Use this page to quickly learn some basic Italian words and common Italian phrases. If you are serious about learning Italian then start at The Italian Language page where you will find free language videos for learning the alphabet, numbers, Italian greatings, apologizing and Italian listening skills for absolute beginners.
When you are more confident, you can move onto English to Italian grammar where we have listed useful Italian videos and information to get you started. You will learn about diacritical marks, Italian pronunciation, nouns, masculine and feminine and the rules of stress.
Three Italian words for saying hello
- Ciao - is the informal way of saying "Hi" or "Hello".
- Buongiorno - is the formal way of saying "Good morning".
- Buonasera - is the formal way of saying "Good evening".
These Italian language lessons focus on basic words and common phrases to get you started learning Italian. As you progress, you can begin learning the alphabet, numbers and then onto more advanced lessons which teach you how to have conversations in real-life situations.
Italian word list for everyday conversation
Here's a list of common Italian phrases that will help you communicate whilst travelling in Italy. Your trip will be much more enjoyable if you have a basic Italian vocabulary and the locals will appreciate your efforts.
Italian measurements
English Word |
Italian Word |
|---|---|
| Centimeter | Centimetro (0.39 in.) |
| Meter | metro (3.28 feet) |
| Kilometer | le kilomètre (0.621 mile) |
| Liter | Chilometro (1.75 pints) |
| Gram | Grammo (0.0352 oz.) |
| Kilogram | Chilogrammo (2.20 lbs) |
Italian Colors (US) / Colours (UK)
The below English Italian translations show colors and there pronunciation with links to Italian lessons by Lya and ItalianPod101. You can watch all the Italian videos here: Italian Colors | Tutorial Videos.
English Word |
Italian Word |
|---|---|
| Beige | beige |
| Black | Nero |
| Blue | Blu |
| Brown | Marrone |
| Green | verde |
| Grey | Grigio |
| Orange | arancia |
| Pink | Rosa |
| Purple | Viola |
| Red | Rosso |
| Yellow | Giallo |
| White | bianca |
| Dark | Buio |
| Light | Luce |
Italian words for saying the time
English Phrase |
Italian Phrase |
|---|---|
| Time | Tempo |
| What time is it? | Che ore sono? |
| It is a quarter to two | Sono le due meno un quarto |
| 1am | l'una in punto |
| 1:05 | cinque minuti dopo |
| 2:10 | le due e dieci |
| 3:15 | le tre e un quarto |
| 4:30 | quattro e mezza |
| 5:35 | cinque e trentacinque |
| 11:25 am | venticinque minuti prima |
| noon | mezzogiorno |
| midnight | mezzanotte |
| today | oggi |
| morning | mattina |
| afternoon | pomeriggio |
| evening | sera |
| night | notte |
| tonight | stasera |
| an hour ago | un'ora fa |
| a long time ago | tanto tempo fa |
| not so long ago | non molto tempo fa |
| next month | il prossimo mese |
| next summer | la prossima estate |
| next year | l'anno prossimo |
| this weekend | questo fine settimana |
| soon | presto |
| yesterday | ieri |
| the day before yesterday | l'altro ieri |
| that day | quel giorno |
| at that moment | al momento |
| tomorrow | Domani |
| the day after tomorrow | il giorno dopo domani |
Italian words for weather
English Phrase |
Italian Phrase |
|---|---|
| Weather | Tempo metereologico |
| What's the weather like? | Che tempo fa? |
| The weather is nice | Il tempo è bello |
| It's warm | È caldo |
| It is foggy | È nebbioso |
| It is sunny | C'è il sole |
| It is windy | C'è vento |
| It's cold | Fa freddo |
| The weather is bad | Il tempo è brutto |
| It rains / It's raining | Piove / Sta piovendo |
| It snows / It's snowing | Nevica / Nevica |
| It is cloudy | È nuvoloso |
Learn Italian words with native speakers
You will learn Italian words faster when you listen to native speakers. These videos and lessons have been developed by Italian speaking teachers in a fun and friendly way. You will find your ability to remember essential words improves with every lesson and your pronunciation will being to flow much more naturally. We have included speaking exercises were ever possible. Listening to conversations in real life situations that you will expect to find whilst travelling around Italian speaking countries will be your greatest asset.
Common Italian words
The advantage of learning the most common Italian words first is that you will have a better chance of understanding parts of the conversations going on around you, helping you to pick up more Italian word patterns.
To become fluent in Italian you will need to learn around 5% of all available words which equates to 10,000 words. We can break this down into smaller steps: Learning just 100 of the most common words will enable you to understand half of the words you can expect to read in a book or online in a blog. Learn 1000 words and you will start to understand 75% of what you read.
Now consider, when you learn a word, how many words which sound similar are related?
On average, for every word you learn you will be able to work out 50 other words. Suddenly the world is a smaller place!
:)