Updated July 2026 · Everyday Italian · 10-minute read · 🔊 every word has native audio
In short: the 100 Italian words that run everyday life — and your entire trip to Italy: food, places, time, and the tiny words between. Every word spoken aloud with its article. Learn ten a day; by next week you’re ordering at the mercato like you belong there. 👇
People & home
Word
English
Listen
la persona
person
la donna
woman
l’uomo
man
il bambino
child
la famiglia
family
l’amico
friend
il signore
gentleman / Mr.
la signora
lady / Mrs.
il nome
name
la casa
home / house
Food & drink (the important group)
Word
English
Listen
l’acqua
water
il pane
bread
il caffè
coffee
il tè
tea
il latte
milk
il vino
wine
il cibo
food
il pranzo
lunch
la zuppa
soup
la mela
apple
Time
Word
English
Listen
il tempo
time / weather
il giorno
day
la notte
night
la mattina
morning
la sera
evening
oggi
today
domani
tomorrow
ieri
yesterday
la settimana
week
l’anno
year
Places
Word
English
Listen
la città
city
la strada
street
il negozio
shop
il lavoro
work
la scuola
school
la chiesa
church
il mercato
market
la stazione
station
l’aeroporto
airport
l’ospedale
hospital
Verbs you can’t live without
Word
English
Listen
essere
to be
avere
to have
andare
to go
venire
to come
mangiare
to eat
bere
to drink
dormire
to sleep
parlare
to speak
capire
to understand
amare
to love
Everyday adjectives
Word
English
Listen
buono
good
cattivo
bad
grande
big
piccolo
small
nuovo
new
vecchio
old
bello
beautiful
delizioso
delicious
caro
expensive / dear
economico
cheap
Little words that run sentences
Word
English
Listen
io
I
tu
you
noi
we
lui
he
lei
she / formal you
questo
this
qui
here
là
there
adesso
now
sempre
always
Question words
Word
English
Listen
cosa
what
chi
who
dove
where
quando
when
perché
why
come
how
quanto
how much
quale
which
se
if
perché
because (same word!)
Connectors & tiny helpers
Word
English
Listen
e
and
ma
but
o
or
con
with
in
in
su
on
a
to / at
da
from / at
per
for
grazie
thank you (the word you’ll use most)
Heart & life
Word
English
Listen
il cuore
heart
la mano
hand
la testa
head
l’occhio
eye
i soldi
money
l’amore
love
la salute
health
la fortuna
luck
l’aiuto
help
la via
way / street
💡 Traveler’s shortcut: master the food group and the question words first — 80% of tourist Italian is “dove…?” (where) plus pointing at delicious things. The rest of the list makes you sound like you didn’t just arrive.
🇮🇹 The vowel rule that makes you sound Italian: every vowel gets pronounced, fully, always — “grande” is GRAHN-deh, never “grand”. Italians never swallow endings. Embrace the vowels and even these simple words start to sing.
📬 Take this lesson with you
A tiny Italian lesson in your inbox every few days — words, audio, and a small story from everyday life. Free forever.
How many Italian words do I need for a trip to Italy?
These 100 cover the core — add greetings (ciao, buongiorno), the politeness pair (grazie/prego) and numbers, and you can order, shop, ask directions and charm every nonna in your path. All three of those lessons are linked below.
Why do Italian words have il, la and l’ in front?
Italian nouns have gender — il/lo (masculine), la (feminine), l’ before vowels. Learn the article with the word (il caffè, la casa) and the rest of Italian grammar becomes dramatically easier.
What’s the most important Italian word to know?
Grazie — thank you. It opens doors, warms shopkeepers, and pairs with prego in Italy’s politest little ritual. It’s in this list with audio, and it has a whole lesson of its own.
