Karen Antje Möller

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-24-2022

The Italian language is adapting to the rhythms of modern life with the introduction of new idioms and the construction of simpler, more concise sentences and paragraphs. The basic rules of the Italian language, however, stay the same. Despite the ongoing transformation of the language, these rules remain the foundation that stabilizes it. Here are a few Italian fundamentals that you don't want to miss if you want to communicate in Italian.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 01-19-2022

Planning a trip to Italy? Learn some basic Italian to make it more fulfilling. Get to know Italian greetings, question words, numbers, and the days of the week. Also, be sure to know how to ask for help in Italian so you're prepared for emergencies. And something very important: how to order food and drink!

Article / Updated 05-01-2017

Knowing Italian greetings can make a good impression, whether you're speaking Italian for business or while traveling. The Italian culture places importance on introductions and salutations as it is often considered a foundational way of showing respect. There are different expressions you can use depending on if the situation is formal (business meeting) or informal (meeting someone at a restaurant). Offer polite greetings to friends and associates or as a way to break the ice when meeting new people. Practice using these common Italian greetings: Buongiorno! (bwohn-johr-noh) (Hello! and Good morning!) Arrivederci! (ahr-ree-veh-dehr-chee) (Goodbye!) (Formal) Ciao! (chou) (Hello! and Good-bye!) (Informal) Salve! (sahl-veh) (Hello! and Good-bye!) (Neutral) Buonasera! (bwoh-nah-seh-rah) (Good afternoon! Good evening!) (Formal) Buonanotte! (bwoh-nah-noht-teh) (Good night!) (Informal) Come si chiama? (koh-meh see kyah-mah) (What is your name?) (Formal) Come ti chiami? (koh-meh tee kyah-mee) (What is your name?) (Informal) Mi chiamo…(mee kyah-moh) (My name is. . .) Come sta? (koh-meh stah) (How are you?) (Formal) Come stai? (koh-meh stahy) (How are you?) (Informal) Bene, grazie. (beh-neh grah-tsee-eh) (Fine, thank you.)

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

If you visit Italy without trying some of the food, you haven't really visited Italy. (You're also probably rather hungry.) The following phrases can come in handy whether you need a bottle of water or you're ordering a lavish Italian dinner: Un cappucccino, per favore. (oohn kahp-pooh-chee-noh pehr fah-voh-reh) (A cappuccino, please.) Un bicchiere di acqua minerale per favore. (oohn bee-kyeh-reh dee ahk-wah meen-eh-rah-leh perh fah-voh-reh). (A glass of mineral water, please.) Mezzo litro d'acqua. (mehdz-zoh lee-troh dahk-wah) (Half a liter of water.) (Generally, you would take this to go, not standing at the bar) Mezzo chilo di pesche, per piacere. (mehdz-zoh kee-loh dee pehs-keh perh pyah-cheh-reh) (Half a kilo of peaches, please.) Quanto viene? (kwahn-toh vyeh-neh) (How much does it come to?) Un gelato di 2 euro, per favore. (oohn geh-lah-toh dee dooh-eh eh-ooh-roh pehr fah-voh-reh) (A 2-Euro size ice cream, please.) Quali gusti? (kwah-lee goohs-tee) (What flavors?) Ci fa il conto, per favore?/Ci porta il conto? (chee fah eel kohn-toh pehr fah-voh-reh/chee pohr-tah eel kohn-toh) (Will you bring us the bill please?) A Tip about Tipping: You generally do not tip in an Italian restaurant: Italians and Europeans don't. This is nothing to feel guilty about because waiters are well paid and don't rely on or expect tips to round out their salaries as they do in some other countries.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Be sure to know your numbers in Italian. In Italian-speaking areas, you'll be dealing with numbers for transportation, while shopping, and when dining. Use this chart to get a good start with learning Italian numbers: Counting in Italian zero dzeh-roh 0 uno ooh-noh 1 due dooh-eh 2 tre treh 3 quattro kwaht-troh 4 cinque cheen-kweh 5 sei sey 6 sette seht-teh 7 otto oht-toh 8 nove noh-veh 9 dieci dyeh-chee 10 undici oohn-dee-chee 11 dodici doh-dee-chee 12 tredici treh-dee-chee 13 quattordici kwaht-tohr-dee-chee 14 quindici kween-dee-chee 15 sedici sey-dee-chee 16 diciassette dee-chahs-seht-teh 17 diciotto dee-choht-toh 18 diciannove dee-chahn-noh-veh 19 venti vehn-tee 20 ventuno vehn-tooh-noh 21 ventidue vehn-tee-dooh-eh 22 trenta trehn-tah 30 quaranta kwah-rahn-tah 40 cinquanta cheen-kwahn-tah 50 sessanta sehs-sahn-tah 60 settanta seht-tahn-tah 70 ottanta oht-tahn-tah 80 novanta noh-vahn-tah 90 cento chehn-toh 100 cinquecento cheen-kweh-chehn-toh 500 mille meel-leh 1,000 duemila dooh-eh-mee-lah 2,000 un milione oohn mee-lyoh-neh 1,000,000 due milioni dooh-eh mee-lyoh-nee 2,000,000 un miliardo oohn mee-lyahr-doh 1,000,000,000

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

In Italian, the days of the week aren't capitalized. Eyeball this table of the days of the week in Italian (along with pronunciations and abbreviations) to ensure you get your days straight while in Italy. Italian/Abbreviation Pronunciation Translation domenica/do. doh-meh-nee-kah Sunday lunedì/lun. looh-neh-dee Monday martedì/mar. mahr-teh-dee Tuesday mercoledì/mer. mehr-koh-leh-dee Wednesday giovedì/gio. joh-veh-dee Thursday venerdì/ven. veh-nehr-dee Friday sabato/sab. sah-bah-toh Saturday You might also need to know how to say the following: Oggi (ohj-jee) (today) Domani (doh-mah-nee) (tomorrow) Dopodomani (doh-poh-doh-mah-nee) (day after tomorrow) Ieri (yeh-ree) (yesterday)

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Courtesy is important no matter what country you're in. Use these courtesy phrases when speaking in Italian so you can be considerate and polite; they'll also help you communicate easily: Per favore (pehr fah-voh-reh) (Please.) Per piacere (pehr pyah-cheh-reh) (Please.) Grazie (grah-tsee-eh) (Thank you.) Prego! (preh-goh) (You're welcome!; By all means, after you.) Non c'è di che. (nohn cheh dee keh) (You're welcome.) Mi dispiace. (mee dees-pyah-cheh) (I'm sorry.) Mi scusi. (mee skooh-zee) (Excuse me, formal.) Scusi, un informazione, per favore. (skooh-zee oohn-een-fohr-mats-yoh-neh pehr fah-voh-reh) (Excuse me, I need some information, please.) Scusa. (skooh-zah) (Excuse me, I'm sorry, informal) Permesso? (pehr-mehs-soh) (Excuse me — when walking through a crowded train compartment; also, "May I come in?" when crossing the threshold of someone's house.) Sì. (see) (Yes.) No. (noh) (No.)

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

To communicate in Italian and to travel with ease, there are practical questions in Italian (or any language for that matter) that you'll use daily and have to know: Parla inglese? (pahr-lah een-gleh-zeh) (Do you speak English?) Chi? (kee) (Who?) Cosa? (koh-sah) (What?) Quando? (kwahn-doh) (When?) Dove? (doh-veh) (Where?) Perché? (pehr-keh) (Why?) Come? (koh-meh) (How?) Quanto? (kwanh-toh) (How much?) Try these helpful phrases: Dov'è la stazione? (doh-veh lah stah-tsyoh-neh) (Where is the station?) Scusi, dov'è il bagno? (skooh-zee doh-veh eel bahn-yoh) (Where is the bathroom?) Quanto dista il Colosseo? (kwahn-toh dees-tah eel koh-lohs-seh-oh) (How far is the Coloseum?) Dove si mangia il miglior gelato? (doh-veh see mahn-jah eel meel-yohr geh-lah-toh) (Where can you get the best ice cream?) Come si arriva in Piazza della Repubblica? (koh-meh see ahr-ree-vah een pyahts-sah dehl-lah reh-pooh-blee-kah) (How do you get to Piazza della Repubblica?)

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

If you have an emergency while traveling in Italy, you'll be glad to know these basic Italian phrases. Be prepared for emergencies by committing these Italian phrases to memory: Aiuto! (ah-yooh-toh) (Help!) Emergenza! (eh-mehr-jehn-tsah) (Emergency!) Chiamate la polizia! (chee-ah-mah-teh lah poh-lee-tsee-ah) (Call the police!) Chiamate un'ambulanza! (kee-ah-mah-teh ooh-nahm-booh-lahn-tsah) (Call an ambulance!) Ho bisogno di un medico. (oh bee-zoh-nyoh dee oohn meh-dee-koh) (I need a doctor.) Dov'è l'ospedale? (doh-veh lohs-peh-dah-leh) (Where is the hospital?) Mi sento molto male. (mee sehn-toh mohl-toh mah-leh) (I feel very sick.)

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

In Italian, colors aren't just everyday adjectives; they also appear in idioms to express emotions, fears, feelings, and passions. Colors charge idioms with poetic nuance. Expressions like cronaca rosa (gossip columns), romanzo giallo (mystery novel), avere una fifa blu (to be filled with terror), dama bianca (the spectre of a woman [folklore has it that her appearance is an omen of death]), and anima nera ([to have] a wicked soul) are common in Italian. Colors also create the Italian flag, which is called il tricolore (three-colors) because it's green, white, and red. Any association of green, white, and red evoke the tricolore for Italians, so much so that these three hues have lost their function as adjectives and gained that of national symbols. Here are a few more idiomatic expressions with colors: zona blu (blue area), generally in the historical center of a town, where the circulation of cars is forbidden diventare di tutti i colori (to show deep embarassment) dirne/farne/vederne di tutti i colori (to say/do/see all kinds of preposterous things) essere nero (to be filled with rage) mettere nero su bianco (to put something down in black and white [as in black ink on white paper]) vederci rosso (to be very upset) When a photo isn't a colori (in color), it's in bianco e nero (white and black) in Italian, not in black and white as in the English language! Despite the use of colors in so many Italian idioms, don't forget that colors are descriptors and that, as with every adjective in Italian, they agree in gender and number with the noun they describe: una gonna nera (a black skirt) tante gonne nere (many black skirts) un giaccone verde (a green jacket) due giacconi verdi (two green jackets) Unlike in the English language, colors usually follow nouns in Italian: Indosso una gonna nera e un giaccone verde (I am wearing a black skirt and a green jacket). Most of the colors are adjectives ending in -o, -a, (-i, -e in the plural forms), some end in -e (-i [plural]), while others remain unchanged in gender and number: Colors in -o/-a/-i/-e Colors in -e/-i Colors with invariable ending bianco/a/chi/che (white) verde/i (green) rosa (pink) nero/a/i/e (black) arancione/i (orange) viola (violet/purple) rosso/a/i/e (red) marrone/i(brown) blu (blue) giallo/a/i/e (yellow) celeste/i (light blue) azzurro/a/i/e (azure)