Helpful Italian phrases and words

Photo by Monica Naclerio

In my personal experience, many tourists that visite Italy are fascinated not only by its places, its food, its history, and its culture, but also by the language. And they love to try to speak a bold "Buonasera"!

That is why our second post will deal with the most useful Italian words and phrases to know.

Some notes:

Italian words can be rather long (and poetic!). A good tip to pronunce and understand them is to remember that, most of the time, stress falls on the second-to-last syllable. (So “Venezia” is “Ve-NE-zia”; “castello” is “cas-TELL-o”).

“A” is pronounced like the a in father, “i” like the “ee” in greet, and “u” like the u in rule. The vowels “e” and “o” can be open or closed, depending on the word.

Many consonants, instead, sound like their English equivalent. The most important exceptions are:
- the letter “c” before “i” or “e” is pronounced like a “ch”
- “g” before an “i” or “e” is pronounced like the g in “general”
- “h” is always silent
- “r” is almost always rolled
- “z” is pronounced like the “ds” in “lads” at the beginning of the sentence, and like the “ts” in sets in all other cases.

Double consonants can be a bit tricky, but here are some rules: “ch” sounds like the “c” in “car,” “gli” sounds like the “ll” in million, “gn” sounds like the “ny” in “canyon,” and “sc” sounds like the “sh” in “shush” before i and e, and like “sk” in “skip” in all other cases.

Well, now that you are able to pronunce correctly, we can proceed with a quick starter guide to the essential Italian words and phrases.

Common Italian greetings

Buongiorno: Good morning (Usually said until 5pm)
Buona sera: Good evening (Usually said after 5pm)
Buona notte: Good night (Usually said after 10pm, or before going to sleep)
Ciao: Hello or goodbye. A very informal greeting.
Arrivederci: See you. A formal way to say goodbye.

Other common Italian phrases

Per favore: Please
Grazie: Thank you.
Prego: You’re welcome
Mi chiamo…: My name is…
Non parlo italiano: I don’t speak Italian
Parla inglese?: Do you speak English?
Sì: Yes. Other popular affirmations: va bene (fine), okay.
No: No
Dove: Where. You may ask “Dov’è (street or landmark)…?” for directions.
Chi: Who
Quando: When
Cosa: What
Perché: Why

Helpful words for getting around

Treno: Train
Macchina: Car. Also known as auto
Autonoleggio: Car rental
Autobus: Bus. A coach bus is sometimes referred to as pullman
Aeroporto: Airport
Taxi: Taxi
Ristorante: Restaurant
Albergo: Hotel
Banca: Bank. Be sure to ask for a bancomat if you’re looking for an ATM
Aiuto!: Help!
Dov’è il bagno?: Where is the bathroom?
Quanto costa?: How much does it cost?
Che ore sono?: What time is it?
Destra: Right
Sinistra: Left
Dritto: Straight
Vicino: Close
Lontano: Far
Spiaggia: Beach
Biglietti: Tickets

Numbers

Uno (1), due (2), tre (3), quattro (4), cinque (5), sei (6), sette (7), otto (8), nove (9), dieci (10)

Days of the week

lunedì (Monday), martedì (Tuesday), mercoledì (Wednesday), giovedì (Thursday), venerdì (Friday), sabato (Saturday), domenica (Sunday).

Other popular Italian phrases

Allora: Perhaps one of the most popular Italian words, allora is a great way to transition between sentences. It can also be used to start a sentence or question like “so…”, “well…” or “therefore…” and as a reference to a time in the past.
Bello: Literally means “beautiful”, but can also be used to say something is nice, like a dress for example. Bello (for males) and bella (for females) is commonly used as a salutation between friends and acquaintances.
Buon appetito: Enjoy your meal. Almost always said when a meal is served.
Buon viaggio: Have a nice trip