most used conjunctions and connectors are:

• e  – “and”
• anche  – “as well”, “also”, or “even”
• dunque  – “so”
• allora  – “so” or “therefore”
• però  – “but”, “yet”, or “however”
• ma  – “but”
• perché  – “because”
• mentre  – “while” or “whereas”
• contro  – “against”
• invece  – “instead”
• o  – “or”
• né  – “neither” or “nor”
• cioè  – “that is (to say)” or “namely”
• anzi  – “instead”, “actually”, or “rather”
• quindi  – “therefore”
• così  – “thus”
• perciò  – “so” or “for this reason”
• finché  – “as long as”
• nonostante  – “although” or “even though”
• a meno che  or  a meno che non  – “unless”

Prepositions show the relationship between two elements of a sentence. In Italian, the most common ones are:

• tra  – “between”
• fra  – “among”
• di  – “of” or “from”
• a  – “at”, “in”, or “on”
• da / dal / dalla  – “from” or “to”
• in  – “at”, “in”, “to”, or “into”
• su  – “on”, “up”, or “over”
• per  – “for”
• con  – “with”
• senza  – “without”

Learning a new language conveys a lot of question-asking, which you will be able to face much better by knowing the seven question words in Italian:

• chi  – “who”
• che  – “what” (note:  cosa?  is also used to ask, “what?”)
• dove  – “where”
• quando  – “when”
• come  – “how”
• perché  – “why” (note: when not used as a question word but as a conjunction,  perché  means “because”)
• quale (quali)  – “which”

Italians are fans of interjections, those little words that reveal the emotions of the speaker in a spontaneous reaction.

Here are some of the most popular Italian interjections:

• sì  – “yes”
• no  – “no” (mind-blowing, I know)
• toh  – “here, have it” or “look” → Example:  Toh, chi si vede!  (“Look who’s here!”)
• peccato  – “what a shame” (literally “sin”)
• dai  – “come on” (literally “give”)
• ciao  – “hello” and “goodbye”
• ecco  – “here”, “there”, or used to express comprehension →  Ecco, lo sapevo!  (“There, I knew it!”)

The 7 Italian Definite Articles

Unlike in English,  gli articoli determinativi  (“definite articles”) agree with the noun they refer to. Therefore, instead of being just one definite article like in English (“the”), there are six of them:

• il  or  lo  – “the” (masculine singular versions)
• i  or  gli  – “the” (masculine plural versions)
• la  – “the” (feminine singular version)
• le  – “the” (feminine plural version)
• l’  – singular “the” placed in front of both masculine and feminine nouns that start with a vowel. It essentially is a contraction of  lo  and  la .

Why are there two versions of the masculine “the”, both plural and singular? The default masculine definite articles are  il  and  i , but they don’t sound good in front of certain combinations of letters. Therefore,  lo  and  gli  sometimes replace them.

You can learn the difference through practice, but I’m still leaving the rules here in case you’d like to give them a try (they’re quite easy!).

Lo  and  gli  are used before words that start with:

• s-  followed by a consonant
• i-  followed by a vowel

Gli  precedes words that start with a vowel.

Unlike their definite cousins,  gli articoli indeterminativi  (“indefinite articles”) in Italian only exist in the singular form. They are the equivalent of the English “a” and “an”.

• un  – “a” or “an” (standard masculine version)
• uno  – “a” (masculine version used in front of words starting z or s followed by a consonant)
• una  – “a” (feminine version in front of consonants)
• un’  – “an” (feminine version in front of vowels)

Gli articoli partitivi  (“partitive articles”) are essential in Italian because they introduce unknown amounts. You could consider them the translation of “some” in sentences such as  voglio dell’acqua  (“I want some water”) or  dammi dei prodotti  (“give me some products”).

• del  – “some” (standard masculine singular version)
• dello  – “some” (masculine singular version)
• della  – “some” (feminine singular version in front of consonants)
• dell’  – “some” (feminine and masculine singular version in front of vowels)
• dei’  – “some” (masculine plural version)
• degli’  – “some” (masculine plural version)
• delle  – “some” (feminine plural version)

The same rules that apply to the use of  il, lo, i, gli  apply to  del, dello, dei, degli .

How do you feel about discovering the 500 core Italian words?

What if, by learning only five words every day, you’d end up being able to have Italian interactions in around three months? Maybe you could participate in the  Fluent in 3 Months Bootcamp  to keep you motivated. By the end of the 90 days, you’d get to have a 15-minute conversation in Italian and use those 500 words!

You can also enrich your vocabulary by checking out  these resources for learning Italian , or some of these articles:

• How to Learn Italian: 5 Top Tips for Italian Learners (Plus 5 Great Reasons to Learn Italian)
• 112 Basic Italian Phrases to Learn and Speak NOW!
• Italian Uncovered Review — What’s the “Secret Ingredient” of this Italian Course?
• 15 Online Language Lessons to Learn Italian for Free
• Innovative Language Review – Complete Pod101 Language Course Review (with Screenshots and Video Results)

Alice Cimino

Student, Freelance Content Creator

Alice is an undergraduate student who loves fiction, languages, and challenges. She's a bilingual by birth and a quadrilingual by consequence .

Speaks: French, Italian, Spanish, English

Have a 15-minute conversation in your new language after 90 days

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StoryLearning

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84 Incredible Italian Idioms For Every Occasion

Everyone knows popular idioms in their own language — they are a dime a dozen – and as you learn Italian , you'll see that Italian idioms are no exception . But what idioms really are, exactly, is a little more difficult to say. 

The word idiom comes from the latin idioma (which itself, in turn,  comes from ancient Greek) and means “ a peculiarity, property, a peculiar phraseology.” (It’s the same word in Italian, by the way)

So basically, idioms can help in expressing something specific you want to say easily and simply, without beating around the bush. You can use idioms by themselves, or as part of a sentence.

“It’s raining cats and dogs,” for instance, works fine by itself, while “the best of both worlds” or for something to “get out of hand” needs words around it to make sense. Like in English, this is also the case for Italian. So far, so good.

So what are Italian idioms like? They can’t just be a translated version of the English ones, you must be thinking. But there are actually a large number of Italian idioms that are just that, and then of course there are a whole lot of language-specific ones.

This article is all about showing you the most popular, frequently used idioms in Italy, so you can incorporate them into your language learning and speech. 

By the way, if you want to learn Italian fast and have fun, my top recommendation for language learners is my Uncovered courses, which teach you through StoryLearning®.  Click here  to find out more about Italian Uncovered and try out the method for free.

Get Ready To Discover 84 Common Italian Idioms

All Italian idioms listed below will have short explanation, an example sentence in which the idiom is translated literally, and another sentence, in brackets, meant to explain the meaning if it’s unclear, often with a similar English idiom.

This is so you know how to use these Italian idioms, but also what they really mean word for word. Here goes nothing. 

1. In Bocca Al Lupo

Literally meaning in the mouth of the wolf, this translates to “good luck” in Italian. You use it by itself, when you want to tell someone you’re rooting for them. 

• Oggi devo fare l’esame di matematica.
• In bocca al lupo!  
• – I have to take a maths exam today. 
• In the mouth of the wolf! 
• [Good Luck!]

2. Costa Un'occhio Della Testa

This is a great one for when you want to say something is too expensive. Literally meaning “an eye off of the head,” it is not clear from where else one would be able to take an eye, but it makes a great visual point. 

• Quella macchina ti costerà un occhio della testa.
• That car is going to cost you an eye from the head. 
• [That car is going to cost you an arm and a leg.]

3. Buono Come Il Pane

This one is cute — it means “good like bread,” and is most often used in connection to a person. Some people are as great as bread, really. 

• Matteo è buono come il pane. 
• Matteo is good like bread. 
• [Matteo is a great guy.] 

4. A Mali Estremi, Estremi Rimedi 

There is a similar saying in English which goes “desperate times call for desperate measures” and means the same thing. 

• Ho chiuso la macchina con le chiavi dentro! A mali estremi, estremi rimedi… sono costretta a rompere il finestrino.
• I closed the car with the keys inside! To bad extremes, extreme remedies… I am forced to break the window.
• [I closed the car with the keys inside! Desperate times require desperate measures… I am forced to break the window.]

5. Perdersi In Un Bicchier d’Acqua

Literally “to lose yourself in a glass of water”, this Italian idiom means to make a big deal out of a rather small problem, or to panic unnecessarily. 

• Vedrai che risolveremo tutto, non perderti in un bicchier d’aqua!
• You’ll see we will solve everything, don’t lose yourself in a glass of water!
• [You’ll see we will solve everything, don’t make a mountain out of a molehill.]

6. Conosco I Miei Polli 

A very popular idiom, this is often transliterated by Italians to the English “I know my chicken” as a joke. This means that you know about something, or someone, so well that you know what is going to happen or what they will do. 

• Ti faccio una pasta perché avrai sicuramente fame. 
• Ma come lo sapevi? 
• Conosco i miei polli!
• I’ll make you some pasta because I’m sure you’ll be hungry.
• How did you know? 
• I know my chickens! 
• [I know you like the back of my hand.]

7. Non Avere Peli Sulla Lingua

”To not have hair on one’s tongue” is said about people who don’t beat around the bush and always say exactly what they mean. 

• Carla non ha peli sulla lingua — dice quello che pensa. 
• Carla doesn’t have hairs on her tongue — she says what she thinks. 
• [Carla speaks her mind.]

8. Tra L’incudine E Il Martello 

The Italian version of “being stuck between a rock and a hard place,” it can be used in any place you’d use the English idiom, like this:

• Non so cosa fare, mi trovo tra l ’ incudine e il martello.  
• I don’t know what to do, I find myself between the anvil and the hammer. 
• [I don’t know what to do, I find myself between the devil and the deep sea.]

9. Hai Voluto La Bicicletta? Allora, Pedala! 

Great to tell someone to both “be careful what they wish for” and “sleep in the bed they made”, this expression is sort of a playful chastisement. 

• Sei stato tu a voler venire qui. Hai voluto la bicicletta? Allora, pedala! 
• You were the one who wanted to come here. You wanted a bike? So now, pedal! 
• [You were the one who wanted to come here. You made your bed, now lie in it.]

10. Pane Al Pane E Vino Al Vino

Wonderfully intuitive and easy to understand, this often used idiom means to see, and say, things as they are. 

• Luciana non ha nessun problema a dire pane al pane e vino al vino.
• Luciana  doesn’t have any problems with saying bread to bread and wine to wine. 
• [Luciana doesn’t have any problems with being candid.]

11. Avere Il Sale In Zucca

“To have salt in a pumpkin” is a strange idiom from Roman times, when people used to conserve their valuable, expensive salt inside everyone’s favourite autumn vegetable. Today as back then, not to have it in there means to have little common sense. 

• Hai fatto una stupidaggine, tu non hai sale in zucca. 
• You did a stupid thing, you don’t have much salt in (the) pumpkin. 
• [You did a stupid thing, you’re not the brightest bulb in the box.]

12. Ti Sta A Pennello

…means that something “suits someone like a glove”, or looks very good on them. 

• Che bello quel vestito, ti sta a pennello! 
• What a pretty dress, it suits you to a (paint) brush! 
• [What a pretty dress, it suits you to a t.] 

13. Rompere Il Ghiaccio 

Translated as “to break the ice” it means the same exact thing and is used the same as the English idiom. 

• Ho detto una barzelletta perché volevo rompere il ghiaccio. 
• I told a joke because I wanted to break the ice. 

14. Sputa Il Rospo!

To spit the rospo , or “ toad ” in English, is something like “to spill the beans,” but it’s mostly used when the thing about to be said is unpleasant, embarrassing or otherwise negative. 

• Devo dirti un segreto, ma ti prego, non arrabbiarti. 
• Dai, sputa il rospo!
• I have to tell you a secret, but please don’t get angry. 
• Come on, spit the toad! 
• [Come on, spit it out!]

15. Con Le Mani Nel Sacco

When you catch someone with their hands in the proverbial cookie jar, you’d say this in Italian: 

• Digli la verità, ti ho colto con le mani nel sacco! 
• Tell her the truth, I caught you with your hands in the sack! 
• [Tell her the truth, I caught you with your hands in the cookie jar!] 

16. Come Viene Viene

Very similar to the English “let’s see how it goes,” this idiom is quite iconic for the Italian style of leaving things be as they are, or improvising. 

• La mia focaccia non ha una ricetta – come viene viene. 
• My focaccia doesn’t have a recipe — however it comes (out), it comes (out). 
• [My focaccia doesn’t have a recipe — let’s see how it turns out.]

17. Morto Un Papa Se Ne Fa Un Altro 

Some Italian sayings are so uniquely Italian that you can’t really find a corresponding one in English. Like this next one, which is about the pope and has nothing to do with a father, or papá in Italian, and means that absolutely no one is irreplaceable: 

• Non lavora più con noi. Va bene, morto un papa se ne fa un altro. 
• She doesn’t work with us any more. Fine, (if) one pope dies you make another. 
• [She doesn’t work with us any more. Fine, if one door closes, another one opens.]

18. L’Abito Non Fa Il Monaco

In English, a perhaps lesser-known translation of this saying also means that “it’s not the clothes that make a man”, i.e. that appearances are not what’s important. 

• L’abito non fa il monaco. 
• It’s not the cowl that makes a monk. 
• [Clothes do not make the man.]

19. Cadere Dalle Nuvole 

Everyone has had the feeling — you think everything is going swell, only to suddenly see or understand something only you didn’t, up to that point. This is also an existing expression in English: 

• Laura mi ha lasciato. Dice che non mi ama più…sono caduto dalle nuvole. 
• Laura has left me. She says she no longer loves me…I have fallen from the clouds. 
• [Laura has left me. She says she no longer loves me…what a slap in the face.] 

20. Ogni Morte Di Papa 

Another saying that mentions the pope — there seems to be something about the highest office of the catholic church to make Italians creative with their Italian idioms. This one means “once in a blue moon,” since being pope ordinarily a lifetime position that changes pretty rarely — a blue moon happens a lot more often, in fact. 

• Quante volte viene a trovarti?  
• Ogni morte di papa. 
• How often does she come visit you? Every death of the pope.
• [Once in a blue moon.] 

21. Ogni Due Per Tre

Reportedly of Spanish origin, this one is the opposite of the previous entry, meaning something happens very often. 

• Dice bugie ogni due per tre. 
• He tells lies every two for three. 
• [Two out of three things he says are untrue.]

22. Tale Madre/Padre Tale Figlio/a

If you want to say that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree to an Italian person, you’d say: 

• Francesco ha i tuoi stessi occhi. Tale padre, tale figlio. 
• Francesco has your same eyes. Like father, like son. 

23. Tutto Fa Brodo 

Food related Italian idioms abound in Italy, and this one is no exception. You would use it anytime you’d want to say “might as well” or “what’s the harm.” 

• Posso invitarti a cena? 
• Tutto fa brodo, a questo punto. 
• Can I invite you to dinner? 
• Everything makes broth, at this point. 
• [Sure, why not.]

24. Un Pezzo Grosso 

“A big chunk” is a big chunk whether it comes to pie, money, or change. But in Italian, it means something a little different: a big shot. 

• Non so se è vero, però ho sentito che si è fidanzata con un pezzo grosso. 
• I don’t know if it’s true, but I heard she got engaged to (/is dating a) big shot. 

25. Cervello Di Gallina 

It’s a known fact that chickens aren’t very smart. So in Italian as well as in English, saying that someone is “chicken-brained” isn’t too flattering.  This entry does just that, with the small difference that gallina actually means “hen.”

• Ho dimenticato il mio cellulare di nuovo. Che cervello di gallina che ho!
• I forgot my cell phone again. What a hen-brain I’ve got! 
• [I forgot my cell phone again. What a scatterbrain I am!]

26. Avere Il Braccio Corto

No use denying it: nobody likes a cheapskate. In Italy, those people are recognized by a telling and strange bit of anatomy: 

• Sicuramente non chiedo a Francesco, che ha il braccino corto .
• Surely I won’t ask Francesco, who has a short [little] arm.
• [Surely I won’t ask Francesco, who is a cheapskate.]

27. Non Vedo L’Ora!

When you haven’t seen an Italian friend in a while and are on the phone with them discussing when to meet, this is what you’d tell them to let them know you're looking forward to it: 

• Sarà bellissimo rivederti, non vedo l’ora! 
• It will be great to see you again, I can’t see the hour! 
• [It will be great to see you again, I can't wait!]

28. Che Palle!

Charming and not entirely safe for work, this idiom is one of the funnier, less serious ones. Strangely, an idiom that references testicles is not really taboo to use in a work environment, for instance. 

• Dobbiamo stare qui per tutto il giorno.
• We have to stay here the whole day. 
• What balls! 
• [What a pain (in the backside)!]

29. Stare Con Le Mani In Mano

One of the simple Italian idioms that are quite literal in their meaning, this one is for those times you’re standing around doing absolutely nothing, or want to complain about someone else being the opposite of useful:

• Ma guarda questo, sta con le mani in mano a far niente.
• Well look at that one, standing with his hands in his hand doing nothing.  
• [Well look at that guy, standing there not lifting a finger.]

30. Non Ci Piove

What an expression to say that there’s no doubt has to do with rain, we don’t know, but it is charming and funny to say. When you want to say that there are no two ways about something, try this: 

• Hai commesso un errore gravissimo, su questo non ci piove.
• You have made a big mistake, on this it doesn’t rain. 
• [You have made a big mistake, that’s for sure.]

31. Piove Sul Bagnato

Another idiom with a rain theme, this one is more logical and self explanatory, with a very similar version in English, “when it rains it pours,” meaning that bad things seldom come alone: 

• Mi hanno ritirato la patente, e poi qualcuno mi ha rubato la macchina… piove sul bagnato. 
• I had my drivers license taken away and then someone stole my car…it’s raining on wet [things]. 
• [I had my drivers license taken away and then someone stole my car… bad things come in threes.]

32. Acqua In Bocca!

Staying on the larger topic of Italian idioms about water, to have “water in (your) mouth” in Italy means to keep something to yourself. This would be easier to do with a mouthful of water to hold on to, you’ll have to agree. 

• Devo dirti una cosa, ma per favore, acqua in bocca! 
• I have to tell you something, but please, water in the mouth! 
• [I have to tell you something, but please, keep it to yourself.]

33. Avere Un Diavolo Per Capello

In stressful, difficult times, there is no better Italian idiom to use than this one, which illustrates perfectly what it feels like to be beside yourself with anger. 

• Sono arrabbiatissima, ho un diavolo per capello.
• I am very angry, I have one devil for each hair. 
• [I am so angry, I’m seeing red.]

34. Cavallo Di Battaglia

This one is pretty easy: you use it anytime you want to say about something that it is your area of expertise, or more specifically that something is your best work. You can say this about someone else too, of course. 

• Quel film è il cavallo di battaglia del regista.  
• That movie is the director’s battle horse. 

35. Tirare Un Pacco/Dare Buca

…is what flakes do in Italy. When you get stood up, this is a great way to make the story sound funnier than it feels. 

• Mi sa che Laura mi ha tirato un pacco.
• Ti ha dato buca? Mi dispiace. 
• I feel like Laura threw me a parcel.
• She gave you a hole? I’m sorry. 
• [I feel like Laura has stood me up. 
• She flaked out? I’m sorry.] 

36. Rompere Le Scatole

An old, tongue-in-cheek expression that is the child-friendly origin of a number of more popular, adult Italian idioms, intended to show how much someone is annoying you. 

• Mamma, non voglio andare a casa! 
• Piertro, non rompermi le scatole. 
• Mum I don’t want to go home!
• Pietro, don’t break my boxes. 
• [Pietro, don’t get on my nerves.] 

37. Prendere Lucciole Per Lanterne 

This idiom can be used when you feel like someone is trying to pull the wool over your eyes or if you think someone is just not getting something, misunderstanding you. 

• Non sarò un gran genio, ma non sono neanche il tipo che prende lucciole per lanterne.
• I may not be a great genius, but I’m also not the type to take candles for lanterns. 
• [I may not be a great genius, but I’m also not the type to be clueless/easily tricked.]

38. Mani In Pasta

An idiom that has a similar corresponding phrase in English: “to have ones fingers in the pie,” this can also be used to say that you're busy with something else at a given moment. 

• Quella donna ha le mani in pasta ovunque. 
• That woman has her hands in the dough everywhere.
• [That woman always intervenes in other people’s matters.]

39. Cadere L’Occhio

In its literal translation the meaning seems obvious, since there is a similar expression in English – use it when something “catches your eye.” 

• Visto che mi ci cade l’occhio, uno di voi due potrebbe spiegarmi cosa fa qui questo cane? 
• Seeing as my eye is falling on it, could one of you two explain to me what this dog is doing here? 
• [Since it has caught my eye, could one of you two explain to me what this dog is doing here?]

40. Fare (Qualcuno) A Polpette

“To make meatballs of someone” is as self-explanatory as it sounds like a retro mafia threat. Great one to use if you’re looking for a not-so-subtle effect. 

• Se mai ti vedrò parlare con mia figlia, ti faccio a polpette. 
• If I ever see you talking to my daughter, I will make you into meatballs. 
• [If I ever see you talking to my daughter, I’ll make mincemeat out of you.]

41. Mettere Lo Zampino

This one is all about meddling in other people’s affairs, or putting your nose where it doesn’t belong, even if the image is cuter somehow. 

• E' qualcosa che non ti riguarda, non mettere lo zampino.
• This is something that doesn’t concern you, don’t put your [little ] paw [in it]. 
• [This is something that doesn’t concern you, don’t put your nose into other people’s business.]

42.Carta Canta

This is an idiom that emphasizes the importance of setting things down on paper, because like Lenin said, trust is good but control is better. An antique version of the idiom below is verba volant, scripta manent — words fly, scripture stays. 

• Non ci serve un contratto, sai che puoi fidarti di me! 
• Lo so, ma carta canta. 
• We don’t need a contract, you know you can trust me!
• I know, but paper sings. 
• [I know, but it's better to write things down.] 

43. Sei Un Coniglio 

While bunnies are cute, being one in the eyes of another person usually doesn’t mean anything too flattering. When someone tells you this in Italy, what they really mean is that you are a chicken.

• Patrizia, per certe cose, ha molto coraggio, per altre è un coniglio.
• In certain situations, Patrizia has a lot of courage, in others she is a rabbit. 
• [In certain situations, Patrizia has a lot of courage, in others she is a wallflower.] 

44. Mandare All’aria

Intuitive in its meaning, this idiom sounds somewhat like “throwing caution to the wind”, but the meaning is not quite that. Instead, it’s about messing something up, squandering it, or throwing it away. 

• Cara, non puoi mandare all'aria tutta la tua vita per lui. 
• Darling, you can’t throw your whole life away because of him. 

45. Da Che Pulpito Viene La Predica! 

Remember this one for when people want to give you unwanted advice they themselves couldn’t follow. Much like saying “you’re a fine one to talk,” but somehow more dramatic. 

• Secondo me devi lasciarlo immediatamente. 
• Senti da che pulpito viene la predica! 
• I think you have to leave him immediately. 
• Listen from which pulpit the lecture is coming from!
• [Look at that, the pot calling the kettle black.] 

46. Fare Le Ore Piccole 

Those familiar with the Sinatra record In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning will understand the point of this idiom, which is to stay up late. 

• Sono stanchissimo perché ieri ho fatto le ore piccole.
• I am very tired because yesterday, I made small hours. 
• [I am very tired because yesterday, I painted the town (red).]

47. Un Ago In Un Pagliaio 

Another one of those Italian idioms with a literal English translation, you’ll recognise this one if you’ve ever searched for something you were unlikely to find. 

• Trovare Maria sarà come cercare un ago in un pagliaio, ma forse saremo fortunati.
• To find Maria will be like looking for a needle in a haystack, but maybe we will have some luck. 

48. Cavare Un Ragno Dal Buco

Similar to the previous item on this list, this idiom is closer in meaning to “squeezing blood from a stone”, as in something that is not only difficult, but seems impossible — especially used to say you can’t get someone to tell you what you want to know. 

• Mi sa che non caveremo un ragno dal buco con Giulia.
• It seems to me like we won’t dig a spider out of the hole with Giulia. 
• [It seems to me like we won’t squeeze blood from a stone with Giulia.]

49. Buio Pesto 

Unusual, just as “pitch black” is an unusual way to refer to darkness if you really think about it. Note that pesto in this context has nothing to do with the green, basil pasta sauce. 

• Io non vado nella cantina, è buio pesto laggiù!
• I’m not going to the cellar, it’s pitch black down there! 

50. Piovere A Catinelle 

A great way to describe heavy rain, this is the equivalent of: “it’s raining cats and dogs” — another great, nonsensical idiom. Catinelle are shallow basins, and it’s not clear why those things would be used to describe heavy rain, since you can’t fit much water in them. Oh well. 

• Non posso uscire, sta piovendo a catinelle!
• I can’t come out, it’s raining basins! 
• [I can’t come out, its coming down in buckets!]

51.Dai Tempo Al Tempo 

A wise thing to say when faced with a problem of bleak outlook, to tell someone to “wait and see” is almost never the wrong advice.

• Non mi ha richiamato, sto disperando. 
• Dai tempo al tempo, e vedrai che le cose si sistemeranno. 
• He didn’t call back, I am getting desperate. 
• Give time to time and you will see, things will work themselves out. 
• [Let it be for a while and you will see, things will work themselves out.]

52. Ho Fatto Tombola

While the word tombola literally means “raffle,” it is used in the context of getting a good deal, or hitting the jackpot. 

• Direi che hai fatto tombola, allora! 
• I would say you’ve made raffles, then! 
• [I’d say you’ve made a bargain, then!]

53. Vai A Farti Benedire!

Benediction is serious business in Italy, a strongly religious nation. Still, it’s hardly blasphemous to tell someone to get one if you want them to get out of your sight. 

• Non voglio vederti più. Vai a farti benedire! 
• I don’t want to see you any more. Go get yourself blessed!
• [I don’t want to see you any more. Beat it!]

54. Stare Sullo Stomaco 

According to Italians, when someone gets on your nerves, it feels like a meal that’s heavy in your stomach. So about that bothersome guy at work you’d say: 

• Bruno è cosi fastidioso… mi sta sullo stomaco. 
• Bruno is so annoying… he gets on my stomach. 
• [Bruno is so annoying…he rubs me the wrong way.]

55. Morire Dal Ridere, Morire Di Sonno, Morire Di Fame, Morire Dal Caldo/Freddo

There are many things you can figuratively die from according to Italian idioms. If something is too funny, a place too cold or a day too long, you can always add some drama by saying it is killing you. For added effect, say you’re dying of it right now, like this: 

• Sto morendo di fame!
• I am dying of hunger. 

or like this:

• Lei è divertente da morire. 
• She is funny, to die for.

56. Matto Da Legare/Matto Come Un Cavallo 

Italians think nutty people ought to be tied down — figuratively, of course. So if you’re talking about someone who is mad as a hatter, that’s what you should say. Alternatively, you can compare them to a horse, which is strange because horses are not really known to be crazy. 

• Quel tipo è matto da legare.
• That guy is fit to be tied.
• [That guy is nuts.]
• Ma sei matto come un cavallo, tu. 
• You are mad as a horse. 
• [You are mad as a hare.]

57. Farfalle Nello Stomaco 

Another one of those Italian idioms that's just a literal translation of the English one about being in love, it still sounds so much better like this, just because it’s Italian. 

• Ieri ho incontrato il mio nuovo vicino… ho le farfalle nello stomaco. 
• Yesterday I met my new neighbour… I’ve got butterflies in my stomach. 

58. Ridotto All’Osso 

Down to the bone is similar to ridotto all’osso , in that it means that something is reduced to the bare minimum. 

• Il mio stipendio è stato ridotto all’osso. 
• My salary has been reduced down to the bone. 

59. Arrampicarsi Sugli Specchi 

This is an interesting idiom because it has several, related but distinct meanings. You can use it to say you are trying something that seems impossible, like the “spider in the hole” example above.

Or to say that someone has opinions that are not based on fact or truth, or that someone is trying to justify a wrong argument to defend a bad thing. A little like “clutching at straws.”

• Questo non è vero, adesso non cercare ad arrampicarti sugli specchi. 
• That is not true, now don’t try to climb up on mirrors.
• [That is not true, you're grasping at straws.]

60. Stare Sulle Spine

An almost literal translation of the English “on pins and needles,” this idiom means the exact same thing, as well, meaning that you can’t wait for something — usually it’s to be told information, rather than looking forward to a holiday. 

• Dai, non farmi stare sulle spine. 
• Come on, don’t make me stand on needles. 
• [Come on, I’m on pins and needles.]

61. Lacrime Di Coccodrillo 

Like quite a few of the Italian idioms in this list, including the previous one, this idiom has an English equivalent, too. 

• Non devi fidarti delle sue lacrime di coccodrillo. 
• You can’t trust her crocodile tears.  

62. Leccarsi I Baffi

When something is finger-licking-good, Italians lick their mustaches. Men, but also women and children. It’s just something to say.  

• Questa è una cena da leccarsi i baffi!
• This is a dinner to lick your mustache over! 
• [This is a dinner to lick your fingers over.]

63. A Quattro Palmenti 

This idiom is mostly used in connection with eating, meaning that someone is really stuffing their face, getting a massive amount of food down: 

• Ieri da Mario ho mangiato a quattro palmenti. 
• Yesterday at Mario’s, I ate to four millstones. 
• [Yesterday at Mario’s, I ate like a pig.]

64. (Essere) Un Asino

To be a donkey requires no explanation — unless you’re a donkey. 

• Vincenzo, sei veramente un asino. 
• Vincenzo, you really are a donkey. 
• [Vincenzo, you really are a fool.]

65. A Perdifiato

This is what you say when something takes your breath away, literally. Like running a marathon, say, or running around like a headless chicken, as they say, to meet a deadline. 

• La maratona è domani.
• Allora corri a perdifiato!
• The marathon is tomorrow. 
• So run until you lose your breath!

66. Buon Viso A Cattivo Gioco

A close English translation of this idiom would be to “grin and bear it,” meaning that you’ve got to smile even though you may not feel like you have reason to. 

• Sapevo che era una bugia, però ho dovuto far buon viso a cattivo gioco.
• I knew it was a lie, but I had to make a nice face to a mean game. 
• [I knew it was a lie, but I had to sit there and pretend it wasn’t.] 

67. Non (Essere) Tutto Un Chilo

Similar to calling someone un asino, a donkey, this idiom is a not-all-too-nice way of letting someone know you think they may have a screw loose. Theories abound as to why not being “one whole kilogram” would suggest that, but no definitive conclusion has been reached. 

• Federica, non vorrei offenderti, ma tu proprio non sei tutta un chilo. 
• Federica, I wouldn’t want to offend you, but you really are not all of a kilo. 
• [Federica, I wound’t want to offend you, but you really have a screw loose.]

68. O La Va O La Spacca!

Near-impossible to translate literally, this idiom is for those hail Mary moments, those times you feel like it's now or never. It’s also the name of a famous Italian TV show .

• Senti, lo devi fare per forza, qua o la va o la spacca. 
• Listen, you have got to do it, here it’s make or break. 

69. Pieno Come Un Uovo

Eggs are pretty full, if you think about it. Sure, if it weren’t for this idiom, you probably wouldn’t, but that may kind of be the point. Use this idiom when you want to say a place is packed, or that something else (like your stomach) is totally full. 

• Sono tornata, il posto era pieno come un uovo.
• I came back, the place was full like an egg. 

70. Ad Occhi Chiusi

You’d use this figure of speech the same way you do its English sibling: when you want to say that you can do something “in your sleep,” or with your “right hand tied behind your back.”

• Potrei guidare questa macchina anche con gli occhi chiusi.
• I could drive this car with [my] eyes closed. 

71. Piangere Sul Latte Versato 

Another of those Italian idioms present the same exact way in the English language, this one is often said wrongly as “crying over spoiled milk,” which can be excused since in both ways, the meaning stays the same, which is: what’s done is done. Still, correctly, it looks like this: 

• La cena era stata un disastro, ma non volevamo pensarci. Era inutile piangere sul latte versato.
• The dinner had been a disaster, but we didn’t want to think about. It was useless crying over spilled milk. 

72. All’Impazzata 

Everyone knows what it’s like when your heart starts racing, whether it’s over something exciting or nerve-racking. Turns out Italians do, too. 

• Ogni volta che la vedo, il cuore mi batte all’impazzata. 
• Sarai inamorato.. 
• Each time I see her, my heart beats like crazy. 
• You must be in love. 

73. Liscio Come L’Olio

Italians love olive oil, so it’s only expected that there should be an idiom related to it. Well, it’s actually related to oil more generally, but hey. In this case, it means something went well, without a hitch. 

• Sorprendentemente, il matrimonio è andato tutto liscio come l’olio.
• Surprisingly, the wedding went off sleek like oil. 
• [Surprisingly, the wedding went as planned.]

74. A Gonfie Vele 

And we will stay on track with this next idiom, of similarly positive meaning: full speed ahead. 

• Mi aspetto che l'appuntamento stasera vada a gonfie vele.
• I expect that the date tonight will go with inflated sails. 
• [I expect that the date tonight will go swimmingly.] 

75. Due Pesi E Due Misure

This is a handy phrase for when you want to tell someone they are unfairly using a double standard. 

• Lei può fare tutto mentre a me non permette niente… questi sono due pesi e due misure.
• She can do everything while she doesn't allow me to do anything… this is a double standard/double yardstick. 

76. Prendere Due Piccioni Con Una Fava

“To kill two birds with one stone” surely sounds familiar. This is basically that saying, but a little more specific in terms of the bird and the tool.  

• Come mai sei venuto a portarmi queste cose personalmente?
• Ero vicino e pensavo di prendere due piccioni con una fava.
• How come you came to bring me these things personally? 
• I was nearby and thought I’d take two pigeons with one (fava) bean. 

77. Ho Il Cuore In Gola!

This is a familiar feeling to most people: you’re about to do something exciting or scary, your ears get hot and your heart rises up into your throat.  

• Ieri ho dovuto parlare di fronte a tantissima gente, avevo il cuore in gola.
• Yesterday I had to speak in front of a lot of people, I had my heart in my throat. 

78. Testa Di Legno 

This idiom is to be used when you are frustrated with someone’s stubbornness, their inability or unwillingness to understand your point. 

• Ma perché non capisci quello che ti dico, testa di legno! 
• Why don’t you understand what I am telling you, head of wood! 
• [Why don’t you understand what I am telling you, you’re stubborn as a mule!]

79. A Gambe Levate

Sometimes there are situations in which you can do nothing but run like hell. This is an idiom for those times. 

• Ci hanno visto, dobbiamo correre a gambe levate! 
• They saw us, we have to run with legs up! 
• [They saw us, we have to run like hell.]

80. Fare Il Punto Della Situazione

Occasionally, you’ve got to take stock of a given situation and look at what you’ve got. To suggest doing so, you’d say: 

• Questo mi sembra il momento giusto per fare il punto della situazione.
• This seems to me to be the right moment to make a point of the situation. 
• [This seems to me to be the right moment to sum things up.]

81. Che Ne So

Mostly used in situations where you’d like to make a point of not knowing something, “what do I know” often has an element of “what do I care.” Use it sparingly, in situations like this: 

• A che ora arriverà tua madre? 
• What time will your mother arrive?
• What do I know… 

82. Un Colpo Grosso 

Un colpo grosso mostly has a positive connotation, as in some major good thing that happens, a big deal. 

• Lo so che sarebbe veramente stato un colpo grosso per te.
• I know it would really have been a big deal for you. 

83. Metterci Una Vita!

To take a lifetime to do something is mostly too long, but sometimes, this idiom can be used in a way that says “I’ll do something even if it takes me a lifetime.” Otherwise, you’d use it like this: 

• Dai, siamo già in ritardo, adesso non metterci una vita! 
• Come on, we’re already late, now don’t take a life[time]! 

84. Avere Una Cotta

Just like having a crush, but in a more Italian sort of way. This isn’t an Italian idiom that can be translated word for word, so we used the word “crush” in the example below, even if the word isn’t the same. 

• A quanto pare, mi sembra che sei tu ad avere una cotta per lui. 
• For what it’s worth, it seems to me like it’s you who has a crush on him. 

Italian Idioms For Every Occasion

So there you have it: 84 Italian idioms to sprinkle into your Italian conversations to impress your Italian friends or family.

While a list of Italian idioms like this one is a great starting point, to really start learning and using these idioms, you'll need to immerse yourself in italian.

Try to spot these Italian idioms and others when you're in daily contact with the language, whether that's by reading Italian blogs , watching Italian movies and YouTubers or listening to Italian podcasts .

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Learn Italian

101 basic italian phrases for travel you need to know for your trip to italy.

This article may contain compensated links. See our full disclosure here

If you’re planning on visiting Italy then it’s a good idea to learn some key Italian phrases, words and sentences. In this guide to basic Italian phrases for travel, we step you through the most useful ways to communicate on your trip to Italy. After all, language is a big part of Italian culture and you want to experience it all, am I right?

Making an effort to understand and speak Italian on your trip is not simply a matter of respect – although we think this is very important too. When you talk to people in their language they appreciate it and experiences open up to you that would not have been possible if you had been speaking English.

Article contents

So let’s get started with the common Italian phrases and words that will be most useful to you on your travels.

Basic Italian phrases

When you visit Italy, these are the most common words and phrases that will demonstrate you have made some effort to speak the local language. Learning these useful Italian words will help you talk to all manner of people during your trip.

Note – We’ve provided a phonetic pronunciation guide after the Italian translation for each word. If you really want to get the accent right a little extra study is recommended. We’ve provided some useful resources at the end of this article to help you learn Italian travel phrases useful for your trip.

Yes – Si – See

No – No – Noh

Please – Per favore – Pehr fah- voh -reh

Thank you – Grazie – Grah -tsee-eh

You’re welcome – Prego – Preh -goh

Cheers! (To your health) – Salute! – Sah -loo-tay

Excuse me (for attention) – Scusi – S kooh – zee

Excuse me (to pass by) – Permesso – Pehr- mehs -soh

Do you speak English? – Parla Inglese? – Parh-la een-glay-zeh

I don’t understand – Non capisco – Non kah -pee-skoh

I’m sorry – Mi dispiace – Mee dees- pyah -cheh

Common greetings in Italian

One thing we really love about visiting Italy is the cultural differences and norms. In Italy, saying “good morning” is not simply a throwaway line. You should always greet people wherever you go – when entering a shop or restaurant, to hotel staff, on the bus or at a cultural sight. It’s the expected thing to do.

A friendly “buon giorno!” with a smile will go a long way. So here are the most common Italian greetings and their context so you get it right! Generally you use the formal with people you don’t know, especially older people. The informal is used between friends.

Good morning (formal) – Buon giorno – Bwohn- johr -noh

Good afternoon (formal) – Buona sera – Bwoh -nah- seh -rah

Good night (formal) – Buona notte – B woh – nah – noh – teh

Hi / Bye (informal) – Ciao! – C how 

Good bye (formal) – Arrivederci – A hr -ree-veh- dehr -chee

My name is … – Mi chiamo – Mee kyah -moh

What is your name? – Come si chiama? – Koh -meh see kyah -mah?

Pleased to meet you – Piacere – Pyah- cheh -reh

How are you? (formal) – Come sta? – Koh -meh stah?

Good thank you – Bene grazie – B eh -neh  grah -tsee-eh

How to say numbers in Italian

While you don’t need to be able to count to 100, a good grasp of numbers up to 12 at least (for the hours of the day) will stand you in good stead. After all, you need numbers when you’re at a restaurant – una pizza per favore! (a pizza please!)

One – Uno – Oo -noh

Two – Due – Doo -eh

Three – Tre – Treh

Four – Quattro – Kwah -troh  

Five – Cinque – Cheen -kweh

Six – Sei  – Say

Seven – Sette – Seht -tey

Eight – Otto – Oh -toh

Nine – Nove – Noh -veh

Ten – Dieci – Dee- EH -chee  

Eleven – Undici – Oon – dee-chee

Twelve – Dodici – Doh -dee-chee

To learn more about counting in Italian click here

Telling the time and days of the week

Here are the basics of telling time in Italian, plus days of the week and other useful sentences for making reservations and plans. Italians generally use a 24 hour clock but also understand the 12 hour clock if you specify morning and afternoon.

In the morning – Di M attina  – Dee mah- teen -ah

In the afternoon – Di p omeriggio – Dee poh-meh- reed -joh

In the evening – Di Sera – Dee se h – rah

Noon – Mezzogiorno – Mehd-dzoh- johr -noh  

At what time? – A che ora? – Ah kay oar-ah?  

Nine o’clock in the morning – Le nove – Le noh-vay

Eight o’clock in the evening – Le otto di sera /  – Le ot-to dee seh-rah 

Monday – Lunedì  – Loo-neh- dee

Tuesday – Martedì – Mahr-teh- dee  

Wednesday – Mercoledì – Mehr-koh-leh- dee

Thursday – Giovedì – Joh-veh- dee

Friday – Venerdì – Veh-nehr- dee  

Saturday – Sabato – Sah -bah-toh

Sunday – Domenica – Doh- meh -nee-kah

Today – Oggi – Ohd -jee

Yesterday – Ieri – Yeh -ree

Tomorrow – Domani – Doh- mah -nee

Want to speak more Italian?

Check out our review of Rocket Italian , one of the best online courses for learning Italian.

Useful phrases at restaurants

No doubt your Italy trip includes a plan to enjoy a few meals at restaurants. And we’re sure ordering a gelato or two is also high on your list. Let’s get you ready with these essential Italian phrases you need for ordering food or at restaurants. These may be the times that you interact with Italians the most so practice your greetings too!

Can I see the menu please? – Il menu, per favore – Eel men-oo, pehr fah- voh -reh

What do you recommend? – Che cosa ci consiglia? – Kay koh-za chee kon-seel-ya?

I’m allergic to… – Sono allergica/o a.. . – Son -oh ah -ler-gee-koh / kah ah

Gluten / Dairy / Fish – Glutine / Lattecini / Pesce  – Gloo-teen-ay /  Lah-tay-cheen-ee / Pesh-ay  

House wine – Vino della casa – Vee -noh del-lah car-sah

Red / white wine – Vino rosso / bianco – Vee – n oh ross-oh /  bee-ahn-koh

A glass / bottle – Una bicchiere / una bottiglia – OO -nah beek- kyeh -reh / boht- tee -lyah

Appetizer – Antipasto  – Ahn -tee-pah-stoh

First course – Primo – Pree -moh

Second course – Secondo – Sek -kon-doh

Dessert – Dolci – Doll -chee

Two flavors please – Due gusti, per favore  – Doo -eh goo-stee, pehr fah- voh -reh

Where’s the bathroom? – Dov’è il bagno?  – Doh- veh eel bahn -yoh?

The check (bill) please – Il conto, per favore – Eel kon-toh, pehr fah- voh -reh

Can I pay by card? – Posso pagare con la carta? – Pohs -soh pah- gah -reh kon la cahr-tah?

Words to know when you are visiting museums

Visiting museums and attractions is a big part of many Italian itineraries. In this section, we’ve given you some useful phrases in Italian to help you buy tickets and ask common questions.

When does it open / close? – Quando si apri / chiude?  – Kwahn -doh see ah-pree / chee-oo-deh?

Two adults / one child – Due adulti / un bambino  – Doo -eh ah-dool-tee / oon  bahm-bee-noh

One / two ticket/s – Un / due biglietto/i  – Oon  beel-yet-toh / tee

One senior – Un pensionato  – Oon pen-seyoh-nah-toh

One student – Uno studente – Ooh -noh stoo-den-teh

Where is the bag store / cloak room? – Dov’è la guardaroba? – Doh-veh lah gard-ah-robe-ah?

Asking for directions in Italian

If you get lost or need help with directions, these helpful words in Italian will come in handy.

Where is… ? – Dov’è…? – Doh-veh … ?

Entrance – Entrata  – En -trah-tah

Exit – Uscita  – Ooh -shee-tah

Left – Sinistra  – See – nee-stra

Right – Destra – Deh -stra

Straight ahead – Dritto – Dree-toh

Forward – Avanti  – Ah -vahn-tee

Back – Dietro – Dee-et-roh

Useful words for transport and getting around

Most visitors to Italy will need to take a train or bus, or ride in a taxi. These phrases will be useful in these situations when it is likely you may need to ask for help to reach the right platform or bus stop.

Where is the train station? – Dov’è la stazione? – Doh-veh lah stah-tzee-oh-neh?

Where is the bus stop? – Dov’è la fermata – Doh-veh lah fur-mah-tah?

One way – Andata  – Ahn – dah-tah

Return – Ritorno – Ree -torn-oh

What platform for Rome? – Da quale binario per Roma? – Dah kwah-lay bin-ah-rio pehr Roh-mah?

Newstand (for bus tickets) – Tabacchi  – Tah-back-kee

Shopping words in Italian

Time to go shopping! Make sure you’re ready with these key phrases.

I would like… – Vorrei…  – Vor-ray…

How much is this? – Quanto costa questo?   –   Kwahn -toh kohs -tah kwehs -toh??

OK I’ll take it – Va bene, lo prendo – V ah beh -neh , loh prehn- doh 

I don’t want it – Non lo voglio – N ohn loh voh- lyoh

Can you ship to…? – Puoi spedire a?   –   Pwoy   sped -ear-eh ah?

What to say if you need help in Italian

We hope you never need to use these phrases but it’s a good idea to know them “just in case”.

Help! – Aiuto! – Ay-oo-toh!

I need a doctor – Ho bisogno di un dottore   – Ho biz-ohn-nyo dee oon dot-tor-reh

Call the police – Chiami la polizia  – Kee-ya-mee la po-lee-zee-ah

Look out! – Attento!  – At – ten-toh

Go away! – Vai via! – Vy vee-ah!

Want to get beyond basic Italian phrases for travel?

These days there are a wealth of resources to help you learn Italian. You can use handy apps, books and podcasts to get started and we outlined some of the best of these in this article .

But, if you want to construct your own basic Italian sentences and perfect your accent, a systematic approach with a proven method will help you make progress quickly. After much trial and error, we enjoy using Rocket Italian . This online course combines verbal cultural situation lessons with grammar and vocabulary to get you speaking Italian quickly. My accent also improved significantly thanks to the voice recognition tasks.

Another option for travelers wanting a quick start to learning Italian for their trip is the fast track method developed by our friends at Intrepid Italian. Designed to get you speaking the key phrases you need for your trip, this short course aims to get you speaking travel ready Italian in 2 weeks > more info .

Planning a trip to Italy?

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109 unique, cool and beautiful Italian words to warm your heart

Jessica Maggi

Italian is considered the most seductively beautiful language in the world, and its beauty lies in its words. All of those elongated vowels and melodically rolling “r” make even the simplest of words sound elegant, emotional, and sweet.

There are over 450,000 words in the Italian language. I’ve always been fascinated with words. They’re more than just strings of letters. Words are powerful. Words define the shape of our understanding. Words inspire, motivate, comfort, challenge, move, touch, hurt, intrigue, and entice us. As a writer and translator, I’m so happy to have built a career around words.

In this article, you’ll find a list of the most awesome sounding words in the Italian language , plus cool words and phrases, beautiful Italian sayings, fun-to-say words, unique expressions with no English equivalent, and more!

Beautiful Italian vocab

The Italian language is known for its fascinating history, richness of expressions, and beautiful-sounding words.

Make the most of the communicative power of the most beautiful words that the Italian language has to offer. A large vocabulary helps open our minds, improves our powers of expression and comprehension, and is essential to describe feelings and comment on the beauty of the world we live in.

Want to add idillio, aurora, evanescenza, and the most powerful, beautiful Italian words to your vocabulary? We’re here to help! Let’s get going with these aesthetically pleasing words, from the genuinely beautiful to the beautifully quirky.

Beautiful Italian words and meanings

The Italian language boasts a massive variety of words. It was no easy task to pick out the most beautiful Italian words out of an estimated total of 450,000, but we like challenging missions that require extra effort. Here are some words we think deserve the designation “beautiful.”

What makes a word beautiful? I personally think a harmonious blend of sound and meaning is what makes a word pleasant to hear and say. We’ve put together what we consider the most beautiful Italian words with deep meaning and an elegant, unique sound. Some are just so poetic and fascinatingly expressive, while others sound so lovely they could be repeated over and over again for your daily dose of ASMR.

Beautiful Italian phrases, sayings and idioms

One of the most important parts of Italian learning is mastering common sayings and idioms. There are a huge number of beautiful Italian sayings , phrases, idioms and expressions that are worth knowing.

Learning them will not only enrich your vocabulary, it’ll also make you sound less like a textbook, and make you truly understand real Italian as it’s actually spoken by native speakers.

Other cool Italian words

Do you want to really sound like a native Italian speaker? If so, it’s time for you to learn cool Italian words and phrases. If you’re looking for something more colloquial, expand your vocabulary with the following Italian slang words.

But for now, let’s see which of these expressions you already know, and which ones are new to you.

English words that are actually Italian

It’s no secret that the Italian language has enriched English. There are many, many English words that are actually Italian. Here are some of the most common ones. Note that, in some cases, there may be some differences in spelling and pronunciation.

And even more unique Italian words with no exact English equivalents

Below is a list of unique Italian words , phrases and expressions, most of which don’t have a direct match in English. Prepare for some really interesting ones.

Parole, parole, parole…

Did you know that there’s an Italian song called “Parole, parole” (Words, words)? Released in 1972, it’s a duet song performed by Italian singer Mina , one of the most prominent icons of Italian music, and veteran actor Alberto Lupo, best known to American audiences as Dr. Levin in the 1960 Italian horror film Atom Age Vampire.

Listen to this intriguing dialogue of Mina’s singing and Lupo’s deep and seductive voice, and read the lyrics and English translation.

I personally prefer the version that came out in 2010. It’s a very intense duet between Mina and Italian singer-songwriter Niccolò Fabi , who created a completely revised version of one of the most famous songs in the history of Italian music.

What makes things even more moving and touching is that this version was dedicated to Fabi’s prematurely deceased 2-year-old daughter, Olivia, who had a special liking for this great Italian masterpiece. It’s so heartwarming and profound I can’t believe anyone not liking it. That cello gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it.

There you go!

Good job! You’ve just learned a whole load of new stuff. With some practice, all these beautiful Italian sayings , phrases, words and expressions will begin to come naturally, I give you my word of honor!

The more Italian you read, listen and speak, the more it’ll become a part of you! Enjoy this post? Then don’t forget to check out our Italian blog for more articles like this! Till next time!

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May 17, 2022

81 appropriate words and phrases to express beautiful in Italian

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Life in Italy, Italian Language, Italian Culture, Italy News, Tourism News, Italian Food

The vocabulary of Italian Carnevale: what you need to know

Without a doubt knowing the vocabulary of Italian  Carnevale  is important if you plan to spend some time in Italy.

Carnevale ‘ s celebrations are hugely popular in Italy and some cities and town are known all over the world for the creativity and beauty of their parades.

Those of Venice , Viareggio and Cento are probably the most famous in the country and are known worldwide, too. If you decide to visit Italy during this  very special time of the  year, and maybe take part in one of its parades, it’s important you know a word or  two from the typical vocabulary  of the Italian Carnevale , to make sure you can  fully enjoy celebrations!

The vocabulary of Italian Carnevale: from carri to trombette!

Carro di carnevale.

Carnevale floats, or carri di Carnevale , as we call them in Italy, are one of the major attractions during Carnevale  time. Creative and often irreverent, the carri have political and social satire as their main topic, their parades a common sight in villages, towns and cities. The most beautiful  are probably  those of Cento and Viareggio.

Stelle filanti e coriandoli

Adored by children, but widely used by adults. Coriandoli are the equivalent of confetti, a word that, in Italian, actually means sugared almonds ! Stelle filanti are the equivalent of streamers.

Volo dell’angelo

The “Flight of the Angel” is an amazing event taking place in Venice , host city to what is possibly the best known Italian Carnival in the world . Thanks to mechanical contractions a mysterious,  disguised person jumps off the Campanile of San Marco and “flies” in the air.  This tradition was born as a manner to celebrate and honor the Doge, an old political figure associated to Venice, and symbolizes the relevance of the Carnevale in this city.

Mask. In Italy people usually wear masks for Carnevale , adults and children alike. This happens because Carnevale parties revolve around the idea of the masquerade: all people must wear a maschera .

Costume di Carnevale

Dressing up for Carnevale does not only mean wearing a mask, but fully changing your identity for an entire day or night; a costume di Carnevale,   literally a Carnival costume, is often that of a traditional Italian mask, whose looks and personality have been passed on to us from older local traditions.

This dish is really popular everywhere in the world and requires very little explanation. It is conventionally associated to Carnevale because it is customary, in many parts of the country, to make it this time of the year, although lasagne remain a popular meal choice all year round.

Martedì Grasso

This is the term Italians use to refer to Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. This day represents the end of  seven ‘fat’, grassi , days.  This week of heavy, rich eating is closely tied  to its religious origins: during this week people would eat the most exquisite food  they had in the house before the beginning of the Quaresima , Lent.

Trombetta is a ‘must’ at Carnevale parties. Trombette , party horns, used at Carnevale ,  can be pretty powerful affairs. One of the most used is the  lingua di Menelik , Menelik’s tongue, which does not only honks, but uncurls its long, papery arm when played.

Berlingaccio

If you are around Florence,  you should definitely visit the city the Thursday before Carnevale . People celebrate this day with a party exalting the traditional Florentine dishes for this period: the  schiacciata alla fiorentina and the berlingozzo , which is a typical cake whose shape is similar to that of a donut.

A Carnevale ogni scherzo vale!

This stands at the very heart  of the vocabulary of Italian Carnevale:   people have to accept every joke and prank, as “On Carnival day, anything goes:” you have been warned! Don’t get upset if they trick you!

Edited by Francesca Bezzone

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Carnival , learn italian.