TOP 100 Most Common Italian Words + 📚 FREE PDF & Quiz

The best way to learn Italian is by first focusing on learning the 80/20 of vocabulary. That means, learning the top 20% of Italian words that are used in 80% of everyday situations and conversations. With that in mind, in this guide you’ll find just over 100 most common Italian words. Think of these as the building blocks you need to unblock and unlock your ability to effectively communicate and understand Italian. By mastering these Italian words, you can better navigate real-life situations, build sentences, and progress to more complex Italian vocabulary and grammar.

Now let’s take a look at 100 most common Italian words. These have been divided into categories including adverbs, nouns, pronouns, prepositions, adjectives for ease of use. I’ve covered the most common Italian verbs, Italian greetings, how to introduce yourself, days of the week, and numbers in Italian separately. There is even a little quiz at the end so you can practice.

100 Most Common Italian Words Summary

Most Common Italian Adverbs

Adverbs add depth to sentences by modifying verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. They help convey information about time, place, manner, degree, and frequency. Here are 20 frequently used Italian adverbs:

No.	English	Italian	Pronunciation	Example Sentence (Italian)	English Translation
1	Now	Ora	Oh-rah	Ora è il momento giusto.	Now is the right time.
2	Here	Qui	Kwee	Vieni qui, per favore.	Come here, please.
3	There	Là	Lah	Il libro è là.	The book is there.
4	Always	Sempre	Sehm-pray	Ti amerò sempre.	I will love you always.
5	Never	Mai	My	Non smetterò mai di provarci.	I will never stop trying.
6	Very	Molto	Mohl-toh	È molto gentile.	He/She is very kind.
7	Too much	Troppo	Troh-poh	Ho mangiato troppo.	I ate too much.
8	Well	Bene	Beh-neh	Parla italiano molto bene.	He/She speaks Italian very well.
9	Badly	Male	Mah-leh	Mi sento male.	I feel bad.
10	Quickly	Velocemente	Veh-loh-cheh-men-teh	Corri velocemente!	Run quickly!
11	Slowly	Lentamente	Lehn-tah-men-teh	Parla lentamente, per favore.	Speak slowly, please.
12	Often	Spesso	Speh-soh	Vado al cinema spesso.	I often go to the cinema.
13	Sometimes	A volte	Ah vohl-teh	A volte piove qui.	Sometimes it rains here.
14	Hereafter	D’ora in poi	Doh-rah een poy	D’ora in poi sarò più attento.	From now on, I will be more careful.
15	Almost	Quasi	Kwah-zee	Ho quasi finito.	I’m almost done.
16	Early	Presto	Preh-stoh	Arriva sempre presto.	He/She always arrives early.
17	Late	Tardi	Tar-dee	È tardi, dobbiamo andare.	It’s late, we need to go.
18	Certainly	Certamente	Chair-ta-men-teh	Sarò lì, certamente.	I’ll be there, certainly.
19	Already	Già	Jyah	Ho già mangiato.	I have already eaten.
20	Patience	Pazienza	Pah-tsyen-tsah	Non importa, pazienza.	Nevermind, patience.

Most Common Italian Adjectives

Adjectives bring color and description to nouns. They help convey the characteristics, qualities, or attributes of objects, people, or concepts. Here are 30 frequently used Italian adjectives:

No.	English	Italian	Pronunciation	Example Sentence (Italian)	English Translation
1	Big	Grande	Grahn-deh	Questo è un grande giorno.	This is a big day.
2	Small	Piccolo	Pee-koh-loh	Ho un piccolo regalo per te.	I have a small gift for you.
3	Good	Buono	Bwoh-noh	Questo cibo è buono.	This food is good.
4	Bad/Naughty	Cattivo	Kaht-tee-voh	Quel bambino è davvero cattivo.	That baby is really naughty.
5	Beautiful	Bello/Bella	Behl-loh/Behl-lah	Hai una bella casa.	You have a beautiful house.
6	Ugly	Brutto/Brutta	Broot-toh/Broot-tah	Quel quadro è davvero brutto.	That painting is really ugly.
7	New	Nuovo/Nuova	Nwoh-voh/Nwoh-vah	Ho comprato un vestito nuovo.	I bought a new dress.
8	Old	Vecchio/Vecchia	Vehk-kyoh/Vehk-kyah	Questo è un vecchio amico.	This is an old friend.
9	Young	Giovane	Jovah-neh	È un talento molto giovane.	He/She is a very young talent.
10	Old-fashioned	Antico/Antica	Ahn-tee-koh/Ahn-tee-kah	Questo è un orologio antico.	This is an old-fashioned watch.
11	Modern	Moderno/Moderna	Moh-dehr-noh/Moh-dehr-nah	Questo è un edificio moderno.	This is a modern building.
12	Happy	Felice	Feh-lee-cheh	Sono molto felice di vederti.	I’m very happy to see you.
13	Sad	Triste	Treest-eh	Questa notizia è davvero triste.	This news is really sad.
14	Funny	Divertente	Dee-vehr-ten-teh	Quel film è davvero divertente.	That movie is really funny.
15	Serious	Serio/Seria	Seh-ree-oh/Seh-ree-ah	È un argomento serio.	It’s a serious topic.
16	Easy	Facile	Fah-chee-leh	Questo compito è molto facile.	This task is very easy.
17	Difficult	Difficile	Dee-fee-chee-leh	Questo esercizio è difficile.	This exercise is difficult.
18	Tasty	Gustoso/Gustosa	Goo-stoh-soh/Goo-stoh-sah	Questo piatto è davvero gustoso.	This dish is really tasty.
19	Bland	Insipido/Insipida	Een-see-pee-doh/Een-see-pee-dah	Questa zuppa è insipida.	This soup is bland.
20	Hot	Caldo/Calda	Kahl-doh/Kahl-dah	Fa davvero caldo oggi.	It’s really hot today.
21	Cold	Freddo/Fredda	Frehd-doh/Frehd-dah	Il gelato è buonissimo anche se fa freddo.	The ice cream is delicious even though it’s cold.
22	Soft	Morbido/Morbida	Mohr-bee-doh/Mohr-bee-dah	Il cuscino è molto morbido.	The pillow is very soft.
23	Hard	Duro/Dura	Doo-roh/Doo-rah	Questo pane è troppo duro.	This bread is too hard.
24	Sweet	Dolce	Dohl-cheh	Mi piace il cibo dolce.	I like sweet food.
25	Sour	Acido/Acida	Ah-chee-doh/Ah-chee-dah	Questa limonata è troppo acida.	This lemonade is too sour.
26	Spicy	Piccante	Peek-kahn-teh	Questo cibo è davvero piccante.	This food is really spicy.
27	Mild	Delicato/Delicata	Deh-lee-kah-toh/Deh-lee-kah-tah	Questo vino ha un sapore delicato.	This wine has a mild flavor.
28	Strong	Forte	For-teh	È una persona molto forte.	He/She is a very strong person.
29	Weak	Debole	Deh-boh-leh	Mi sento debole oggi.	I feel weak today.
30	Bright	Luminoso/Luminosa	Loo-mee-noh-soh/Loo-mee-noh-sah	Questa luce è molto luminosa.	This light is very bright.

Most Common Italian Nouns

Nouns are the names of people, places, things, and concepts. They are the core components of sentences and provide context to conversations. Here are 50 frequently used Italian nouns:

N o.	English	Italian	Pronunciation	Example Sentence (Italian)	English Translation
1	Friend	Amico/Amica	Ah-mee-koh/Ah-mee-kah	Lui è il mio migliore amico.	He is my best friend.
2	Family	Famiglia	Fah-mee-lyah	La famiglia è importante.	Family is important.
3	Home	Casa	Kah-sah	Questa è la mia casa.	This is my home.
4	Work	Lavoro	Lah-voh-roh	Mi piace il mio lavoro.	I like my job.
5	Love	Amore	Ah-moh-reh	L’amore è una cosa meravigliosa.	Love is a wonderful thing.
6	Time	Tempo	Tehm-poh	Non ho abbastanza tempo.	I don’t have enough time.
7	Place	Luogo	Loo-oh-goh	È un luogo bellissimo.	It’s a beautiful place.
8	City	Città	Chee-tah	Vivo in una piccola città.	I live in a small city.
9	Country	Paese	Pah-eh-zeh	L’Italia è un bellissimo paese.	Italy is a beautiful country.
10	World	Mondo	Mohn-doh	Il mondo è pieno di meraviglie.	The world is full of wonders.
11	Food	Cibo	Chee-boh	Mi piace cucinare cibo italiano.	I like cooking Italian food.
12	Water	Acqua	Ah-kwah	Bevi molta acqua ogni giorno.	Drink a lot of water every day.
13	Wine	Vino	Vee-noh	Questo è un ottimo vino.	This is an excellent wine.
14	Beer	Birra	Beer-rah	Prendiamo una birra insieme.	Let’s have a beer together.
15	Coffee	Caffè	Kahf-feh	Non posso fare a meno del caffè al mattino.	I can’t do without coffee in the morning.
16	Tea	Tè	Teh	Bevo sempre tè verde.	I always drink green tea.
17	Book	Libro	Lee-broh	Questo è un libro interessante.	This is an interesting book.
18	School	Scuola	Skwoh-lah	Vado a scuola ogni giorno.	I go to school every day.
19	University	Università	Oo-nee-ver-see-tah	Studio all’università.	I study at the university.
20	Job	Lavoro	Lah-voh-roh	Ha un buon lavoro.	He/She has a good job.
21	Money	Soldi	Sohl-dee	Ho bisogno di più soldi.	I need more money.
22	Day	Giorno	Jor-noh	Oggi è un bellissimo giorno.	Today is a beautiful day.
23	Night	Notte	Noh-teh	Mi piace passeggiare di notte.	I like walking at night.
24	Morning	Mattina	Maht-tee-nah	La mattina è il mio momento preferito.	Morning is my favorite time.
25	Evening	Sera	Seh-rah	Ci vediamo questa sera.	See you this evening.
26	Week	Settimana	Seht-tee-mah-nah	Questa è stata una settimana impegnativa.	This has been a busy week.
27	Month	Mese	Meh-zeh	Il mio compleanno è il mese prossimo.	My birthday is next month.
28	Year	Anno	Ahn-noh	Questo è stato un anno fantastico.	This has been a fantastic year.
29	Thing	Cosa	Koh-sah	Hai fatto una cosa buona.	You did a good thing.
30	Place	Posto	Poh-stoh	Ho trovato un bel posto per mangiare.	I found a nice place to eat.
31	Problem	Problema	Pro-bleh-mah	Abbiamo un piccolo problema.	We have a small problem.
32	Question	Domanda	Doh-mahn-dah	Ho una domanda da farti.	I have a question to ask you.
33	Answer	Risposta	Rees-poh-stah	Aspetto la tua risposta.	I’m waiting for your answer.
34	Idea	Idea	Ee-deh-ah	Ho avuto un’ottima idea.	I had a great idea.
35	News	Notizia	Noh-tee-tsyah	Ho sentito una notizia interessante.	I heard an interesting news.
36	Garden	Giardino	Jyar-dee-noh	Mi rilasso nel mio giardino.	I relax in my garden.
37	Beach	Spiaggia	Spee-ah-jah	Amo passare il tempo in spiaggia.	I love spending time at the beach.
38	Mountain	Montagna	Mohn-tah-nyah	Questa montagna è molto alta.	This mountain is very high.
39	River	Fiume	Foo-ee-meh	Mi piace passeggiare lungo il fiume.	I enjoy walking along the river.
40	Forest	Foresta	For-eh-stah	Mi piace fare escursioni nella foresta.	I enjoy hiking in the forest.
41	Lake	Lago	Lah-goh	Questo lago è davvero tranquillo.	This lake is really peaceful.
42	Sky	Cielo	Chee-eh-loh	Il cielo è così sereno oggi.	The sky is so clear today.
43	Cloud	Nuvola	Noo-voh-lah	Le nuvole sono bianche e soffici.	The clouds are white and fluffy.
44	Sun	Sole	Soh-leh	Il sole splende luminoso.	The sun is shining brightly.
45	Moon	Luna	Loo-nah	La luna è piena stasera.	The moon is full tonight.
46	Star	Stella	Stel-lah	Le stelle brillano nel cielo notturno.	The stars shine in the night sky.
47	Wind	Vento	Vehn-toh	Oggi c’è un vento leggero.	There’s a light wind today.
48	Rain	Pioggia	Pyoh-jah	La pioggia rende tutto fresco.	The rain makes everything fresh.
49	Snow	Neve	Neh-veh	Mi piace la neve.	I like snows.
50	Flower	Fiore	Fyo-reh	Questi fiori sono così colorati.	These flowers are so colorful.
51	House	Casa	Kah-sah	La tua casa è bellissima.	Your house is beautiful.
52	Car	Auto	Ow-toh	Ho appena comprato un’auto nuova.	I just bought a new car.
53	Dog	Cane	Kah-neh	Il mio cane è molto giocoso.	My dog is very playful.

Italian Pronouns

Pronouns substitute nouns, aiding in sentence flow and clarity. They prevent redundancy and facilitate effective communication. Here are 10 frequently used Italian pronouns:

No.	English	Italian	Pronunciation	Example Sentence (Italian)	English Translation
1	I	Io	Ee-oh	Io amo l’Italia.	I love Italy.
2	You (singular)	Tu	Too	Tu sei gentile.	You are kind.
3	He/She	Lui/Lei	Loo-ee/Lay-ee	Lui è simpatico.	He is friendly.
4	We	Noi	Noy	Noi studiamo italiano.	We study Italian.
5	You (plural)	Voi	Voy	Voi siete bravi.	You are good.
6	They	Loro	Lo-roh	Loro sono simpatici.	They are friendly.
7	Me	Me	Meh	Vieni con me?	Are you coming with me?
8	Him/Her	Lo/La	Loh/Lah	Lo vedo spesso	I see him often.
9	Us	Ci	Chee	Ci piace la musica.	We like music.

Italian Prepositions

Prepositions establish relationships between words and provide context in sentences. They denote direction, time, location, and more. Below are 10 frequently used Italian prepositions. For more details on how to use them, visit my complete guide to Italian prepositions.

No.	English	Italian	Pronunciation	Example Sentence (Italian)	English Translation
1	In	In	Een	Vado in Italia.	I’m going to Italy.
2	On	Su	Soo	Il libro è su tavolo.	The book is on the table.
3	Under	Sotto	Soht-toh	Il gatto è sotto il tavolo.	The cat is under the table.
4	With	Con	Cohn	Vado al cinema con te.	I’m going to the movies with you.
5	Without	Senza	Sehn-tsah	Bevo il caffè senza zucchero.	I drink coffee without sugar.
6	Of	Di	Dee	Questo è il libro di Maria.	This is Maria’s book.
7	For	Per	Pair	Ho comprato un regalo per te.	I bought a gift for you.
8	To	A	Ah	Vado a scuola.	I’m going to school.
9	From	Da	Dah	Sono da mio nonno.	I’m at my grandfather’s.
10	Between	Tra/Fra	Trah/Frah	Ci vediamo tra due ore.	See you in two hours.

Italian Articles

Articles, both definite (the) and indefinite (a, an), accompany Italian nouns and signal specificity. They can be either masculine or feminine. Understanding these articles is vital for accurate communication. Below are 10 frequently used Italian articles. For more details about how and when to use them, visit my complete guide to grammatical gender and Italian articles.

No.	English	Italian	Pronunciation	Example Sentence (Italian)	English Translation
1	The	Il/La	Eel/Lah	Il libro è sulla tavola.	The book is on the table.
2	A/An	Un/Una	Oon/Oo-nah	Ho comprato un regalo.	I bought a gift.
3	Some	Dei/Delle	Day/Del-leh	Ho comprato delle mele.	I bought some apples.
4	This	Questo/Questa	Kwes-toh/Kwes-tah	Questo è il mio amico.	This is my friend.
5	That	Quello/Quella	Kwel-lo/Kwel-lah	Quella è una bella macchina.	That is a beautiful car.
6	These	Questi/Queste	Kwes-tee/Kwes-teh	Questi sono i miei genitori.	These are my parents.
7	Those	Quelli/Quelle	Kwel-lee/Kwel-leh	Quelle sono le mie scarpe.	Those are my shoes.
8	My	Il mio/La mia	Eel mee-oh/Lah mee-ah	Questo è il mio cane.	This is my dog.
9	Your	Il tuo/La tua	Eel too-oh/Lah too-ah	Questa è la tua borsa.	This is your bag.
10	His/Her	Il suo/La sua	Eel soo-oh/Lah soo-ah	Questo è il suo libro.	This is his/her book.

Conclusion

Learning this list of common Italian words and gradually incorporating them into your vocabulary means you’re off to a great start in learning Italian.

Equipped with these 100 most common Italian words, as well as essential Italian prepositions, verb, articles and pronouns, you can begin to confidently engage in conversations with Italian speakers. This is where the fun begins! You’ll be able to express yourself in various contexts thanks to laying a strong foundation to further your language development.

How well do you know the most common Italian words? Take the quiz!

Before leaving, here’s a quiz for you to actively practice what you’ve learned so far. It might seem tricky at first, but with a proper study method and the right amount of practice, knowing how to master the most common Italian words will be un gioco da ragazzi (a no-brainer)!

What do the following Italian words mean? Choose the correct answer.

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