Before you pack for an exciting trip to Italy, you’re probably hoping to learn a few common Italian phrases to make your trip easier and more fun. Once you’re there, you’ll likely pick up on some of these words even more quickly once you’re hearing locals use them often. No doubt they’ll appreciate your efforts to go beyond “ciao” and “mamma mia.”
Even if you can’t say all of the words and phrases listed below, the first step toward language learning is understanding. If you capture these basic Italian words and phrases, you can get the gist of what the other person is saying. But to really prepare for your viaggio in Italia (journey in Italy), Rosetta Stone can help accelerate your dive into the Italian language through Dynamic Immersion for short-lesson learning that’s more fun than just memorization.
Table of Contents
Italian greetings
Greetings can go a long way when interacting with people in different cultures. A greeting demonstrates friendliness and respect, even if you say the rest of your statement in English. But a nice “hello” or “goodbye” in Italian demonstrates your effort to connect with people on their level, even if it’s just a couple of words.
Keep in mind that Italians have formal and informal ways to address people. We’ve made some notes in parentheses to help you. Show your savvy by using informal language with younger, and formal language with older people and professionals you don’t know.
Also, Italian uses gendered adjectives, which usually end in “o” for masculine words and in “a” for feminine words. That’s why we list a word that ends in “o/a.”
| Italian | English |
| a più tardi | see you later |
| arrivederciarrivederLa | goodbye, farewell (informal)goodbye, farewell (formal) |
| benvenuto / benvenuta / benvenuti / benvenute | welcome (to a man / a woman / a group of men or a mixed group / a group of women, respectively) |
| buongiorno | good morning (until 2 p.m., formal) |
| buon pomeriggio | good afternoon (formal, but not common) |
| buona giornata | goodbye, have a good day |
| buona notte | good night (formal, in the sense of saying goodbye) |
| buona sera | good afternoon or good evening (formal, used after buongiorno) |
| buondí | good day (formal and informal) |
| che piacere vederti | It’s nice to meet you (informal) |
| ciao | hello and goodbye (informal) |
| ei | hey (informal) |
| Felice di vederti | Nice to see you (informal) |
| Piacere di conoscerLa | Nice to meet you (formal) |
| Piacere di conoscerti | It’s a pleasure to meet you (informal) |
| pronto (with inflection) | hello (used for answering the phone) |
| salve | hello and goodbye (formal and informal) |
>> Discover what languages are spoken in Italy!
Polite words in Italian
As with greetings, learning some basic Italian words for politeness can work in your favor. Aside from showing you care about Italian culture, using etiquette is important to Italians and you’ll likely receive even better service and attention compared to those who are more demanding.
You can combine the following words and phrases from other sections in this post to create simple questions and answers. Words like signora and signore (“ma’am” and “sir”) are useful as greetings or to begin a conversation. We recommend saying “please” and “thank you” whenever it’s appropriate.
| Italian | English |
| grazie | thank you |
| mi dispiace | I’m sorry |
| no | no |
| non c’è problema | no problem |
| per favore | please |
| permesso | excuse me (when you want to pass by) |
| prego | you’re welcome |
| (mi) scusi | excuse me (when you want information, formal) |
| scusa (mi) | (when you want information, informal) |
| sì | yes |
| signora, signore | ma’am, sir |
| tranquillo/a | don’t worry |
Common Italian phrases for getting around
When moving through a city, learning some basic Italian phrases for travel can help get you to where you’re going. Despite the convenience of maps on your phone, they are not always 100% accurate or you might not have an international sim card for data. That means you might need to ask a local how to find your destination or even how to get back to your hotel. Use these common Italian phrases to get from point A to point B.
| Italian | English |
| andata | one way |
| andata e ritorno | round trip |
| biglietto/i | ticket / tickets |
| Dov’è il bagno? | Where is the bathroom? |
| Dov’è la fermata? | Where’s the bus stop? |
| Dov’è la stazione? | Where’s the station? |
| gira a destra / sinistra | Turn right / left |
| il centro | downtown |
| l’aeroporto | the airport |
| la macchina / l’auto | the car |
| metropolitana (metro) | subway |
| Mi sono perso/a | I’m lost |
| qui | here |
| ritorno | return trip |
| il treno | the train |
| vai dritto | go straight (informal) |
| vada dritto | go straight (formal) |
| vicino, lontano | near, far |
Getting clarification in Italian
Beginning language speakers often need to ask for clarification or for native speakers to slow down. This is totally normal, and most people don’t mind, so don’t be afraid to ask further questions or simply state your confusion. People are quick to make it easier to understand, especially Italians who know they speak fast.
| Italian | English |
| A che serve? | What’s it for? |
| Capisco un po | I understand a little |
| Che cos’è? | What is it? |
| Come si chiama questo in italiano? | What is this called in Italian? |
| Come si traduce questa parola in italiano? | How do you translate this word in Italian? |
| Cosa è successo? | What happened? |
| lentamente per favore | slowly, please |
| Non so | I don’t know. |
| Non capisco | I don’t understand. |
| Non parlo bene l’italiano | I don’t speak Italian well. |
| Parla inglese? | Do you speak English? (formal) |
| Parli inglese? | Do you speak English? (informal) |
| Puoi parlare più lentamente? | Could you speak more slowly? (informal) |
| Può parlare più lentamente? | Could you speak more slowly? (formal) |
| Puoi ripetere? | Could you repeat that? (informal) |
| Può ripetere? | Could you repeat that? (formal) |
Easy Italian conversation starters
Italians love to talk about everything and anything. We’ve written some “quick start” phrases as a way to initiate a conversation or at least show someone you want to try to speak in Italian. And it’s fine if you need to state that you don’t fully understand their response!
| Italian | English |
| amo l’Italia! | I love Italy! |
| bene | fine or well |
| Come stai? | How are you? (informal) |
| Come sta? | How are you? (formal) |
| Come va la tua giornata? | How’s your day going? (informal) |
| Come va? | How’s it going? (informal) |
| Da quanto tempo? | How long has it been? (informal but may be used formally) |
| Ha passato una bella giornata? | Have you had a nice day? (formal) |
| molto bene | very fine or well |
| Va tutto bene? | Is everything okay? (informal but may be used formally) |
Getting to know someone
Here are some additional phrases to get deeper into conversations and really get to know the people of Italy. There are questions and answers included so that you’ll have an idea of what’s being asked when someone speaks to you. And, of course, you can ask questions too!
| Italian | English |
| Abito a… | I live in… |
| Che lavoro fai? | What kind of work do you do? |
| Como ti chiami? | What’s your name? (informal) |
| Come si chiama? | What’s your name? (formal) |
| Di dov’è lei? | Where are you from? (formal) |
| Di dove sei? | Where are you from? (informal) |
| Dove abiti? | Where do you live? (informal) |
| Dove vivi? | Where do you live? (formal) |
| Mi chiamo… | My name is… |
| Posso farLe una domanda? | Could I ask you a question? (formal) |
| Sono di… | I’m from… |
| Vivo a… | I live in… (formal) |
| Vorresti ballare? | Would you like to dance? |
Italian food and dining vocabulary
It may come as no surprise that Italian food has been voted the best in the world. Likewise, Italian wines consistently hit the top twenty list of the world’s most beloved wines.
Unless you find a truly authentic restaurant in the United States, the quality of Italian food won’t mean much to you until you’ve visited. Italians regulate the quality of their food and pay attention to the details as they make your meal from scratch. Spend a week there, and you’ll quickly identify the flavor of handmade noodles compared to a tourist trap with lower quality ingredients. Honestly, your best bet is to allow your server to pair your wine with the specialty they recommend. They won’t steer you wrong!
Here’s a taste of some of the most important basic Italian phrases and words around food that you’ll need when ordering at a restaurant. Buon appetito (bon appetit) and salute (cheers)!
| Italian | English |
| acqua | water |
| acqua frizzante | sparkling water |
| acqua naturale | still water |
| antipasto | appetizer (or small plates) |
| carne | meat |
| dolci | dessert |
| Il conto, per favore | The check, please |
| insalata | salad |
| noci | nuts |
| pane | bread |
| pasta | pasta |
| pesce | fish |
| pollo | chicken |
| Posso pagare con bancomat? | May I pay with a debit card? |
| Posso pagare con carta di credito? | May I pay with a credit card? |
| Sono allergico/a a… | I’m allergic to… |
| Sono senza glutine | I need gluten free. |
| Sono vegetariano/a | I’m a vegetarian. |
| Vino della casa | house wine |
| Vino rosso, Vino bianco | red wine, white wine |
Common Italian sayings
“Sayings” are idiomatic phrases that often use metaphors to convey a meaning. However, it’s interesting to note that similar phrases, even with direct translations, sometimes exist in other languages like Italian. That said, some sayings could never be translated word for word. In bocca al lupo could be directly translated as “into the mouth of the wolf,” but its actual meaning is “good luck.” Try some of these basic Italian sayings to impress your new friends.
| Italian | English |
| A caval donato non si guarda in bocca | Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. |
| Chi dorme non piglia pesci | S/he who sleeps doesn’t catch any fish. |
| Chi troppo vuole nulla stringe | Grasp all, lose all |
| Chi trova un amico, trova un tesoro | If you find a friend, you’ve found a treasure. |
| L’appetito vien mangiando | Your appetite comes as you eat. |
| Meglio tardi che mai | Better late than never. |
| Nessuna nuova, buona nuova | No news is good news. |
| Tutto fumo e niente arrosto | All bark and no bite. |
Perfect your Italian with Rosetta Stone
Learning Italian doesn’t have to be noioso (boring). Instead, it can be divertente (fun)! Rosetta Stone has a novel approach to mastering Italian based on visuals and sounds rather than memorizing vocabulary. Learners can use live lessons to speak with a native Italian and practice their conversational skills and accent.
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