Phrasebook

183 entries

• [Ciao]Hi / byeWeek 1 · Informal, and it works both arriving and leaving. Not for strangers or shopkeepers.
• [Buongiorno]Good morning / good dayWeek 1 · The polite default until mid-afternoon.
• [Buonasera]Good eveningWeek 1 · From late afternoon onward.
• [Arrivederci]GoodbyeWeek 1 · The polite goodbye. ArrivederLa is even more formal.
• [Per favore]PleaseWeek 1
• [Grazie]Thank youWeek 1
• [Prego]You're welcomeWeek 1 · Also: after you, go ahead, help yourself, what can I get you. Extraordinarily versatile.
• [Sì]YesWeek 1
• [No]NoWeek 1
• [Scusi]Excuse me (formal)Week 1 · Scusa to someone you would call ciao.
• [Signora]MadamWeek 1 · The safe default for any adult woman.
• [Signore]SirWeek 1
• [Come sta?]How are you? (formal)Week 1
• [Bene, grazie]Well, thank youWeek 1
• [E lei?]And you? (formal)Week 1
• [Buongiorno,] mi chiamo name.Good day, my name is ___.Week 1 · Literally I call myself ___.
• Un caffè, [per favore].A coffee, please.Week 1
• — [Come sta?] — [Bene, grazie. E lei?]— How are you? — Well, thanks. And you?Week 1
• Mi chiamo…My name is…Week 2
• Sono di…I'm from…Week 2
• Abito a…I live in…Week 2 · A before a town, in before a country — abito in Inghilterra.
• Ho … anniI am … years oldWeek 2 · Literally I have sixty years — the same idea as French.
• un figlioa sonWeek 2
• una figliaa daughterWeek 2
• un maritoa husbandWeek 2
• una mogliea wifeWeek 2 · Unlike French femme and Spanish mujer, Italian keeps wife and woman separate — donna is a woman.
• un nipote / una nipotea grandson / a granddaughterWeek 2 · One word doing four jobs — it also means nephew and niece. The article is your only clue.
• la famigliathe familyWeek 2 · Italian keeps the article in front of the possessive — literally the my family.
• un amico / un' amicaa friend (m / f)Week 2
• il lavoroworkWeek 2
• [in pensione]retiredWeek 2 · A fixed chunk. Worth having ready — it comes up constantly.
• Mi chiamo name e abito a place.I'm ___ and I live in ___.Week 2
• Ho number anni e sono [in pensione].I'm ___ and I'm retired.Week 2
• Ho un figlio / due figlie e number nipoti.I have ___ and ___ grandchildren.Week 2
• la casathe houseWeek 3
• la cucinathe kitchenWeek 3
• il salottothe living roomWeek 3
• la camerathe bedroomWeek 3 · Camera da letto in full. Nothing to do with photography.
• la portathe doorWeek 3
• la finestrathe windowWeek 3
• il tavolothe tableWeek 3
• la sediathe chairWeek 3
• il bagnothe bathroom / the toiletWeek 3 · The word to ask for in a café or a station.
• il panebreadWeek 3
• il caffècoffeeWeek 3 · Un caffè means an espresso. If you want a long one, ask for un caffè americano.
• il tèteaWeek 3
• l'acquawaterWeek 3 · Feminine, but la has vanished into l'. The slant is the only cue left — memorise it with the word.
• il vinowineWeek 3
• la birrabeerWeek 3
• il formaggiocheeseWeek 3
• il menùthe menuWeek 3
• il contothe billWeek 3
• Dove è la cucina / il bagno?Where is ___?Week 3 · Usually written and said dov'è — the e drops before a vowel.
• Vorrei un caffè / del pane.I would like ___.Week 3 · Vorrei is the polite would like. Use it and you will always sound courteous.
• Il conto, [per favore].The bill, please.Week 3
• io hoto have — ioWeek 4 · The h is silent — ho is said simply o.
• io voglioto want — ioWeek 4
• io vorreiwould like — ioWeek 4 · A politeness form of volere. Voglio un caffè is blunt; vorrei un caffè is what you say to a waiter.
• [Ho fame]I'm hungryWeek 4 · Literally: I have hunger.
• [Ho sete]I'm thirstyWeek 4
• [Ho freddo]I'm coldWeek 4
• [Ho caldo]I'm hotWeek 4
• Vorrei prenotareI would like to bookWeek 4 · A table or a room. Two verbs in a row — the second stays in its dictionary form.
• Ho noun.I have ___.Week 4
• Voglio noun.I want ___.Week 4 · Direct. Fine with family, blunt with a waiter.
• Vorrei noun, [per favore].I would like ___, please.Week 4
• io parloto speak (-are group) — ioWeek 5
• io prendoto take (-ere group) — ioWeek 5
• io dormoto sleep (-ire group) — ioWeek 5
• io sonoto be — ioWeek 5 · Sono is both I am and they are. Context decides, always.
• io hoto have — ioWeek 5
• io vadoto go — ioWeek 5
• io faccioto do or make — ioWeek 5
• io possocan, to be able — ioWeek 5
• io voglioto want — ioWeek 5
• io vengoto come — ioWeek 5
• [sono]I amWeek 5
• [ho]I haveWeek 5
• [vado]I'm goingWeek 5
• [può]you can / he canWeek 5
• [c'è]there isWeek 5
• [ci sono]there areWeek 5 · Italian keeps singular and plural apart here, where Spanish uses hay for both.
• Parlo un po' d'italiano.I speak a little Italian.Week 5 · The single most useful sentence you will learn all year.
• Può ripetere, [per favore]?Can you repeat, please?Week 5
• Andiamo al bar.We're going to the bar.Week 5 · In Italy a bar is where you get coffee in the morning. It is not a pub.
• Dove?Where?Week 6 · Written dov'è before a vowel.
• Quando?When?Week 6
• Come?How?Week 6
• Perché?Why?Week 6 · The same word also means because. Italian does not bother to distinguish them.
• Chi?Who?Week 6
• Quanto?How much?Week 6
• Quale?Which?Week 6 · Becomes qual before è — qual è il problema?
• [Dov'è… ?]Where is…?Week 6
• [a sinistra]on the leftWeek 6
• [a destra]on the rightWeek 6
• [sempre dritto]straight onWeek 6 · Literally always straight.
• [accanto a]next toWeek 6
• [di fronte a]oppositeWeek 6
• [vicino a]near toWeek 6
• [lontano da]far fromWeek 6
• [cerco…]I'm looking for…Week 6
• Quanto costa?How much does it cost?Week 6
• [Quant'è?]How much is it?Week 6 · The shorter, more common version.
• [È troppo caro]It's too expensiveWeek 6
• Che ora è?What time is it?Week 6
• A che ora?At what time?Week 6
• aperto / apertaopenWeek 6
• chiuso / chiusaclosedWeek 6
• Cerco la stazione.I'm looking for the station.Week 6
• Dove è la farmacia?Where is the pharmacy?Week 6
• Quanto costa?How much does it cost?Week 6
• Ho parlatoI spokeWeek 7 · parlare → parlato
• Ho fattoI did / I madeWeek 7 · fare → fatto
• Ho vistoI sawWeek 7 · vedere → visto
• Ho presoI took / I had (food or drink)Week 7 · prendere → preso. Ho preso un caffè is what you say for I had a coffee.
• Ho mangiatoI ateWeek 7 · mangiare → mangiato
• Ho bevutoI drankWeek 7 · bere → bevuto
• Ho compratoI boughtWeek 7 · comprare → comprato
• [ieri]yesterdayWeek 7
• [stamattina]this morningWeek 7
• [ieri sera]last nightWeek 7 · Literally yesterday evening.
• [la settimana scorsa]last weekWeek 7
• [Ieri] ho mangiato al ristorante.Yesterday I ate at the restaurant.Week 7
• Sono andato / andata a Roma.I went to Rome.Week 7 · Pick your form once and stick to it — it should become automatic.
• Che cosa ha fatto [ieri]?What did you do yesterday?Week 7 · Worth learning whole. It is the question you will be asked most often.
• eandWeek 8 · Becomes ed before a word starting with e-.
• mabutWeek 8
• perchébecauseWeek 8
• quindiso, thereforeWeek 8
• alloraso, well thenWeek 8 · Also the single most common way to start a sentence in spoken Italian.
• primafirstWeek 8
• poithenWeek 8
• dopoafterwardsWeek 8
• infinefinallyWeek 8
• Domani present tense verb.Tomorrow I'm going to ___.Week 8
• clause, ma / perché / quindi, clause…, but / because / so, …Week 8 · Any two clauses you already know, joined.
• Prima … poi … dopo … infine …First … then … afterwards … finally …Week 8 · The story spine. Hang anything you like on it.
• lo sportsportWeek 9 · Lo rather than il, because sport begins with s plus a consonant.
• la musicamusicWeek 9
• leggereto readWeek 9 · The verb is far more natural here than the noun la lettura.
• il giardinaggiogardeningWeek 9
• cucinareto cookWeek 9
• viaggiareto travelWeek 9
• la fotografiaphotographyWeek 9
• il cinemacinema, filmWeek 9 · Ends in -a and is masculine — il cinema. Greek origin, like il problema.
• la televisionetelevisionWeek 9
• camminareto walkWeek 9
• a me mi piaceto like — a meWeek 9
• a me adoroto love — a meWeek 9 · A normal verb — adoro la musica. It does not run backwards.
• a me non mi piaceto dislike — a meWeek 9 · Italian rarely says I hate. Non mi piace does the job.
• a me preferiscoto prefer — a meWeek 9 · An -isc- verb: preferisco, preferisci, preferisce. A whole family behaves this way — capire, finire.
• Sto beneI'm wellWeek 9 · Stare, not essere. Come sta? Sto bene.
• Sto maleI'm unwellWeek 9
• [mi fa male…]…hurts meWeek 9 · Backwards like piacere: the head is doing the hurting. Mi fanno male le gambe for a plural.
• il medicothe doctorWeek 9
• malato / malataillWeek 9
• stanco / stancatiredWeek 9
• [mi riposo]I'm restingWeek 9
• la testathe headWeek 9
• la manothe handWeek 9 · Ends in -o and is feminine, with an irregular plural le mani. One of the few real exceptions.
• la gambathe legWeek 9
• lo stomacothe stomachWeek 9 · Lo again — s plus a consonant.
• la schienathe backWeek 9
• il bracciothe armWeek 9
• i dentithe teethWeek 9
• [penso che…]I think that…Week 9
• [trovo che…]I find that…Week 9
• [secondo me]in my opinionWeek 9 · Literally according to me. Far more common than a mio parere.
• il problemathe problemWeek 9 · Ends in -a and is masculine — il problema. So are il tema and il sistema.
• Mi piace / adoro lo sport.I like / love ___.Week 9
• [Mi fa male] la testa.I have a headache.Week 9
• [Secondo me,] è interessante.In my opinion, it's interesting.Week 9
• [non capisco]I don't understandWeek 10
• [più lentamente, per favore]more slowly, pleaseWeek 10
• [può ripetere?]can you repeat?Week 10
• Che cosa significa…?What does … mean?Week 10
• Come si dice…?How do you say…?Week 10 · Point at the thing and say this. It works every time.
• alloraso, well thenWeek 11 · The single most common opener in spoken Italian. Start any sentence with it.
• dunqueso, thereforeWeek 11 · Slightly more formal than allora.
• poithen, and alsoWeek 11 · To add another point.
• [insomma]in short, wellWeek 11 · To wrap up, or to signal you are unimpressed.
• [in effetti]actually, in factWeek 11 · To correct yourself gently, without stopping.
• [cioè]that is to say, I meanWeek 11 · Extremely common. Buys you a whole second.