Useful Italian Phrases.
 

 

   
1.   Yes, No, Maybe, OK.   6.   Time.
2. Hello and Goodbye (Informal). 7. Personal Info.
3. Hello and Goodbye (Formal). 8. Question Words.
4. Please, Excuse Me, Thank You. 9. Use Sparingly.
5. At the Marketplace. 10. When in Doubt.
 

 

For an explanation of the phonetics of the Pronunciation Guide, click here.

 

 
  Yes, No, Maybe, OK.
 
  Phrase Meaning Pronunciation
Sì. Yes. see
No. No. noh
Forse Maybe. fohr-say
Va bene. OK. vah bay-nay
Certo. Sure. chehr-toh
D'accordo. Agreed. dahk-kohr-doh
Ecco. Here it is. ehk-koh
Eccomi. Here I am. ehk-koh-mee
Avanti! Go ahead! ah-vahn-tee
Andiamo! Let's go! ahn-dee-ah-moh
 

 

 
  Hello and Goodbye (Informal).
 
  Phrase Meaning Pronunciation
Ciao! Hi (and Bye)! chow
Come va? How's it going? koh-may vah
Non male. Not bad. nohn mah-lay
Come stai? How are you? koh-may stah-ee
Benissimo. Great. bay-nees-see-moh
Arrivederci. See you later. ahr-ree-vay-dehr-chee
A presto. See you soon. ah preh-stoh
Pronto? Hello? (for the telephone) prohn-toh
 

 

 
  Hello and Goodbye (Formal).
 
  Phrase Meaning Pronunciation
Buon giorno, Signora. Good morning, Madam (or Ma'am). bwohn johr-noh see-nyoh-rah
Buon giorno, Signorina. Good morning, Miss. bwohn johr-noh see-nyoh-ree-nah
Buon giorno, Signore. Good morning, Sir. bwohn johr-noh see-nyoh-ray
Buona sera. Good evening (begins about 2 PM in Italy). bwoh-nah say-rah
Piacere. Pleasure (to meet you). pee-ah-chay-ray
Molto lieto/ lieta. Delighted (to meet you) - say lieto if you are male, lieta if female. mohl-toh lee-ay-toh/ lee-ay-tah
 

 

 
  Please, Excuse Me, Thank You.
 
  Phrase   Meaning   Pronunciation
Scusi. Excuse me. skoo-zee
Per favore. Please. pehr fah-voh-ray
Grazie. Thanks. grah-tsee-ay
Prego. You're welcome; also: May I serve you? pray-goh
Dica. Speak. dee-kah
Desidera? May I help you? (literally: You desire?) day-zee-day-rah
Subito. Right away. soo-bee-toh
Mi dispiace. I'm sorry. mee dees-pee-ah-chay
 

 

 
  At the Marketplace.
 
  Phrase   Meaning   Pronunciation
Mi può aiutare? Can you help me? mee poo-oh ah-yoo-tah-ray
Si vende...? Do you sell...? see vehn-day
Ho bisogno di... I need... oh bee-zoh-nyoh dee
Mi piace questo/ quello. I like this/ that. mee pee-ah-chay kweh-stoh/ kwehl-loh
Quanto costa questo/ quello? How much does this/ that cost? kwahn-toh koh-stah kweh-stoh/ kwehl-loh
Non mi piace questo/ quello. I don't like this/ that. non mee pee-ah-chay kweh-stoh/ kwehl-loh
Prendo questo/ quello. I'll take this/ that. prehn-doh kweh-stoh/ kwehl-loh
Vorrei anche questi/ quelli. I would like these/ those also. vohr-ray-ee ahn-kay kweh-stee/ kwehl-lee
 

 

 
  Time.
 
  Phrase   Meaning   Pronunciation
Che ora è? What time is it? kay oh-rah eh
È l'una. It's one (o'clock). eh loo-nah
È l'una e mezzo. It's half past one. eh loo-nah ay mehts-tsoh
Sono le due. It's two (o'clock). soh-noh lay doo-ay
Abbiamo una prenotazione. We have a reservation. ahb-bee-ah-moh oo-nah pray-noh-tah-tsee-oh-nay
A che ora? At what time? ah kay oh-rah
Alle nove. At nine. ahl-lay noh-vay
Precise? Precisely? pray-chee-zay
 

 

 
  Personal Info.
 
  Phrase   Meaning   Pronunciation
Come ti chiami? What's your name (literally: How do you call yourself)? koh-may tee kee-ah-mee
Mi chiamo... My name is... mee kee-ah-moh
Sei italiano/ italiana? Are you Italian (use italiano for a male, italiana for a female)? say-ee ee-tah-lee-ah-noh/ ee-tah-lee-ah-nah
No, sono americano/ americana. No, I'm American (use americano if you are male, americana if female). noh soh-noh ah-may-ree-kah-noh/ ah-may-ree-kah-nah
Quanti anni hai? How old are you (literally: how many years do you have)? kwahn-tee ahn-nee ah-ee
Ho ventidue anni. I am 22 (literally: I have 22 years). oh vehn-tee doo-ay ahn-nee
Dove abiti? Where do you live? doh-vay ah-bee-tee
Abito a Roma. I live in Rome. ah-bee-toh ah roh-mah
 

 

 
  Question Words.
 
  Phrase   Meaning   Pronunciation
Chi? Who? kee
Che? What? kay
Dove? Where? doh-vay
Quando? When? kwahn-doh
Perché? Why? pehr-kay
Come? How? koh-may
Quanto? How much? kwahn-toh
Quanti? How many? kwahn-tee
 

 

 
  Use Sparingly.
 
  Phrase   Meaning   Pronunciation
Aiuta! Help! (emergencies only). ah-yoo-tah
Basta! Enough! bah-stah
Zitti! Shut up! tseet-tee
Va' via! Go away! vah vee-ah
Lasciami tranquillo/ tranquilla! Leave me alone! (use tranquillo if you are male, tranquilla if female). lah-shah-mee trahn-kweel-loh/ trahn-kweel-lah
 

 

 
  When in Doubt.
 
  Phrase   Come si dice ______ in italiano?
Meaning How do you say _______ in Italian (literally: how does ______ say itself in Italian)?
Pronunciation koh-may see dee-chay ______ een ee-tah-lee-ah-noh
 

 

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