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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Ci vediamo lì! (See you there!)
Learning Italian? Check out these Italian language guides
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Over to you!
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