The Italian language has a vast vocabulary of over 450,000 words, but Italians only use a fraction of those words in their everyday lives. According to linguist Tullio De Mauro, 98% of the Italian used today consists of just 7,000 words, with just 2,000 forming its core vocabulary. This is good news for learners of Italian, as it means that they can focus on learning the most important words and phrases first.
Andiamo! Here are some basic Italian words and phrases that you may find useful:
- Greetings and goodbyes
- Ciao – Hello
- Arrivederci – Goodbye
- Buongiorno – Good morning
- Buonasera – Good evening
- Buonanotte – Good night
- Polite phrases
- Per favore – Please
- Grazie – Thank you
- Prego – You’re welcome
- Scusi – Excuse me
- Permesso – Excuse me (to pass by)
- Asking questions
- Chi – Who
- Che – What
- Dove – Where
- Quando – When
- Perché – Why
- Quanto – How much
- Common phrases
- Non capisco – I don’t understand
- Mi dispiace – I’m sorry
- Parla inglese? – Do you speak English?
- Sì – Yes
- No – No
- Salute! – Cheers!
- Buon appetito! – Enjoy your meal!
- Food and drink
- Acqua – Water
- Caffè – Coffee
- Vino – Wine
- Birra – Beer
- Pane – Bread
- Pasta – Pasta
- Pizza – Pizza
- Gelato – Ice cream
- Carne – Meat
- Pesce – Fish
- Numbers
- Uno – One
- Due – Two
- Tre – Three
- Quattro – Four
- Cinque – Five
- Sei – Six
- Sette – Seven
- Otto – Eight
- Nove – Nine
- Dieci – Ten
These are just some of the basic Italian words that can be helpful for beginners learning the language.
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