Basic Italian Phrases for Travel and Everyday Conversations

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Basic Italian phrases can help you open a conversation, order a coffee, ask for directions and recover when you miss something. A memorised list is only the beginning: you also need to know which phrase fits the person and situation in front of you.

Learning whole phrases has long been one of my language-hacking techniques. A good phrase gives you vocabulary, grammar and a speaking turn you can use straight away. Listening, feedback and repeated use then help you adapt it to real conversations.

This guide starts with a short exchange, then groups the phrases by job: greeting someone, repairing a misunderstanding, introducing yourself, ordering, getting around and closing the conversation.

Before we get started, if you’re looking for an online Italian course, here’s the course I recommend: Italian Uncovered – Learn Italian Through the Power of Story, a course with a fascinating new method by my friend Olly. You can try it for free for 7 days!

Start With One Useful Italian Mini-Dialogue

Imagine that you have walked into a café. This four-line exchange already gives you a greeting, a request, a polite refusal and a way to ask for the bill:

• Staff: Buongiorno. (“Hello.”)
• You: Buongiorno. Vorrei un caffè, per favore. (“Hello. I’d like a coffee, please.”)
• Staff: Altro? (“Anything else?”)
• You: No, grazie. Il conto, per favore. (“No, thank you. The bill, please.”)

Learn each phrase with three details: the situation, the register and the part you can change. In Vorrei un caffè, for example, you can replace un caffè with the thing you want.

Italian distinguishes informal tu from formal Lei, and the verb changes with it. Use the Lei forms labelled “formal” here with staff, strangers or anyone you want to address politely. Use the tu forms labelled “informal” with friends, children and people who have invited you to do so. Customs vary, so listen to what the other person uses and follow their lead.

“Hello” in Italian: Choose the Greeting by Context

• Hello / Hi, informal: Ciao. Use it with friends and in clearly informal settings.
• Hello / Good day: Buongiorno. This is a safe polite greeting with staff and strangers during the day.
• Good evening: Buonasera. Use it as the day moves into evening.
• Hello, neutral: Salve. This sits between very informal ciao and a time-specific greeting, though its feel varies by region and setting.

A greeting does not automatically call for cheek kisses. That depends on the relationship, region and occasion. Let the other person’s behaviour guide you. For more options, see our guide to Italian greetings.

“How Are You?” in Italian

• How’s it going?: Come va? This is a flexible conversational question.
• How are you?, informal: Come stai?
• How are you?, formal: Come sta?
• And you?, informal: E tu?
• And you?, formal: E Lei?

A natural short exchange is Come sta? Bene, grazie. E Lei? (“How are you? Fine, thank you. And you?”). Keep the register consistent instead of opening with a formal verb and switching to tu halfway through.

“I’m Good” and “I’m Not Good” in Italian

• Fine / Well: Bene.
• Very well: Molto bene.
• So-so: Così così.
• Not very well: Non molto bene.
• Badly: Male.

Add grazie and return the question when you want to keep the exchange going: Bene, grazie. E tu?

“Please” in Italian

Per favore means “please”. It often follows a request, but it is not locked to the end of every sentence. These patterns are more useful than the phrase on its own:

• A coffee, please: Un caffè, per favore.
• Could you repeat, please?, formal: Potrebbe ripetere, per favore?
• Please, come in: Prego, entri.

“Thank You” in Italian

• Thank you: Grazie.
• Thanks a lot: Grazie mille.
• Many thanks: Molte grazie. This is possible, but it is less everyday than grazie mille.
• Thank you for your help: Grazie per l’aiuto.

“You’re Welcome” in Italian

• You’re welcome: Prego.
• It’s nothing: Di niente. You may also hear Di nulla.
• Don’t mention it: Non c’è di che.
• No worries, informal: Figurati. The formal counterpart is Si figuri.

These are responses rather than perfect one-to-one translations. The right choice depends on the tone of the exchange.

“Good Morning” and Other Time-Based Greetings

• Good morning / Good day: Buongiorno.
• Good afternoon: Buon pomeriggio. It is correct, though many speakers continue with buongiorno or move to buonasera instead.
• Good evening: Buonasera.
• Have a good day: Buona giornata. This is a wish as you leave.
• Have a good evening: Buona serata. This is also usually said on departure.

The point when people switch greetings varies with region, season and habit. You do not need a strict timetable: notice what people around you say and mirror it.

“Good Night” in Italian

Buonanotte means “good night”. Use it when someone is heading home late or going to bed, not as the greeting when you arrive for an evening meal. At that point, use buonasera.

“Goodbye” in Italian

• Goodbye: Arrivederci.
• Bye, informal: Ciao.
• See you later: A più tardi.
• See you later / See you in a bit: A dopo.
• See you next time: Alla prossima.
• See you: Ci vediamo.

Addio is a much more final “farewell”, so it is not the everyday substitute for arrivederci.

“Yes” and “No” in Italian

• Yes: Sì. Keep the accent: si without it has other grammatical jobs.
• No: No.
• Yes, please: Sì, per favore.
• No, thank you: No, grazie.
• All right / That works: Va bene.
• Maybe: Forse.

“Excuse Me” in Italian

• Excuse me, formal: Mi scusi. Use it to get a stranger’s attention.
• Excuse me, informal: Scusa.
• May I get past?: Permesso? Use it when moving through a doorway or crowded space.

“Sorry” in Italian

For a light apology, use Scusi (formal) or Scusa (informal). Mi dispiace expresses a more substantive “I’m sorry”. Add the reason when it matters instead of expecting one phrase to repair every mistake.

Learn Repair Phrases Before You Need Them

A first conversation will not follow a script all the way through. Repair phrases let you slow it down, ask what a word means and check what you heard. They are often more useful than another list of nouns.

“Do You Speak…?” in Italian

• Do you speak English?, formal: Parla inglese?
• Do you speak English?, informal: Parli inglese?
• I speak only a little Italian: Parlo solo un po’ d’italiano.
• I don’t speak Italian: Non parlo italiano.
• Could you repeat?, formal: Potrebbe ripetere?
• Can you repeat?, informal: Puoi ripetere?
• Could you speak more slowly?, formal: Potrebbe parlare più lentamente?
• Can you speak more slowly?, informal: Puoi parlare più lentamente?
• How do you say … in Italian?: Come si dice … in italiano?

“I Don’t Know” and Other Comprehension Phrases

• I don’t know: Non lo so.
• I don’t understand: Non capisco.
• I didn’t understand: Non ho capito.
• I understand: Capisco.
• Got it: Capito.
• What does … mean?: Che cosa significa …?
• What did you say?, formal: Che cosa ha detto?
• What did you say?, informal: Cosa hai detto?
• What do you mean?, formal: Cosa intende?
• What do you mean?, informal: Cosa intendi?
• Could you write it down?, formal: Potrebbe scriverlo?

“What’s Your Name?” and Other Introductions

• What’s your name?, formal: Come si chiama?
• What’s your name?, informal: Come ti chiami?
• My name is …: Mi chiamo …
• I’m …: Sono …
• Nice to meet you: Piacere.
• Where are you from?, formal: Di dov’è?
• Where are you from?, informal: Di dove sei?
• I’m from …: Sono di …
• What do you do for work?, formal: Che lavoro fa?
• What do you do for work?, informal: Che lavoro fai?
• I’m a teacher: Sono insegnante.
• I work as …: Lavoro come …

The frames Sono insegnante and Lavoro come … avoid forcing every job into one masculine label. When a profession has distinct forms, learn the one that matches the person, such as cuoco/cuoca, scrittore/scrittrice or infermiere/infermiera.

Italian Conversation Fillers

Fillers can give you a moment to think, but they are not interchangeable decorations. Listen for how speakers use them, then try one at a time:

• Well …: Beh …
• So / Then …: Allora …
• Anyway …: Comunque …
• By the way …: A proposito …
• To tell the truth …: A dire la verità …
• Let’s see …: Vediamo …

Italian Phrases for Cafés, Shops and Getting Around

In a service situation, the formal forms are a safe default. Use vorrei for “I’d like”, then add the item. Use prendo when you are choosing something already in front of you.

• I’d like the menu, please: Vorrei il menù, per favore.
• I’d like …: Vorrei …
• I’ll take this, thank you: Prendo questo, grazie.
• That one, please: Quello, per favore.
• What do you recommend?, formal: Che cosa mi consiglia?
• Another one, please: Un altro, per favore. Use un’altra with a feminine noun.
• It’s delicious: È buonissimo! Use buonissima for a feminine item.
• The bill, please: Il conto, per favore.
• How much is it?: Quanto costa?
• Can I pay by card?: Posso pagare con la carta?
• Where is the bathroom?: Dov’è il bagno?
• Where is …?: Dov’è …?
• How do I get to …?: Come arrivo a …?
• Could you help me?, formal: Potrebbe aiutarmi?
• One ticket to Rome, please: Un biglietto per Roma, per favore.
• What time does it leave?: A che ora parte?
• Does this train go to …?: Questo treno va a …?
• Let’s go: Andiamo!

Turn Italian Words Into Usable Phrase Slots

A word is easier to use when you learn the frame around it. Instead of memorising stazione alone, learn Dov’è la stazione? (“Where is the station?”). Keep the article with each noun so you can reuse it accurately.

• Time: oggi (today), ieri (yesterday), domani (tomorrow), più tardi (later). Try Ci vediamo domani (“See you tomorrow”).
• Exact time: in punto means “on the dot”, as in alle otto in punto (“at eight on the dot”). It is not the general translation of “o’clock”.
• Numbers: uno, due, tre, quattro, cinque, sei, sette, otto, nove, dieci (one to ten).
• Drinks: l’acqua, il caffè, il tè, la birra, il vino. Put one after Vorrei …
• Food: il pollo, il pesce, le verdure, il cioccolato. Keep the article with the noun.
• Places: il supermercato, la banca, l’ufficio postale, la stazione di polizia, l’ospedale, il ristorante. Put one after Dov’è …?

When you need a wider vocabulary base, continue with these core Italian words. Check unfamiliar pronunciation in a source with audio; our Italian alphabet and pronunciation guide explains the main spelling patterns.

Everyday Italian Expressions and Marked Idioms

Recognising an expression is not the same as knowing when to use it. Start with the first four in context, and treat the final two as marked expressions rather than shortcuts to “sounding local”:

• That’s enough!: Basta!
• What a relief! / Luckily: Meno male! The literal wording is “less bad”.
• Don’t mention it / No worries, informal: Figurati! It comes from the idea “imagine!”, not “to appear”.
• At just the right moment: Capita a fagiolo. The image is literally “it arrives like a bean”.
• To act like a big shot: Fare il grande. This describes behaviour; it is not a neutral word for a successful person.
• To drink heavily: Alzare il gomito. Literally, it means “to raise the elbow”. Avoid aiming it at someone as a playful beginner phrase.

Practise These Basic Italian Phrases as a Conversation

Do not try to learn every phrase here at once. Choose one situation you expect to face, then build a four-line exchange for it:

1. Pick the register first: informal tu or formal Lei.
2. Choose a greeting, one request or question, one repair phrase and a closing.
3. Replace one slot with your real name, destination, order or job.
4. Listen to a trustworthy recording, read the exchange aloud and record yourself once.
5. Use it with a tutor or language exchange partner, ask for one correction, then try it again without reading.

After the conversation, keep the phrases you actually needed and change the ones that felt too vague. That cycle of preparing, using, getting feedback and trying again turns a list into speaking practice.

For a broader plan, read our guide to learning Italian. If you want a longer beginner path built around conversation, my Language Hacking Italian book is the closest companion to this phrase-first guide.