How do you say “Goodbye” in Italian? And “jacket”? What about “black, green, white” and all the other colors? If you want to learn the most common Italian words and phrases, you should definitely read this article! Here’s what you’ll discover:
- Italian words and expressions used in everyday life;
- Numbers in Italian;
- Colours and shades in Italian;
- Italian greetings;
- Days of the week, months and season in Italian;
- Clothes in Italian;
- Music-related vocabulary in Italian;
- How to learn Italian with Global General.
Eager to learn the most common Italian vocabulary? Read on!
Italian Words and Expressions Used in Everyday Life
There are countless ways to learn Italian and one of them is learning the most common words and expressions. If you go to Italy, there are a few phrases you’ll hear every day, and you’d better understand what they mean! Here’s a list of the most common ones:
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Non fare rumore! | Don’t be loud! |
| Mi raccomando, non fare troppo tardi! | Please, don’t come home too late! |
| Fammi sapere quando vieni. | Let me know when you come. |
| Ho dovuto fare la fila per mezz'ora. | I had to wait in a queue for half an hour. |
| Non ci ho fatto caso. | I didn’t notice it. |
| Non abbiamo ancora fatto pace. | We are still not reconciled. |
| Abbiamo un sacco di tempo. | We have a lot of time. |
| Non lo so, adesso chiedo a qualcuno. | I don’t know, now I will ask someone. |
| Meno male che sei rimasto a casa. | It’s better that you stayed at home. |
| In realtà, è la prima volta che sono in Italia. | Actually, it is my first time in Italy. |
| Andiamo a fare un giro. | Let’s go around (for a walk / ride). |
| Vado a fare la spesa. | I am going to do the shopping. |
| Non posso fare a meno di te. | I can’t stay without you. |
| Non vedo l’ora di tornare. | I can’t wait to come back. |
| Non è importante, lascia stare. | It is not important, let it go. |
| Devi stare zitto. | You have to be silent. |
| D’accordo, vengo subito. | Alright, I am coming right away. |
| Prendi quello che vuoi, per me è uguale. | Take whatever you want, for me it’s the same. |
| Ne valeva la pena. | It was worth it. |
| Non chiedere a lui, non c’entra niente. | Don’t ask him, he has nothing to do with it. |
Numbers in Italian
Numbers are vital when learning a language. If you go to Italy and someone asks you “Quanti anni hai?” (How old are you?), you need to know numbers.
| Number | Italian | English |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | uno | one |
| 2 | due | two |
| 3 | tre | three |
| 4 | quattro | four |
| 5 | cinque | five |
| 6 | sei | six |
| 7 | sette | seven |
| 8 | otto | eight |
| 9 | nove | nine |
| 10 | dieci | ten |
| 11 | undici | eleven |
| 12 | dodici | twelve |
| 13 | tredici | thirteen |
| 14 | quattordici | fourteen |
| 15 | quindici | fifteen |
| 16 | sedici | sixteen |
| 17 | diciassette | seventeen |
| 18 | diciotto | eighteen |
| 19 | diciannove | nineteen |
From 20 on, it becomes much simpler. You just put the numbers together with the tens. No spaces and no hyphens.
| Number | Italian | English |
|---|---|---|
| 2- | venti | twenty |
| 3- | trenta | thirty |
| 4- | quaranta | fourty |
| 5- | cinquanta | fifty |
| 6- | sessanta | sixty |
| 7- | settanta | seventy |
| 8- | ottanta | eighty |
| 9- | novanta | ninety |
| 100 | cento | hundred |
Learning numbers might not be easy. However, improving your Italian pronunciation will certainly help you understant them easier. If you have any doubts about the pronunciation of the Italian numbers you can listen to audio recordings.
Colours and Shades in Italian
How do you say “blue” in Italian? And “green”? “Yellow”? Let’s find out all the colours and shades in Italian!
| English | Italiano |
|---|---|
| Colour | Colore |
| White | Bianco |
| Yellow | Giallo |
| Red | Rosso |
| Green | Verde |
| Blue | Blu |
| Sky blue | Celeste (blu chiaro) |
| Azure | Azzurro |
| Pink | Rosa |
| Violet | Viola |
| Orange | Arancione |
| Brown | Marrone |
| Gray | Grigio |
| Opaque | Opaco |
| Bright | Brillante |
| Transparent | Trasparente |
| Light | Chiaro |
| Dark | Scuro |
A gift for you! Some Italian expressions with colours!
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Essere al verde | Being broke |
| Mettere nero su bianco | Put pen to paper |
| Dirne di tutti i colori | Call somebody every name under the sun |
| Diventare rosso | Turn red (being embarrassed) |
| Passare una notte in bianco | Being up all night |
| Vedere tutto nero | Being pessimistic |
| Vedere tutto rosa | Being optimistic |
Italian Greetings
One of the first things you need to learn in Italian is how to say “Hello”. Greetings are essential: they show that you are polite, nice and welcoming!
If you go to Italy, you’ll certainly need to use them. So, let’s discover Italian greetings!
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Ciao Salve Che piacere vederti! Buon giorno! Buona sera! Buona notte! Arrivederci! A dopo! A presto! A domani! A fra poco! | Hello (informal) Hello (formal) How nice to see you! Good morning Good evening! Good night! Goodbye! See you later! See you soon! See you tomorrow! See you in a bit! |
| Come stai? Come sta? | How are you? (Informal) How are you? (Formal |
| Sto bene! (I’m well!) Molto bene, grazie. (Very well, thanks.) Abbastanza bene, grazie. (Pretty well, thanks.) Sto bene grazie, e tu? Sto bene, grazie, e Lei? Benissimo! | I’m well! Very well, thanks. Pretty well, thanks. I’m well, thanks, and you? (Informal) I’m well, thanks, and you? (Formal) Great! |
| Malissimo! Va bene. Va tutto bene. Va benissimo! Va male. Così così. Non mi posso lamentare. | Not well at all! Things are going well. Everything’s going well. Things are going great! Things aren’t going well. So so. I can’t complain. |
Days of the Week, Months and Seasons in Italian
Days of the week
| English | Italian |
|---|---|
| Day | Giorno |
| Week | Settimana |
| Monday | Lunedì |
| Tuesday | Martedì |
| Wednesday | Mercoledì |
| Thursday | Giovedì |
| Friday | Venerdì |
| Saturday | Sabato |
| Sunday | Domenica |
| Weekend | Fine settimana |
Parts of the day
| English | Italian |
|---|---|
| Dawn/Daybreak | Alba |
| Morning | Mattina |
| Midday/noon | Mezzogiorno |
| Afternoon | Pomeriggio |
| Evening | Sera |
| Sunset | Tramonto |
| Night | Notte |
| Midnight | Mezzanotte |
Months of the year
| English | Italian |
|---|---|
| Month | Mese |
| Year | Anno |
| January | Gennaio |
| February | Febbraio |
| March | Marzo |
| April | Aprile |
| May | Maggio |
| June | Giugno |
| July | Luglio |
| August | Agosto |
| September | Settembre |
| October | Ottobre |
| November | Novembre |
| December | Dicembre |
| Leap year | Anno bisestile |
Seasons of the year
| English | Italian |
|---|---|
| Season | Stagione |
| Winter | Inverno |
| Spring | Primavera |
| Summer | Estate |
| Autumn/Fall | Autunno |
Clothes in Italian
Here’s the vocabulary related to clothes in Italian!
Clothes
| English | Italian |
|---|---|
| Clothing | Abbigliamento |
| Clothes | Capo / Vestito / Indumento |
| Shop | Negozio |
| Size | Taglia |
| Suit / Dress | Abito da sera |
| Shirt | Camicia |
| Silk shirt | Camicia di seta |
| Vest | Canottiera |
| Coat | Cappotto |
| Leather jacket | Giacca in pelle |
| Windbreaker | Giacca a vento |
| Skirt | Gonna |
| Jeans | Jeans |
| T-shirt | Maglietta |
| Striped t-shirt | Maglietta a strisce / a righe |
| Sweater | Maglione |
| Woollen sweater | Maglione di lana |
| Panties | Mutande |
| Trousers | Pantaloni |
| Checked trousers | Pantaloni a quadri |
| Linen trousers | Pantaloni in lino |
| Tracksuit | Tuta sportiva |
Shoes and accessories
| English | Italian |
|---|---|
| Shoes | Scarpe |
| Accessories | Accessori |
| Trainers | Scarpe sportive |
| Sandals | Sandali |
| Boots | Stivali |
| Slippers | Ciabatte |
| Hat | Cappello |
| Handbag / Bag | Borsa |
| Tie | Cravatta |
| Rucksack / Backpack | Zaino |
| Scarf | Sciarpa |
| Glasses | Occhiali |
| Socks | Calze |
| Tights | Collant |
| Gloves | Guanti |
| Shawl | Scialle |
Music-related vocabulary in Italian
Following a list of the vocabulary related to the music industry!
| English | Italian |
|---|---|
| music | la musica |
| genre | il genere |
| rock | rock |
| metal | metal |
| classical | classica |
| rap | rap |
| folk | tradizionale |
| note | la nota |
| song | la canzone |
| violin | il violino |
| flute | il flauto |
| piano | il pianoforte |
| drum | il tamburo/la batteria |
| saxophone | il sassofono |
| harp | l’arpa |
| keyboard | la tastiera |
| band | il gruppo |
| orchestra | l’orchestra |
| choir | il coro |
| musician | il musicista |
| conductor | il direttore d’orchestra |
How to learn Italian with Global General
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- Flashcards to help you learn new vocabulary and train your memory in a fast and fun way!
- Simulations to practice all of your language skills in real context, for all the competencies;
- Exercises to help you learn the Italian grammar, vocabulary and listening comprehension;
- A “did you know” section to deepen your knowledge of the language;
- 5000 detailed corrections in your language;
- Personalised feedback from our native-speaking coaches;
- Online conferences with our native coaches, with a practical component where you’ll be required to complete some exercises and you’ll be given personalized corrections;
- Validation of the acquired competencies every 5 simulations with certificates;
- Scores for every exercise to help you understand your level and progress;
- 150 hours of unique content and 500 audio tracks.
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