Teresa L. Picarazzi

As you're studying Italian, either on your own or in a course, keep this Cheat Sheet handy for a quick reference on articles, personal pronouns, tenses, and more.Definite and indefinite articles, and the partitiveIn Italian, articles vary in gender, number, and spelling. They’re the best predictor of a noun’s gender.

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!Italian greetingsKnowing Italian greetings can make a good impression, whether you’re speaking Italian for business or while traveling.

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.

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).

By mastering the basics of conversation in Italian, you put yourself and the person you're talking to at ease. Everyone should learn essential Italian conversational words and phrases before traveling to Italy. These words and expressions are sure to come up in most everyday conversations. Courteous phrases Being polite is just as important in Italy as anywhere else in this world.

When making plans, appointments, and travel arrangements in Italian-speaking countries, you need to be able to state dates and other calendar terms in Italian. Understanding the days of the week, the months of the year, and how to tell time in Italian can help you to avoid confusion. Calendar terms The days of the week (I giorni della settimana) aren't capitalized in Italian.

Learning numbers and counting in Italian isn't complicated. In fact, the Italians follow many of the same patterns that we do in English. There are a few differences, but it's when it comes to numbers and counting in Italian, it's really just a question of memorizing. In Italian, as in English, there is a unique number from 0 – 16.

How do you ask basic questions in Italian? Well, Italian interrogative words mean the same as they do for English: who, what, when, where, why, and how. By knowing basic Italian interrogatives, you'll be able to express your questions, even without an extensive vocabulary. For example, say you're at a Italian street market and you want find a beautiful antique clock.