Basic Italian Words for Beginners

A list of the basic Italian words for beginners. Learn how to memorize and link them to speak Italian from day one.

Why learn the basic Italian words?

How many words does the Italian vocabulary have?

If we’d count all the words in the Italian language, we would not finish on time!

However, this doesn’t mean you need to memorize a lot of new Italian terms if you want to learn Italian.

The truth is that, on average, Italian people don’t use all the Italian words they know.

Instead, they choose from a “selected database” of about 6500 words that allow them to compose 98% of their conversations.

Among this database, there are some essential words that are used every day. They’re about 2000 words.

This means that if you want to speak Italian, you can learn the basic Italian words and then combine such words to compose simple Italian phrases and express basic thoughts.

Italian for beginners

Learning a foreign language can be a fulfilling and enriching experience. It allows you to connect with new cultures, broaden your horizons, and communicate with people from different parts of the world. Italian, with its melodious tones and rich cultural heritage, is an excellent choice for beginners.

To begin your Italian learning adventure, it’s essential to start with the basics. Familiarize yourself with common Italian phrases and words that form the foundation of the language. By learning simple sentences, you can express ideas, feelings, and concepts in a straightforward manner.

For instance, a basic Italian sentence consists of a subject and a verb, expressing a complete concept. Take the examples “Sono stanco” (I’m tired), “Ho fame” (I’m hungry), and “Voglio uscire” (I want to go out). In these examples, the subject “io” (I) is often omitted in Italian unless it needs emphasis or clarity.

Italian words for beginners

Are you ready to learn some exciting Italian words for beginners? From “Ciao” to “Grazie”, Italian is a language that is loved by people all around the world. This beautiful language is not just for native speakers, but for anyone who wants to explore it.

Whether you are planning a trip to Italy or simply want to impress your friends with your new-found knowledge, these Italian words for beginners will help you get started. Italian conversations for beginners typically revolve around basic topics like introducing oneself, discussing hobbies, or ordering food in a restaurant.

Let’s begin with the most basic Italian word – “Ciao”. It means “hello” or “goodbye” and is used in both formal and informal situations. You can use it to greet your friends, family, or even strangers on the street.

Another important word is “Grazie”, which means “thank you”. It is always a good idea to be polite and show your appreciation when someone does something for you.

If you are a foodie, then you will love learning some Italian words related to food. For example, “Pizza” is an Italian dish that has become popular all over the world. “Pasta” is another popular Italian dish that comes in various shapes and sizes. You can also try out some Italian desserts like “Tiramisu” or “Cannoli”. Trust me, your taste buds will thank you for it.

Now, let’s move on to some words related to travel. If you are planning a trip to Italy, then it is important to know some basic words like “Dove” which means “where” and “Quanto costa” which means “how much does it cost”. You can also learn some useful phrases like “Posso avere il conto per favore?” which means “Can I have the bill please?”.

Learning Italian words for beginners is not just about memorizing words and phrases, it is also about immersing yourself in the culture. Italians are known for their love of art, music, and fashion. So why not learn some Italian words related to these fields?

For example, “Arte” means “art”, “Musica” means “music” and “Moda” means “fashion”. By learning these words, you will not only be able to communicate better but also appreciate the beauty of Italian culture.

Italian sentences for beginners

Italian sentences for beginners are designed to introduce learners to the beautiful language and its basic structure. If you’re wondering how to speak Italian for beginners, start by familiarizing yourself with simple greetings and common phrases.

These sentences often focus on fundamental vocabulary and straightforward grammar, enabling newcomers to grasp essential communication skills.

Sono felice. – I am happy.
Mi piace il gelato. – I like ice cream.
Dove abiti? – Where do you live?
Che ore sono? – What time is it?
Grazie mille! – Thank you very much!
Scusa! – Excuse me!
Per favore. – Please.
Buon compleanno! – Happy birthday!
Buona notte! – Good night!
Ti amo. – I love you.
Mi dispiace. – I’m sorry.
Non capisco. – I don’t understand.
Parli inglese? – Do you speak English?
Quanto costa? – How much does it cost?
Vorrei un caffè, per favore. – I would like a coffee, please.
Che bello! – How beautiful/nice!

Whether it’s simple greetings, everyday expressions, or basic questions, these introductory Italian sentences lay the groundwork for building confidence and proficiency in the language. As beginners engage with these accessible phrases, they embark on an exciting journey of discovering Italy’s rich cultural heritage through its linguistic charm.

Italian Vocabulary for Beginners

If you are a beginner and interested in learning Italian, then Italian vocabulary for beginners is a great place to start. Italian is a beautiful language that is spoken by millions of people around the world. It is the official language of Italy, San Marino, and Vatican City.

Italian vocabulary for beginners provides a solid foundation for those embarking on their journey to learn the beautiful language of Italy. As one delves into the basics, one will encounter a myriad of fundamental words that capture the essence of Italian culture.

Building on this, beginners will gradually expand their repertoire to include everyday nouns like “casa” (house) and “pane” (bread), allowing them to navigate their surroundings with ease. Additionally, they will learn adjectives like “bello” (beautiful) and “piccolo” (small) to describe the world around them.

Verbs like “mangiare” (to eat) and “parlare” (to speak) equip beginners with the tools to express their actions and desires.

With each new word, beginners unlock a vibrant mosaic of Italian vocabulary, enabling them to engage in meaningful Italian conversations and embrace the richness of the Italian language. If you want to test your Italian skills now, you can learn from here.

Find out how many words are there in Italian.

How to learn new easy Italian words?

Learning new words in a foreign language always seems to be a struggle.

You try to memorize the vocabulary, use flashcards, and write down new words, and at the end of the day, it seems that you’ve learned nothing.

How to avoid this? How to make the most of your study sessions and learn effectively?

Here are a few tips about how to memorize new words in a foreign language.

Learn a few words per session

A common mistake that beginner language learners do when they approach a new language is trying to learn everything at once.

They want to start speaking from day one, so they try to learn as many words as they can.

However, this strategy doesn’t help at all: it stresses the brain and may lead to discouragement.

Imagine it: if you don’t get the results you want, you may think you won’t ever speak that language and give up learning.

Learning lots of new words all at once can be counterproductive. Try not to overdo it.

It is much better to learn five or ten easy Italian words per time than try to learn as much as you can.

Learn the words you’re interested in

Let’s say you are passionate about cooking. What’s more entertaining than learning Italian words by reading food blogs, Italian recipes, or food-related magazines?

Whatever is your passion or interest, try to integrate it into your study. It will make your learning process much more engaging and smoother!

You can read an article in Italian about a topic you’re interested in. Choose beginner-friendly articles, which don’t have complex phrases or grammar patterns.

Underline the words you don’t know or the sentences you don’t understand. Write them down in a notebook. Look for their meaning in a dictionary.

You’ll be surprised by how easier it is to memorize new words if they’re related to a topic you enjoy.

Link similar words together

Let’s suppose you want to learn five words every day.

You can choose to learn five Italian verbs: mangiare, dormire, amare, volere, sentire (meaning, respectively: “to eat”, “to sleep”, “to love”, “to want”, “to feel/to hear“).

Alternatively, you can choose to learn some words that are related to each other.

For example, if you learn the word mangiare (to eat), you can then learn other words related to food:

In this way, you have learned the words pasta, panino, insieme, torta, tanto, and you know that these words can be all linked to a common word, that is mangiare.

For some people, it is easier to remember a group of words if they have a link than words with no relation to each other.

Basic Italian words for beginners: resources

Are you ready to embark on a journey to learn Italian basics? Well, buckle up because it’s going to be an exciting ride! Learning a new language can be a daunting task, but with the right mindset and resources, it can be an enjoyable experience.

With Italian being one of the most romantic and melodious languages in the world, it’s no wonder that you’ve chosen to learn Italian Basics.

The first step in learning Italian basics is to familiarize yourself with the fundamentals. It’s important to start with the basics such as learning how to pronounce Italian words, vocabulary, and grammar.

Once you have a good grasp of the basics, you can move on to more complex concepts like verb conjugation and sentence structure.

In addition to online courses, you may also want to consider hiring a tutor or taking a class at a local language school. This will give you the opportunity to receive personalized instruction from a qualified teacher who can answer your questions and provide feedback on your progress.

There is no unique way to learn new words in Italian: you can choose the method that fits your needs and preferences.

You can also combine different methods to set up your learning process.

Try to make learning smooth, fun, and engaging. It’s much more effective than stressing out to learn grammar patterns and memorize new words or complex phrases.

Let’s discover some helpful resources to learn basic Italian words.

Read Italian short stories

Conversations and short stories describe a typical situation that may happen in your daily life.

These stories can be about going to the doctor, ordering food at a restaurant, booking a hotel room, shopping, etc.

If you decide to learn Italian words through conversations or short stories, choose simple dialogues, whose grammar and vocabulary are easier to understand.

Read more about Italian short stories for beginners.

Read Italian news

Reading the news in Italian is a good way to learn the language while keeping informed about what’s happening in Italy.

It is also a way to get closer to Italian culture because you can read about cultural facts and curiosities.

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Some websites where you can learn the news in Italian are ANSA, Internazionale, and Euronews.

Find more websites where you read the news in Italian.

Listen to Italian music

Listening to music is fun, and learning a language through music can be very engaging!

It is much easier to memorize new words when a melody links them.

If you’re a music lover, you can listen to simple Italian songs and try to catch up with the meaning.

Read the lyrics, write them down if it helps you understand their meaning, and underline the words you don’t know.

Learn more about Italian songs.

50+ basic Italian words for beginners

If you’re a beginner, it could be helpful to write down a list of the most common Italian words.

You can organize the list and divide the words according to the context in which they’re used: food, travel, work, etc.

Write them down in a notebook that you’ll carry with you. It may help you when you want to communicate with Italian speakers.

Here are the essential Italian words you need to know:

Are you interested in learning more words? Take a look at the list of the top 1000 most common Italian words.

”Hello” in Italian

The most popular “hello” in Italian is ciao. It can be used at any time of the day.

Interestingly, it can also mean ”bye”.

Here’s a video with the pronunciation of ciao.

Another option is salve, but it’s more formal.

It’s a safe choice whenever you don’t know whether to sound formal or informal. For instance, you would say salve to the cashier at a shop.

There are other ways of saying “hello,” depending on the time of the day.

Buongiorno means “good morning” or “good day”. Buon pomeriggio means “good afternoon”, but it’s pretty formal. Buonasera can be used as a good evening greeting.

Learn more about how to say “hello” in Italian.

“How Are You?” In Italian

There are different ways to ask “how are you” in Italian, just like in English.

In English, we can also say, “how is it going?”, ”what’s up?”, “how are things?” etc., even though some of them are more informal than others.

In Italian, we can ask the following questions:

• Come stai? (How are you? – informal)
• Come sta? (How are you? – formal)
• Come va? (How is it going?)
• Tutto bene? (Is everything good?)

You can answer the first three questions with the following words:

• Bene (I’m well)
• Male (I’m bad)
• Come al soltito (As usual)
• Tutto bene (Everything’s good)

And to the last question, you can just answer sì (yes) or no (no).

Find out about other ways of asking “how are you?” in Italian.

“Thank you” in Italian

The most common way to say “thank you” in Italian is grazie. It can be used in every situation, be it formal or casual.

You can use it to thank one person or many.

Also, you can say grazie when you either want to accept or refuse an offer.

Here are a few other more emphatic ways to say “thank you” in Italian:

• Grazie mille!
• Grazie tante!
• Molte grazie!
• Grazie infinite!
• Grazie di cuore!

You can answer in the following ways to say “you’re welcome”:

• Prego
• Non c’è di che
• Di niente
• Di nulla

Learn more about how to say thank you in Italian.

“Please” In Italian

Knowing how to say “please” in Italian is very important since you probably want to sound polite.

In fact, per favore is one of the first phrases you will learn in any Italian course.

It’s easy to remember its meaning because favore sounds a bit like a favor. Per favore literally means “for a favor”.

You can use it in every casual situation with your friends, family, and colleagues.

You’ll also hear per piacere, which means exactly the same.

Per cortesia is less common and more formal.

If you want to beg someone, you can say:

• Ti prego (informal)
• La prego (formal)
• Vi prego (to more than one person)

The verb pregare literally means “to pray”. Italy is a relatively religious country.

However, this expression is used by everyone and has lost its religious meaning.

Find out more about how to say “please” in Italian.

“Sorry” in Italian

Learning how to say “sorry” in Italian is also important. It’s always good to accept our mistakes and say sorry.

In Italian, the two most common ways to say “sorry” are:

• Scusa (informal)
• Scusi (formal)
• Scusate (to more than one person)

As you can see, scusa is informal. So, you can say it to your friends, relatives, or people you know well.

You can say scusi to someone you don’t know very well or an elder person.

Scusate is used both in formal and informal settings and is used to address more than one person.

Here’s another common expression:

• Mi dispiace

Mi dispiace is slightly different because you can use it even if what happened wasn’t your fault.

It’s a bit deeper since we use it to express sadness or empathy.

Read more about different ways to say “sorry” in Italian.

“Goodbye” in Italian

As we already mentioned, you can say ciao if you want to say “bye” in an informal way. However, ciao also means “hi”.

There are other ways to say goodbye, which don’t strictly mean “goodbye,” but you can use them as a goodbye greeting.

• Arrivederci (goodbye – it’s very formal)
• A domani (see you tomorrow)
• A presto (see you soon)
• Ci vediamo (see you)
• Alla prossima (see you next time)
• Buonanotte (good night)

Learn more about how to say “goodbye” in Italian.

“What” in Italian

“What” is a very simple, short, and common word. It’s also very useful, right?

In Italian, there are three different ways to say “what” as in “what are you eating?”.

• Che cosa
• Cosa
• Che

All three forms of saying “what” is correct, and they are interchangeable in spoken Italian.

However, if you go to Italy, you might hear a form more often than the others, depending on where you go.

Che cosa is used all over Italy, but it’s probably more common in formal contexts.

Cosa alone is used more often in cities in Northern Italy like Milan and Genoa, but also in Sardinia (which is the second-largest Italian island).

Che is more commonly used in central Italy, like Florence and Rome, and in the South of Italy, like Catania.

Just so you know, cosa literally means “thing”. So, cosa could be considered a shortened version of che cosa, which literally means “what thing?”.

Read more about how to say “what” in Italian.

“I love you” in Italian

In Italian, there’s a big difference between what you say to the person you’re in love with and other to people you love, like your parents, friends, and siblings.

If you want to tell your partner you love them, you can say:

• Ti amo

However, you wouldn’t say it to other people. Instead, you can say:

• Ti voglio bene (to one person)
• Vi voglio bene (to more than one person)

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Volere bene literally means “to want (somone) good/well”, which doesn’t make sense but you probably get the meaning of “wanting” someone in a positive-but-not-romantic way.

If you love someone a lot, you can say:

• Ti voglio un mondo di bene (literally, “I want you a world of good”).

This expression is mainly used among teenagers.

Find out about other ways to say “I love you” in Italian.

“Happy birthday” in Italian

These are the most common phrases to wish someone a happy birthday:

• Buon compleanno
• Auguri 
• Tanti auguri

Buon compleanno literally means “good birthday”.

Auguri doesn’t really mean “happy birthday”.  Instead, it’s a more general way of wishing someone happiness.

If you want to be more emphatic, you can say tanti auguri.

Auguri is the plural of augurio which means “wish”. So, it could be translated as “good wishes”.

Auguri is a little more versatile than buon compleano and is often used on other special occasions.

Read more about how to say “happy birthday” in Italian.

“Beautiful” in Italian

Italy is such a beautiful country that you can not know how to say “beautiful” in Italian.

There are many ways to talk about beauty in Italian.

You may have heard the phrase ciao bello or ciao bella, which means “hello, beautiful”, in many TV shows or if you’ve been to Italy.

Let’s look at the different ways of saying “beautiful”:

• Carino (nice)
• Bello (beautiful)
• Molto bello (very beautiful)
• Bellissimo (extremely beautiful)
• Stupendo (great)
• Meraviglioso (wonderful)

As you can see, some of them are more emphatic than others.  Carino is not as strong as bello but bellissimo is much stronger than bello.

Just so you know, all these words end in o because they’re masculine singular. If you’re referring to a woman or an object that’s considered female, you have to say carina, bella, molto bella, etc.

Read more about the different ways to say “beautiful” in Italian.

“Cheers” in Italian

Let’s now talk about what Italians say when they have a toast.

In English, people say “cheers”. Let’s find out what Italians say!

The most popular way of saying cheers in Italian is cin cin (pronounced as “chin chin”).

If you find yourself at an Italian party, you will definitely hear this phrase.

Sometimes, cin cin is followed by alla tua salute (singular) or alla vostra salute (plural) meaning “as to your health”.

Also, alla tua or alla vostra without salute is perfectly acceptable too, as the meaning is implied. It’s a similar meaning to “here’s to you!”.

Alla nostra is also common. In addition, you can say beviamo alla nostra, which means “Let’s drink to us!”

You can use it at an office party, graduations, or to celebrate after sporting events!

Salute is a formal way of saying “cheers” in Italian and is often confused with saluti which means greetings. You can use salute in almost any formal environment.

Read more about how to say “cheers” in Italian.

Italian words put into practice

Learning a new language is not only about memorizing new words.

You also need to put those easy Italian words into practice, which means that speaking is an essential component of language learning.

When you learn new words, take the time to practice them. One of the best ways to apply what you’ve learned is to speak actively.

You can have a conversation with a friend who speaks Italian or also imagine a short dialogue (or a story), write it down, and read it aloud.

Taking an Italian course for beginners can help you apply the words you’ve learned and brings you additional benefits:

• It gives you some guidelines about how to link the words you’ve learned;
• It helps you put the words into context;
• It makes you aware of the mistakes you are doing in writing or speaking and how to correct them;
• It helps you master pronunciation.

Are you interested in taking an Italian course? Learn more about the Italian course Ripeti Con Me.