Family is a vital institution everywhere in the world, but particularly in Italy. It’s not a cliche: Italians love their family, A LOT. And even if things have changed over the last few decades and huge, extended families aren’t as common as before, Italians still feel a connection toward their family members that’s hard to find in other Western countries.

But then, who doesn’t love their mom and dad, their grannies or little children, and doesn’t feel the need to talk about them with friends? As stated before, Italian extended families are greatly valued in Italian society, so knowing how to talk about them is essential. That’s why we’ve written this guide on how to talk about family in Italian.

Here at ItalianPod101, you’ll learn the basic Italian for family members, read through some Italian family phrases for reference, and discover some very interesting Italian quotes for family. But first, a little information on the average Italian family unit and Italian family roles.

Table of Contents

1. Italian Family Culture: What are Italian Families Like?
2. Dictionary of Terms about Family in Italian
3. Respect Terms vs. Endearment Terms in Italian
4. Italian Quotes and Proverbs about Family
5. ItalianPod101: Learn Italian in the Blink of an Eye with Our Great Tools

1. Italian Family Culture: What are Italian Families Like?

As mentioned above, Italian families have changed a lot in recent history. Until the Fifties, Italy had a largely agricultural economy, with extended, strongly patriarchal families working on lands that they often didn’t own. Then, the economic boom and industrial development happened, with millions of people quickly moving from the poor and undeveloped countryside to the rapidly growing cities. As a consequence, the nuclear family—living in an apartment and raising a small number of children—became the norm.

Nevertheless, uncles, aunts, and cousins are still very important in Italy, probably more so than in other European countries. Cousins are the best game buddies of almost every Italian child, while uncles and aunts are teachers, baby sitters, supports, and examples.

And what about grandparents? Well, they’re simply one of the key figures of every Italian. Since the country doesn’t have a strong enough network of kindergartens, little Italian children spend a lot of their time with their grandparents while their parents are at work.

Growing up with Italian family values certainly has some great pros. As for Italian family traditions, Sunday isn’t simply a day off, but a family meeting with tons of delicious food and loud chats. And there’s always a cousin living in some small Southern city with amazing beaches, who’s very happy to host you during summer holidays.

But there are also some cons. For example, the amoral familism studied by the political scientist Edward C. Banfield in 1955 still somehow survives. That’s to say that Italians often see the interest of their family as more important than the interest of society, even when it damages collective goods.

Many of the Italian family qualities have changed over time, especially since the Italian society is now multicultural. Moreover, a growing number of young people leave the country to look for better opportunities abroad. As a consequence, families are becoming more and more the product of different cultures and experiences.

But enough with history and social sciences. Now that you know a little more about the meaning of family in Italy, let’s dive into our guide of terms about family in Italian!

2. Dictionary of Terms about Family in Italian

Do you want to know how to say “father” in Italian? And what about “mother,” “grandmother,” “aunt,” and all the other Italian family members term that every good family guy must know? Check out our dictionary.

But before that, let’s learn how to say “family” and “my family” in Italian, the root of every family-based conversation.

The Italian word for “family” is famiglia, which is similar in many other European languages. That’s because this word comes from the latin familia, which has an even more ancient origin: faama, meaning “house” in the Oscan language. Fascinating, isn’t it?

So, let’s see some examples of use:

• Example: La mia famiglia è originaria dell’Italia Centrale.
• Translation: “My family comes from Central Italy.”
• Example: Ieri sono andata a trovare la famiglia di Marco.
• Translation: “Yesterday I went to visit Marco’s family.”
• Example: Ho una famiglia molto numerosa.
• Translation: “I have a very big family.”

1- Italian Terms for Parents

• Madre: “Mother”
  • Example: Mia madre è medico e lavora all’ospedale.
  • Translation: “My mother is a doctor and she works at the hospital.”
• Padre: “Father”
  • Example: Il padre di Andrea è molto simpatico.
  • Translation: “Andrea’s father is very nice.”

2- Italian Terms for One’s Children

• Figlio: “Son”
  • Example: Giovanna ha un figlio di tre anni.
  • Translation: “Giovanna has a three-year-old son.”
• Figlia: “Daughter”
  • Example: Mia figlia va molto bene a scuola.
  • Translation: “My daughter is very good at school.”

3- Italian Terms for Siblings

• Fratello: “Brother”
  • Example: Io e mio fratello non andiamo d’accordo.
  • Translation: “My brother and I don’t get along.”
• Sorella: “Sister”
  • Example: Mia sorella si è trasferita a Londra per studiare.
  • Translation: “My sister has moved to London to study.”

4- Italian Terms for Grandparents

• Nonno: “Grandfather”
  • Example: Mio nonno è stato importantissimo per me.
  • Translation: “My grandfather was very important to me.”
• Nonna: “Grandmother”
  • Example: Questo piatto è una ricetta che mi ha insegnato mia nonna.
  • Translation: “This dish is a recipe my grandmother taught me.”

5- Italian Terms for Grandchildren, Nephews, and Nieces

• Nipote: “Grandchild” (m. and f.), “nephew,” and “niece”
  • Example: Mia nipote adora la pallavolo.
  • Translation: “My granddaughter loves volleyball.”
  • Example: Hai già conosciuto mio nipote, Matteo?
  • Translation: “Have you already met my grandson, Matteo?”
  • Example: Quanti anni ha tua nipote, la figlia di tuo fratello?
  • Translation: “How old is your niece, the daughter of your brother?”

6- Italian Terms for Aunts and Uncles

• Zio: “Uncle”
  • Example: Lo zio di Marta vive negli Stati Uniti.
  • Translation: “Marta’s uncle lives in the United States.”
• Zia: “Aunt”
  • Example: La zia di Luca è molto giovane: ha solo 30 anni.
  • Translation: “Luca’s aunt is very young, she’s only 30 years old.”

7- Italian Terms for Cousins

• Cugino: “Cousin” (male)
  • Example: Hai chiamato tuo cugino?
  • Translation: “Did you call your cousin?”
• Cugina: “Cousin” (female)
  • Example: Ieri ho incontrato tua cugina al concerto.
  • Translation: “Yesterday I saw your cousin at the concert.”

8- Italian Terms for Family Members as a Married Person

• Marito: “Husband”
  • Example: Il marito di Lucia è appassionato di trekking.
  • Translation: “Lucia’s husband is a trekking enthusiast.”
• Moglie: “Wife”
  • Example: No, mia moglie non è in casa.
  • Translation: “No, my wife isn’t at home.”
• Suocero: “Father-in-law”
  • Example: Mio suocero era un pittore e poeta.
  • Translation: “My father-in-law was a painter and a poet.”
• Suocera: “Mother-in-law”
  • Example: Mia suocera purtroppo è morta prima che mio figlio nascesse.
  • Translation: “Unfortunately, my mother-in-law died before my son was born.”
• Genero: “Son-in-law”
  • Example: L’uomo vestito di blu è il genero di GIuliano.
  • Translation: “The man dressed in blue is Giuliano’s son-in-law.”
• Nuora: “Daughter-in-law”
  • Example: Io e mia nuora siamo molto legate.
  • Translation: “My daughter-in-law and I are very close.”
• Cognato: “Brother-in-law”
  • Example: Io e mio cognato siamo amici d’infanzia.
  • Translation: “My brother-in-law and I are childhood friends.”
• Cognata: “Sister-in-law”
  • Example: Andavo a scuola con tua cognata, alle elementari.
  • Translation: “I went to school with your sister-in-law, at primary school.”

3. Respect Terms vs. Endearment Terms in Italian

The terms for family in Italian are both common terms and respectful terms. Unlike in other languages, Japanese for example, Italian doesn’t have specific respectful expressions when talking about a third party.

When addressing someone older than you whom you’re not familiar with, or in a formal relationship, you’re expected to use the third person lei formula. But in a family, you don’t usually do this; you simply address everyone with the second person tu. Although, if you’re about to meet your parents-in-law and they’re old, it can be polite to start with lei. Afterwards, they’ll most certainly ask you to switch to the more familiar tu.

And what about endearment terms? You’re expected to only use them in a family context, and they are:

• Papà: “Dad”
• Babbo: “Dad “in Central Italy
• Mamma: “Mom”
• Nonnina: “Granny”
• Nonnino: “Grandpa”

4. Italian Quotes and Proverbs about Famil

There are so many Italian quotes about family and local proverbs, that it’s really hard to choose which ones to include. We’ve collected a few of the most famous Italian family quotes for you below:

• Mogli e buoi dei paesi tuoi.
  “When you choose a wife or a cow, it’s better to go to your own village.”
• Il frutto non cade mai lontano dall’albero.
  “A fruit always falls next to its tree.”
  Note: This phrase means that a bad person always comes from a bad family or environment.
• Parenti serpenti.
  “Relatives are like snakes.”
  Note: This phrase means that relatives are dangerous and traitors.
• Tale padre, tale figlio.
  “Like father, like son.”

5. ItalianPod101: Learn Italian in the Blink of an Eye with Our Great Tools

Are you eager to start talking to your Italian family like you’d grown up with them? Then we can help you. Here at ItalianPod101, we’ve created a series of amazing tools to help you learn Italian in a heartbeat, while having fun! For example, our super-efficient apps, that allow you to learn everywhere you are and anytime you want. And if you’re in doubt, you can always count on the advice of our friendly community.

Start now! But before you head off, let us know in the comments if there are any family terms you still want to know! We look forward to hearing from you.

Traveling is wonderful. You get to know new places and ways of life, meet different people, and relax—far from your usual routine. Regular contact with a new language is another huge plus. And when you travel, you can learn that language in the most fun and interesting way.

Nevertheless, you should still know a few important phrases before jumping on a plane and heading for a new country. If that country is Italy, there’s even more reason to learn some phrases in advance; we’ll explain why in a bit.

Ready to learn Italian travel phrases, and other Italian phrases about travel?

Welcome to ItalianPod101’s guide to Italian phrases for travel!

Table of Contents

1. Why it’s Important to Know a Few Phrases when Traveling
2. Do Italians Speak English?
3. The Essential Italian Phrases for Travel
4. How ItalianPod101 Can Help You Get Ready for Your Travel to Italy

1. Why it’s Important to Know a Few Phrases when Traveling

Before we go over our list of common Italian travel phrases, do you know why they’re important to learn in the first place?

There are at least three reasons why you should learn some bits of a language before your trip:

• Because you’ll start knowing the country that you’ll soon be visiting. Language is a key element in culture, and it’s a window to look into its habits and traditions.
• Because you’ll be able to talk to everyone in the most direct way. People tend to appreciate tourists that speak a bit of their language—and you might end up with some new friends!
• Because you might need these phrases in case of an emergency. English is a widely spoken language in most of the world, but this doesn’t mean that everyone knows it. In fact, it’s estimated that there are about 1.5-billion English-speakers in the world. This is a lot, but it’s still only twenty percent of the world’s population.

2. Do Italians Speak English?

According to the English Proficiency Index, Italy ranks twenty-fourth out of thirty-two European countries for English-speaking skills. This is worse than any other Western European country except France (which still is a nice victory over its cousins beyond the Alps). It’s also the worst of most of the old Eastern Bloc.

Why? Mainly because Italy is an old country. The average age is very high and people over sixty-five years old rarely speak English. Most young people today speak at least some basic English, but when visiting Italy, you’ll notice that the population, in general, is older than in other countries. Italians also have a higher retirement age, meaning that they keep on working longer, so you’re more likely to be in contact with them.

So yes, it’s a nice idea to learn some key Italian phrases to be able to communicate a bit.

Knowing just a few simple Italian travel phrases will make your life—and the lives of the many Italians that you’ll meet—better. Furthermore, Italian is the language of love, and we at ItalianPod101 strongly believe that everybody should know at least some Italian travel words and phrases.

3. The Essential Italian Phrases for Travel

We’ve created an easy-to-use collection of the most useful Italian phrases for tourists on their Italy travels. Enjoy!

1- Useful Italian Travel Phrases for Good Manners

We’ll start off with some phrases to help you practice good manners in Italy. Here’s an essential list of greetings and other useful expressions for your Italy travels. You can also hear Italian travel phrases with pronunciation by visiting our relevant vocabulary lists, where you can find an audio alongside these useful phrases.

• Ciao
  • “Hello.”
• Buongiorno
  • “Good morning,” or “Good day.” This phrase is actually used until about four o’clock p.m.
• Buonasera
  • “Good evening.”
• Buonanotte
  • “Good night.”
• Sì
  • “Yes.”
• No
  • “No.”
• Grazie
  • “Thank you.”
• Per favore
  • “Please.”
• Scusa
  • “Excuse me.” This can also mean, “Forgive me,” when said to a young person or a friend.
• Scusi
  • This means the same thing, but when said to an older person or in a formal occasion.
• Come va?
  • “How are you?”
• Bene, grazie
  • “Fine, thanks.”
• Non parlo italiano
  • “I don’t speak Italian.”
• Bello
  • “Beautiful,” or “Great.” You’ll notice that Italians say this a lot.

2- Essential Italian Travel Phrases for Transportation

Some of the most useful travel phrases in Italian have to do with getting from A to B. Moving around in Italy, especially in Rome or Naples, can be a bit complicated. Buses aren’t always the most reliable means of transportation, and metros don’t cover the entire city.

But don’t worry, you have our collection of basic Italian phrases for travel to help you get around Italy anyway!

• Dov’è la fermata dell’autobus?
  • “Where is the bus stop?”
• Dov’è la stazione della metropolitana?
  • “Where is the metro station?”
• Quante fermate per il Colosseo?
  • “How many stops to the Colosseum?”
• Dritto
  • “Straight.”
• A destra
  • “To the right.”
• A sinistra
  • “To the left.”
• Quando passa l’autobus?
  • “When does the bus come?”
• A che ora parte il treno?
  • “What time does the train leave?”
• Quanto costa il biglietto?
  • “How much is the ticket?”
• Quanto costa la corsa in taxi fino all’aeroporto?
  • “How much is the taxi ride to the airport?”

3- Italian Phrases for Accomodation

In the vast majority of hotels and other accommodation structures, you’ll find an English-speaking staff. But things might be different if you stay at a small B&B or if you rent a home in someone’s apartment, especially far from the most popular tourist destinations.

In that case, you can find a host that speaks very poor English or doesn’t speak it at all.

If that does happen to you, here are some key Italian travel phrases to know:

• Avete una camera libera per stanotte?
  • “Do you have a free room for tonight?”
• Quanto costa la camera?
  • “How much is the room?”
• A che ora è il check-in/check-out?
  • “What time is the check-in/check-out?”
• A che ora servite la colazione?
  • “What time do you serve breakfast?”
• Posso pagare con carta di credito?
  • “Can I pay with credit card?”
• Vorrei una camera con due letti singoli/con un letto matrimoniale.
  • “I’d like a room with two single beds/one double bed.”

4- Italian Phrases for Visiting

Yes, most staff in museums and tourist sites speak English. But still, isn’t it more charming to speak Italian while walking down the Uffizi Gallery or Pompei’s roads? Check out these basic Italian words for tourists visiting this country’s many beauties:

• Avete una guida in inglese?
  • “Do you have a guide in English?”
• Quanto dura la visita?
  • “How long does the visit take?”
• Amo l’arte italiana.
  • “I love the Italian art.”
• Chi è l’autore di questo dipinto?
  • “Who’s the author of this painting?”
• Di che epoca è questo sito?
  • “What time period is this site from?”
• In quale secolo è stata costruita questa chiesa?
  • “In what century was this church built?”

5- Italian Phrases for Shopping

Shopping in Italy is something you can’t miss. Fashion, art, handicrafts, antiques, food, wine…there are so many unique products you can only buy here. Here are the most useful Italian phrases for travel and shopping:

• Quanto costa?
  • “How much is it?”
• Costa…:
  • “It costs….”
• Posso avere uno sconto?
  • “Can I have a discount?”
• A che ora aprite?
  • “What time do you open?”
• A che ora chiudete?
  • “What time do you close?”
• Apriamo/chiudiamo alle…:
  • “We open/close at…”
• Vorrei restituire questo.
  • “I’d like to return this.”
• Può fare un pacchetto regalo, per favore?
  • “Can you gift wrap it, please?”
• Siete aperti di domenica?
  • “Are you open on Sundays?”
• Avete questa camicia in una taglia più grande/più piccola?
  • “Do you have this shirt in a bigger/smaller size?”

6- Italian Phrases for Emergencies

Nobody wants to experience an emergency, especially when far from home. It’s better to be prepared, but we want to reassure you: Italy is a safe country. Petty crime is common in crowded places, like in every other country in the world, but violent crime is rare.

Things have changed a lot over the last few decades, and crime statistics show a constant decrease. Moreover, the country has one of the best public healthcare systems in the world, even if hospitals in the South tend to be worse than in the North. Policemen always speak at least a little English at the tourist locations, as do most doctors across the country.

Still, if you have a condition or severe allergies, it’s always wise to learn their name in the native language before going abroad.

Check out these Italian phrases for tourists experiencing an emergency:

• Aiuto!
  • “Help!”
• Chiamate la polizia.
  • “Call the police.”
• Chiamate un’ambulanza.
  • “Call an ambulance.”
• Mi hanno derubato.
  • “I’ve been robbed.”
• Mi hanno rubato il portafoglio / il cellulare / la borsa.
  • “They stole my wallet / cellphone / bag.”
• Devo andare all’ambasciata di [your country].
  • “I have to go to the embassy of [your country].”
• Dove ha male?
  • “Where does it hurt?”
• Ho male al petto / alla pancia / alla schiena.
  • “My chest / my stomach / my back hurts.”
• Prende delle medicine ogni giorno?
  • “Do you take some daily medication?”
• Sì, prendo…
  • “Yes, I take…”
• Ha delle allergie?
  • “Do you have any allergies?”
• Sì, sono allergico a [allergen name].
  • “Yes, I’m allergic to…”
• Non trovo mio figlio.
  • “I can’t find my son.”
• Mi sono perso.
  • “I got lost.”
• C’è un medico che parla inglese?
  • “Is there a doctor who speaks English?”

7- Italian Phrases for the Restaurant

And now the best part of every travel to Italy: Food!

Here are some basic Italian phrases for travel to help you enjoy the local food experience to its fullest without language barriers:

• È buonissimo!
  • “It’s really good!”
• Vorrei prenotare un tavolo per quattro per stasera, per favore.
  • “I’d like to reserve a table for four for tonight, please.”
• Vorremmo ordinare, per favore.
  • “We’d like to order, please.”
• Avete dei piatti vegetariani?
  • “Do you have any vegetarian dishes?”
• Vorrei del vino locale.
  • “I’d like some local wine.”
• Può portare il sale / l’olio / il parmigiano, per favore?
  • “Could you bring the salt / oil / parmesan, please?”
• Complimenti al cuoco!
  • “Compliments to the chef!”
• Può portare il conto, per favore?
  • “Can I have the check, please?”

How ItalianPod101 Can Help You Get Ready for Your Travel to Italy

What did you think of our list of best Italian travel phrases? We hope that with our guide, you’re well-equipped with basic Italian travel phrases to help you on your travels in Italy!

Do you still want more Italian phrases for travel? Check out our articles and guides about this topic and get ready for your Italian adventure!

With ItalianPod101, you’ll be able to learn Italian the fastest and most entertaining way. Prepare for your trip by learning some Italian vocabulary, culture, body language, and much more. Use our apps to improve your Italian anywhere you are and whenever you want. And if you have any doubts or want to share your progress and opinions, there’s our amazing forum, full of other students like you!

Numbers are one of the first things we learn when we’re kids. They seem really simple, right? But while numbers are written the same way in every (Western) language, they’re not only pronounced differently, but also used differently from country to country.

Buying groceries, telling your age, giving your phone number, or letting someone know your home address in Italy. To do any of these basic actions, you’ll need to master Italian numbers. Numbers are everywhere, so you better start practicing them. Don’t forget to check out ItalianPod101.com for a complete lesson on how to master Italian numbers to learn Italian more completely. You can also find complementary info for the numbers in Italian courses.

In the meantime, here’s our numbers in Italian lesson! Learn how to say numbers in Italian and more!

Table of Contents

1. Italian Basic Numbers: 0-9
2. Italian Numbers 10-99
3. Italian Numbers 100-999
4. Very Big Italian Numbers. From 1000, Up and Beyond…
5. How to Give Your Phone Number in Italian
6. Shopping - Saying Prices
7. Telling Your Age
8. Talking About the Years
9. Numbers in Proverbs
10. Math Operations
11. Conclusion

1. Italian Basic Numbers: 0-9

Let’s start easy. How do you say and pronounce Italian numbers from zero to nine? Here we’ll show you the basic Italian numbers with English translations.

0 - Zero: “Zero”

The spelling “zero” in Italian is the same as in English, but the sound is quite different because the Italian “Z” has a harder sound, more like the sound ds or ts.

Besides its very important use in math operations, the zero is extremely useful for Italian phone numbers, and we’ll see that in a bit.

It’s also useful in some particular expressions, such as Sei uno zero. Watch out, because this isn’t a very nice thing to say to somebody as it literally means “You are a zero,” meaning that the person is nothing, null, or worthless. There’s even a numeric way to say sei uno zero, can you guess how? (You’ll find the answer at the end of the article.)

Note that this is also the name of an Italian comedy radio program.

1 - Uno: “One”

The peculiarity about uno (“one”) is that it’s also an indefinite article, and as such it’s necessary to follow the agreement F/M and change it into un, uno, una when necessary. The rest of the numbers are just straightforward:

2- Due “Two”
3- Tre “Three”
4- Quattro “Four”
5- Cinque “Five”
6- Sei “Six”
7- Sette “Seven”
8- Otto “Eight”
9- Nove “Nine”

2. Italian Numbers 10-99

The Italian numbers from 10 to 19 can be a little tricky to remember because, in order to compose the number, you need to follow two different patterns. Let’s see how these Italian numbers in writing look.

From 10 to 16 the pattern is number + dici, as follows:

11- Undici (uno+dici) “Eleven”
12- Dodici (due+dici) “Twelve”
13- Tredici (tre+dici) “Thirteen”
14- Quattordici (quattro+dici) “Fourteen”
15- Quindici (cinque+dici) “Fifteen”
16- Sedici (sei+dici) “Sixteen”

From 17 to 19 the pattern inverts, and it’s dici + number, as follows:

17- Diciassette (dici+sette) “Seventeen”
18- Diciotto (dici+otto) “Eighteen”
19- Diciannove (dici+nove) “Nineteen”

But there’s no need to worry, because from 20 on, it becomes much simpler. You just put the numbers together with the tens. No spaces and no hyphens.

2- Venti “Twenty”
3- Trenta “Thirty”
4- Quaranta “Forty”
5- Cinquanta “Fifty”
6- Sessanta “Sixty”
7- Settanta “Seventy”
8- Ottanta “Eighty”
9- Novanta “Ninety”

So, for example, for the Italian number 64, we write sessantaquattro (“sixty-four”), 99 is novantanove (“ninety-nine”), etc.

There are just two small rules to keep in mind: 1.) Drop the last vowel in the tens when pairing it with uno (“one”) and otto (“eight”). For example, quarantuno (“forty-one”) and quarantotto (“forty-eight”); 2.) Put an acute accent on the last syllable when pairing any tens with tre (“three”). For example, quarantatré (“forty-three”).

Note that from 40 on, there’s a pattern and the tens always end in -anta. For this reason, when talking about age, it’s common in Italy to say that somebody has “entered, passed, or is in the -anta,” meaning that they’ve passed 40 years of age and have entered the years of maturity.
Oggi entro negli -anta. “Today I am forty.”

3. Italian Numbers 100-999

And finally, we get to 100, cento (“one-hundred”). Note how “one-hundred” is just cento, without the need of un in front. While starting from 200, you just put the number before, and leave cento unvaried. For example:

200- duecento “two-hundred”
300- trecento “three-hundred”
423- trecentoventitrè “three-hundred twenty-three”
518- cinquecentodiciotto “five-hundred and eighteen”

And so on…

Perhaps the most widely known Italian number is 500, because of the legendary car Cinquecento (“Five hundred”). Everybody knows the little rounded car made by FIAT in the ‘60s… But do you actually know why it’s called 500? Two reasons: It had around 500cc of engine capacity and it cost just around 500.000 lire (that is, the Italian currency before the Euro).

4. Very Big Italian Numbers. From 1000, Up and Beyond…

Similar to cento (“one-hundred”) is the behavior of 1000. In Italian, you don’t need to add “one” in front of it. It’s simply mille (“one-thousand”). But note how from 2000 upward, mille becomes mila. This is how it works:

1000- mille “one-thousand”
2000- duemila “two-thousand”
3000- tremila “three-thousand”
4006- quattromila e sei “four-thousand and six”
50.000- cinquanta mila “fifty-thousand”
200.000- duecento mila “two-hundred thousand”

And finally you have the very big numbers:
1.000.000- un milione “one-million”
2.000.000 due milioni “two-millions”
1.000.000.000 un miliardo “one-billion”
3.000.000.000 tre miliardi “three-billions”

And so on…

By now it should be fairly easy to know how to say and write Italian numbers, but there are still a few little differences from English.

For example, while in English for 1100 or 1200 you can say “eleven-hundred” and “twelve-hundred” respectively, in Italian there’s no equivalent for it. Instead, you can only say millecento (“one-thousand one-hundred”) and mille e duecento (“one-thousand and two-hundred”).

Another difference is how Italians say tens, hundreds, and thousands. Here are these Italian numbers in English and Italian.

• Decine “Tens”
• Centinaia “Hundreds”
• Migliaia “Thousands”

C’erano centinaia di persone al Colosseo. “There were hundreds of people at the Colosseum.”

5. How to Give Your Phone Number in Italian

Now that you know the basics of Italian numbers, you can talk to Italians and dive into a few activities that require the use of numbers. For example, exchanging phone numbers. You know, without our phones we are nobody! So you want to be able to give your phone number to Italians and to understand other people’s numbers.

If you’re in Italy, you need to learn about prefisso. This could either be the “area code” or the “international dialing code.”

• Il prefisso dell’Inghilterra è +44. “UK dialing code is +44.”
• Qual è il prefisso di Roma? 06. “What is Rome’s area code? 06.”

Note that only for landlines you need to put the city area code in front of it. And this area code always starts with 0. If you’re calling a mobile phone anywhere in Italy, you don’t need the area code.

6. Shopping - Saying Prices

One of the pleasures of traveling is that of going shopping to buy souvenirs or food. And if you’re in Italy, you can’t miss the experience of walking around a mercatino, a “little market.” In these neighborhood markets, you find delicious fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and much more! They usually appear once a week, early in the morning, and you should ask around about when and where the mercatino near you is.

And now, are you ready to shop? Here are a few useful phrases:

• Quanto costa? Quant’è? “What’s the price? How much is it?”
• Le fragole costano due euro e dieci. “Strawberries cost two euros and ten.”
• Costa/è/viene… these are all synonyms to say “it costs/it’s…”

If saying the numbers in Italian seems complicated, think about how it was before the Euro substituted the Italian Lira. Prices now are much easier to say because they’re not as large as before. Just imagine that a single coffee used to cost around mille lire (“one thousand lira”)! Can you imagine how much a pizza would cost in Lire? And what about a Ferrari?

Al mercato (“At the market”)

7. Telling Your Age

In Italian, to say your age, you say that you have a certain number of years. So, for example:

Ho 24 anni, literally means that you “have 24 years” and not “I’m 24 years old.” To talk about relative age instead, you say that you have more/less years than someone else. Ho due anni più/meno di te literally means “I have two years more/less than you,” meaning that “you are two years younger/older.”

8. Talking About the Years

During a conversation with Italians, you’ll often have to talk about the years. The year we’re on, the year you or somebody else was born, or the year when some specific event occurred. In Italy, you’ll often find yourself involved in a conversation about history and art. So, learning how to talk about the years will be very handy.

Let’s start with the millennium and the year we’re in.

• Siamo nel 2018 “We’re in 2018.” Remember that in Italian you pronounce it duemilae diciotto.
• Era il 2001/Era il duemila e uno. “It was 2001.”

When you want to talk about a decade of the last century in general, you would say gli anni settanta, and you write it this way: gli anni ‘60 (“the sixties”).

• Amo la musica anni ‘80. “I love eighties music.”
• Sono nata negli anni ‘60 . “I was born in the sixties.”

Or, if you want to talk about a specific year, let’s say 1984, you can shorten it and just say ‘84, l’ottantaquattro.

• Ci siamo conosciuti nell’ottantaquattro. “We first met in ‘84.”
• Il ‘96 è stata un’ottima annata per il vino. “‘96 was a very good year for wine.”

And if you want to go back in time, even more, you’ll need to know how to talk about centuries. For this, you need to review ordinal and Roman numbers as this is used to count centuries. (Italian numbers in letters? Yup!)

9. Numbers in Proverbs

Numbers are everywhere in our daily lives and it’s no wonder that they also have a big space in Italian proverbs and common sayings. Here are some of the most common and meaningful:

10. Math Operations

And last but definitely not least, you’ll need to practice how to talk about simple math operations in Italian.

When you’re writing numbers in Italian, there are some other little differences, particularly relative to periods and commas. Italian numbers use the period with thousands and the comma for decimals. For example:

• 1.000 mille “one-thousand” (in English you would write 1,000)
• 1,5 uno virgola cinque “one dot five” (in English you would write 1.5)

And now, as promised… here’s the answer on how to say sei uno zero in numbers: 610 (sei [6] uno [1] zero [0]). Clever, right?

11. Conclusion

Have you enjoyed discovering all about Italian numbers? I’m sure that you’re now ready to tackle phone numbers, addresses, prices, and numbers up to a miliardo (”billion”). Hopefully you’ve also learned a little bit about numbers in Italian grammar.

But if you want to keep having fun learning Italian, don’t miss out on all the material available on ItalianPod101.com.

This includes helpful, relevant, and free vocabulary lists, as well as our MyTeacher program, which allows you to have one-on-one guidance as you delve into the Italian language and culture.

You deserve to have the best Italian-learning experience, and ItalianPod101.com has your back!

Learning how to say “I’m sorry” in a foreign language is a crucial step in assimilating not only its grammar and vocabulary, but also its culture. This is why we at ItalianPod101 have decided to write an extensive guide about how to say sorry in Italian.

Reading this article, you’ll discover how to say “I’m sorry” in Italian with your words and with your body language. Moreover, you’ll find out how to say sorry in Italian in different circumstances and to different people.

Everyone makes mistakes from time to time. Don’t let them devastate your relationships with your Italian friends, relatives, colleagues, or other special people in your life. Learn how to say “I apologize” in Italian in the most effective way and take care of your relationships. Start with a bonus, and download your FREE cheat sheet - How to Improve Your Italian Skills! (Logged-In Member Only)

1. “Sorry”: A Complicated Word
2. The Meaning of “I’m Sorry” in Italian
3. How to Say Sorry in Italian
4. How to Say “Excuse Me” and “Pardon” in the Street

1. “Sorry”: A Complicated Word

As explained by the Harvard Business Review, “I’m sorry” is an expression that’s very complicated to translate. This is because it involves the cultural meaning of apology, culpability, and mistake, which greatly varies from culture to culture.

For example, in the Western world in general, an apology implies an admission of culpability. What “I’m sorry” really means is “I’ve made a mistake, therefore I’m sorry.” On the other hand, in Japan an apology doesn’t mean that one admits he’s in the wrong, and it’s instead a way to repair a problem within a relationship. So it’s more like “I’m sorry that there’s this problem between us. Please, let’s fix it.”

It’s such a complicated matter, that the Journal of Applied Social Psychology has defined “sorry” as the hardest word. In order to clarify this extremely intricate subject, we could use the classifications of dignity, face, and honor cultures as defined by social studies:

• Dignity cultures are individualistic, and the self-worth of every individual is based on his/her achievements, not on the others’ opinion. The U.S. is considered a dignity culture.
• Face cultures are more based on hierarchy, and the value of individuals is assessed on their ability to do what’s expected of them according to their social position. China and Japan are considered face cultures.
• Honor cultures are strongly based on reputation and each one’s ability to defend it from attacks, for example in the Middle East.

The meaning and effectiveness of an apology varies amongst the different cultures. For example, they tend to be less effective in honor cultures and more effective in dignity cultures.

Then, what about Italy? Like many others in the world, the Italian culture is a mix. We can define it as a mix of dignity and honor cultures. An individualistic society with strong familial ties, where honor still has some relevance.

2. The Meaning of “I’m Sorry” in Italian

As in other Western cultures, “I am sorry” in Italian involves an admission of culpability. You’re supposed to apologize in mainly three circumstances:

• When you’ve done something wrong, even if you haven’t done it on purpose.
• When you’re disturbing someone or something.
• When you’re lacking something.

Let’s see this in more in detail.

1- A Few Examples of Things that are Considered Wrong in Italy

You’re supposed to say sorry in Italian when you’ve done something that Italians consider wrong. The concept of wrong and right is another element that greatly varies from culture to culture, so let us give you some examples of what’s wrong according to Italians:

• When you forget an appointment or a birthday.
• When you offend someone, even if it’s not on purpose.
• When you make a mistake while working.
• When you’re late—but mind that many Italians have a very flexible idea of punctuality, and if they arrive fifteen minutes late, they might not see the need to apologize.
• When you can’t quite finish your second dish of pasta.

Remember that you shouldn’t apologize if you don’t think you’re in the wrong. Apologizing just to make things okay, without being ready to admit your fault, would look false and deceiving.

2- When You Should Apologize for Disturbing

You should apologize:

• When you’re interrupting someone speaking.
• When you need someone to move in order to pass through.
• When you enter a room during a meeting or a private discussion.
• When you need to have someone’s attention while he’s/she’s doing something (for example, when in a restaurant you need to ask the waiter something while he’s/she’s carrying another table’s dishes).

3- When You Should Apologize for Lacking Something

Here are a few examples of this particular situation. You are supposed to apologize:

• When you invite someone to your home and you’re out of coffee, wine, or anything else a guest wants.
• When someone talks to you in a language you don’t speak.
• When you don’t know something you should know.

3. How to Say Sorry in Italian

Now that you know the cultural meaning and circumstances of apologizing in Italy, let’s look at how to say “I’m sorry,” in Italian with these Italian sorry phrases.

1- A Dictionary to Say Sorry in Italian

So, how do you say sorry in Italian? It depends on the situation, but by far the most common Italian sorry phrases are:

• Scusa: This word basically means “I’m sorry,” but also “I apologize,” “excuse me,” and “pardon.” It should be used with one singular person you’re addressing with the second singular person tu and not the formal third singular person lei (this is because you’ll be talking to a friend, a relative, or a partner, and not someone superior to you).

Examples of use:
- Sarò venti minuti in ritardo, scusa.
- Scusa per la fretta, ma ho poco tempo.

Translation:
- “I’ll be twenty minutes late, sorry.”
- “I’m sorry for the rush, but I have little time.”

• Scusate: This is the same as the above word, but should be used when apologizing to more than one person.

Example of use:
- Scusate, ho dimenticato che dovevamo vederci tutti in pizzeria stasera.

Translation:
- “Sorry, I forgot that we were all supposed to meet at the pizzeria tonight.”

• Mi scusi: Wondering how to say “sorry to bother you” in Italian to a superior? Mi scusi is a good option. This is the same thing as the above phrase, but it’s used when addressing someone with the formal third singular person lei, such as an older person you don’t know very well, a client, or a professor.

Examples of use:
- Mi scusi, vorrei avere delle informazioni sui vostri corsi di italiano.
- Mi scusi, non parlo italiano.

Translation:
- “Excuse me, I’d like to have more information about your Italian courses.”
- “Sorry, I don’t speak Italian.”

• Scusami / mi scuso: This is like scusa, but with a more emphatic nuance.

Examples of use:
- Scusami, mi sono davvero comportato male ieri sera.
- Sono stato molto scortese, mi scuso.

Translation:
- “I’m sorry, I behaved very badly last night.”
- “I’ve been very rude, I’m sorry.”

• Scusatemi: This is like scusami, but is used when addressing more than one person.

Example of use:
- A causa del mio errore abbiamo perso un cliente, scusatemi.

Translation:
- “Because of my mistake we lost a client, I’m sorry.”

• Mi dispiace: This is another expression that means “I’m sorry,” but is used in more serious circumstances (or when used after it, there’s a subordinate clause).

Examples of use:
- Non sapevo della tua perdita, mi dispiace.
- Mi dispiace che tu non possa venire a Roma con noi.

Translation:
- “I didn’t know about your loss, I’m sorry.”
- “I’m sorry that you won’t be able to come to Rome with us.”

• Perdonami: This is a word meaning “forgive me,” used when talking to one singular person that you’re addressing with the second singular person tu.

Example of use:
- Perdonami per averti fatto soffrire.

Translation:
- “Forgive me for making you suffer.”

• Perdonatemi: This is the same as the above word, but should be used with more than one person.

Example of use:
- Perdonatemi per tutti i problemi che ho causato con la mia disattenzione.

Translation:
- “Forgive me for all the problems I’ve caused with my inattention.”

• Ti prego di scusarmi / Ti prego di perdonarmi: These phrases mean “Please, forgive me,” and is a stronger request for forgiveness.

Examples of use:
- Sono stato davvero sciocco a dire quelle cose, ti prego di scusarmi.
- Ti prego di perdonarmi per la mia arroganza.

Translation:
- “I was really silly to say those things, please, forgive me.”
- “Please, forgive me for my arrogance.”

• La prego di scusarmi / La prego di perdonarmi: This is the same as the above phrases, when talking to someone with lei.

Example of use:
- La prego di scusarmi per l’inefficienza.

Translation:
- “Please, forgive me for the inefficiency.”

• Vi prego di scusarmi / Vi prego di perdonarmi: This is the same thing again, when talking to more than one person. If you’re wondering how to say “I’m really sorry,” in Italian (or “I’m very sorry,” in Italian), this is a good option.

Example of use:
- Ho commesso un grave errore, vi prego di perdonarmi.

Translation:
- “I’ve made a big mistake, please, forgive me.”

2- How to Say Sorry in Italian to a Friend, Relative, or Someone Special to You

In order to say sorry in Italian to a friend, a relative, or a special person in your life, you’ll use the more familiar expressions, as when talking to someone with the tu person.

Examples:

1. Scusami per aver perso la tua festa ieri sera.
2. Ti chiedo scusa per non essere stato presente quando avevi bisogno di me.
3. Non sono stato un buon amico, perdonami.
4. Scusa zia, le tue tagliatelle sono buonissime, ma sono pienissimo!
5. Scusate, ho dimenticato di portare il vino.

Translation:

1. “I’m sorry for missing your party last night.”
2. “I’m sorry for not being there for you when you needed me.”
3. “I wasn’t a good friend, forgive me.”
4. “I’m sorry, aunt, your tagliatelle are excellent, but I’m super full!”
5. “Sorry, I forgot to bring the wine.”

3- How to Say Sorry in Italian in Formal Situations

In a formal situation—like when talking to a client, a superior, a business contact, or simply an older person you don’t know well—you have to use the lei person.

Examples:

1. Mi scusi, non ho capito cosa ha detto.
2. La prego di perdonarci per il disguido.
3. Mi perdoni per essere stato indelicato.

Translation:

1. “I’m sorry, I didn’t understand what you said.”
2. “Please, forgive us for the misunderstanding.”
3. “Please, forgive me for being indiscreet.”

4- How to Say “Excuse Me” and “Pardon” in the Street

After talking about Italian for “sorry,” what about saying “excuse me” or “pardon” in a crowd, on a bus, or wherever you need to pass? It’s very easy: you just say scusa to boys and girls, and mi scusi to older persons.

Examples:

1. Scusi, posso passare?
2. Scusa, dovrei scendere alla prossima fermata.

Translation:

1. “Excuse me, could I pass?”
2. “Pardon, I should get off at the next stop.”

5- How to Say Sorry in Italian with Your Body Language

In many cultures, for example in Japan, body language is an essential part of an apology. When you want to say that you’re so sorry in Italian, the expression on your face is the most important body language element. Italians are more expressive than other peoples, and an apology always comes—pardon the pun—with a “sorry” face.

Sometimes an apology can come with gestures; a hand to the heart is the most common, as a sign of pain and regret.

4. Keep on Learning the Italian Culture and Language with ItalianPod101!

We hope you learned some useful Italian sorry phrases in this article, and that you’ll start practicing them!

With ItalianPod101.com, you’ll learn so much more than grammar rules and vocabulary. You’ll discover how to behave in Italy, how Italians communicate through body language, and how to understand their culture and habits. You’ll be able to blend in with your Italian friends, relatives, and colleagues, and can fully enjoy your holiday in Italy.

Learn Italian with our innovative tools, tailor-made on your level and perfect for any device. Discuss what you discover and share your thoughts on our forum with the other members of our community!

Until next time, we’re wishing you the best as you continue learning Italian!

Italy is best known as a holiday destination. With its 7.500 kilometres of coast (much of which consists of beaches), majestic mountains, amazing cities, and stunning countryside, it’s by definition a place to spend some time doing nothing but enjoying it all. And let’s not start talking about the food and wine!

Well, for some people all of these are also good reasons to move to Italy and start a new life there. Especially if they also have an Italian significant other. But how can you work in Italy as a foreigner? Where should you start looking for a job?

Here on ItalianPod101, we’ll explain how to move to Italy and get a job. So, if you’re planning to start your own Dolce Vita, just keep on reading to learn about finding jobs in Italy.

Start with a bonus, and download the Business Words & Phrases PDF for FREE! (Logged-In Member Only)

Table of Contents

1. What Do I Need to Work in Italy?
2. What You Should Know Before Starting to Work in Italy
3. What are the Most Sought-after Jobs in Italy?
4. Where Can I Find the Best Job Opportunities?
5. How to Look for a Job in Italy
6. Some More Advice
7. ItalianPod101: Learn with Us and Build Your New Life in Italy!

1. What Do I Need to Work in Italy?

In order to work in Italy as a foreigner, you must act according to the Italian immigration laws, which vary depending on your nationality:

• EU citizens: EU citizens have very few requirements in order to find a job in Italy and start their life there.
• Non-EU citizens: For non-EU citizens, things are harder, since they need a work permit.

In both cases, since many Italians, especially the older ones, don’t speak English or any other language except their own (and maybe a dialect), it’s better for you to learn Italian, at least to an intermediate level, before starting to look for a job there. Highly specialized jobs in a few scientific and engineering fields may be an exception, as English might be accepted as a language in the workplace.

1- How to Work in Italy as a EU Citizen

All EU citizens have the right to free movement within all the EU countries, which are: Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, United Kingdom, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Czech Republic, Sweden.

This means that EU citizens have the right to move and to work in Italy without a special permit. Though they still need to deal with a bit of bureaucracy. In order to be hired in Italy, they need:

• A valid ID document (passport or identity card).
• A codice fiscale (“fiscal code”), which is a unique identifier based on full name, place of birth, and birthday. It’s used for a great number of things, from submitting a residency request to getting a library card. Requesting this codice fiscale is pretty simple, especially compared to any other bureaucratic operation in Italy and—good news!—it’s also completely free.

You just have to go to your local Agenzia delle Entrate and issue a request. You’ll immediately receive your code. There are even sites where you can calculate your fiscal code in advance, in case you’re curious.

EU citizens have the right to free movement, as we said, but they still need to apply for residency in Italy if they plan to live in the country for more than three months.

2- How to Work in Italy as a Non-EU Citizen

Things get harsher for non-EU citizens. This said, working in Italy as an American is a lot easier than working there as a person from Asia or Africa, due to the different ways non-EU immigrants are generally treated, according to their nationality.

Anyway, this is what they all need:

• Visa: A Visa is issued for a specific purpose and therefore there are different kinds—tourist visa, student visa, employment visa, and so on. It has an expiry date and it establishes for how long you’ll be allowed to stay in the country. If you have a visa for the Schengen area, you don’t need another one to enter Italy.
• Residence permit (permesso di soggiorno): Within eight days of entering Italy, you must apply for a residence permit, which is the most important document for a non-EU citizen in Italy. The permit will reflect your visa (so you’ll receive a student permit if you have a student visa, an employment permit if you have an employment visa, and so on) and must be requested to the local Police Headquarters (Questura).

Depending on the kind of permit you need, you have to make a request at the post office or directly at the Questura. Since the matter is complicated, we advise you to seek out more information at a local union office or association. The times for the release of the residence permit can vary greatly, from a few weeks to several months. In the meantime, you must keep the receipt they give you.

2. What You Should Know Before Starting to Work in Italy

Italy’s one of the most developed countries in the world. However, it’s facing a hard economic crisis that’s still far from being resolved. This means that it has a less-vital job market in comparison to other EU countries and a higher unemployment rate (which is 9.7% as of summer 2018). Moreover, undeclared employment is pretty common, regarding at least 3.3-million workers in Italy.

The Italian laws grant equal rights for every person in the job market. There are many different kinds of contracts that an employer can offer you. These are the most used:

• Permanent contract (contratto a tempo indeterminato): A contract without an expiry date. It can be part-time or full-time.
• Fixed-term contract (contratto a tempo determinato): A contract with an expiry date, after which it can be renewed or not, according to the employer’s and the employee’s will. It can be part-time or full-time.
• Interim supply contract (contratto di somministrazione): A contract made between the worker and an agency (agenzia interinale) supplying workers to companies for a short period of time.
• On-call contract (contratto a chiamata): A contract without a fixed number of hours. The employer can request the employee to work according to the company needs with short notice.
• Apprenticeship contract (contratto di apprendistato): If you’re younger than 29 years old, you can be hired as an apprentice to learn a job. This kind of contract usually lasts between six months and three years.

3. What are the Most Sought-after Jobs in Italy?

Is it hard to find a job in Italy?

If you have highly valued skills and a good knowledge of Italian and English, you probably won’t have any issue finding a job in Italy.

For example, it’s pretty easy to find marketing jobs in Italy if you have experience in this field. It’s the same for engineering, IT, management, and so on. You’ll also find good opportunities if you’re a qualified factory worker. For example, there are many jobs in Modena, Italy if you have skills and experience that can be useful in the mechanic industry.

Jobs in Italy for English speakers include language teachers, interpreters, or jobs in the tourism industry. There can also be good jobs for Americans in Italy in companies working with American clients or seeking to expand in the USA.

4. Where Can I Find the Best Job Opportunities?

There is a strong wealth gap between Northern and Southern Italy. So, if you’re willing to work in industry, marketing, fashion, IT, technology, and so on, you’ll probably have better chances of finding good jobs in Milan, and in the North in general. You can also happen to find IT jobs in Rome, Italy, but the real economic capital of the country is Milan.

Jobs in Rome are mostly in the tourism field, or in anything related to university and the public administration. It’s pretty much the same for jobs in Florence, Italy, except for the fact that in Tuscany there is also a strong and lively textile industry. Jobs in Calabria, Italy or in basically any other Southern region are harder to find.

That said, what’s the best way to find jobs in Italy?

5. How to Look for a Job in Italy

There are many ways to look for a job in Italy:

• Sites: Indeed Italia, LinkedIn, Infojobs, Trovalavoro, and others can be useful for finding job offers.
• Agencies: The aforementioned agenzie interinali (“supply agencies”) can be a good way to find temporary jobs, especially in fields such as manufacturing, tourism, and food.
• Centro per l’impiego: The public job center. It can help you have an idea of the opportunities in your city and province.
• Relations: This is by far the best way to find a job in Italy. Try to meet new people working in your field, by going to expos, congresses, and so on.

6. Some More Advice

1- How to Work as a Language Teacher in Italy

Wondering how to find a job in Italy for English speakers? Being a language teacher is among the most common jobs in Italy for American citizens, or for people from the UK and Australia. As for how to find a job teaching English in Italy, you can start by introducing yourself to language schools and universities, or place some ads on message boards by universities and schools, or put yourself out there online.

2- How to Work as a Blue-collar in Italy

To work as a blue-collar, you’ll need to know the Italian grammar and written language. Moreover, it could take some time to get used to the Italian bureaucracy.

3- How to Work in the Healthcare Field in Italy

In order to work in the healthcare field in Italy, you must have a recognized degree or diploma, and know the Italian medical terms.

7. ItalianPod101: Learn with Us and Build Your New Life in Italy!

Start building the foundation of your new life in Italy with ItalianPod101.com! Learn the Italian language according to your current level and improve everyday, in a fun, engaging platform that will both teach and entertain you. Discuss with the other members of our community on our forum and learn everywhere you are with our amazing mobile apps! Finally, you can find out everything you need about working and living in Italy with our articles and guides!

Yes, even beginners can quickly learn conversational Italian well enough to carry on real conversations with native speakers. Of course, beginners won’t be able to carry a conversation the same way they could in their native language. But, just knowing a few tips like which questions to ask to keep a conversation going are all you need to speak and interact with real native speakers! But before we get to specific suggestions, let’s first take a closer look at how having real Italian conversations is so vital to your mastery of the language.

Learning to Carry a Conversation is Vital to Mastery of Any Language

Communicating with other people is the very point of language and conversation is almost second nature in our native tongue. For beginners or anyone learning a new language, conversations aren’t easy at all and even simple Italian greetings can be intimidating and awkward.

However, there are 3 vital reasons why you should learn conversational Italian as quickly as possible:

• Avoid Awkward Silences: Nothing kills a conversation faster than long periods of awkward silence, so you need practice and specific strategies to avoid them.
• Improve the Flow of Conversation to Make a Better Impression: When you know what to say to keep a conversation going, communication becomes much easier and you make a better impression on your listener.
• Master the Language Faster: Nothing will help you learn to speak Italian faster and truly master the language than having real conversations with native speakers. Conversations quickly expose you to slang, cultural expressions, and vocabulary that force you to absorb and assimilate information faster than any educational setting—and that’s a great thing!

But how can you possibly have real conversations with real Italian people if you are just starting out?

3 Conversation Strategies for Beginners

1. Ask Questions to Keep a Conversation Going

For beginners and even more advanced speakers, the key is to learn to ask questions to keep a conversation going. Of course, they can’t be just random questions or else you may confuse the listener. But, by memorizing a few key questions and the appropriate time to use them, you can easily carry a conversation with minimal vocabulary or experience. And remember, the more Italian conversations you have, the quicker you will learn and master the language!

2. Learn Core Vocabulary Terms as Quickly as Possible

You don’t need to memorize 10,000’s of words to learn conversational Italian. In fact, with just a couple hundred Italian words you could have a very basic Italian conversation. And by learning maybe 1,000-2,000 words, you could carry a conversation with a native speaker about current events, ordering in restaurants, and even getting directions.

3. Study Videos or Audio Lessons that You Can Play and Replay Again and Again

If you want to know how to carry a conversation in Italian, then you need exposure to native speakers—and the more the better. Ideally, studying video or audio lessons is ideal because they provide contextualized learning in your native language and you can play them again and again until mastery.

ItalianPod101 Makes it Easier and More Convenient Than Ever to Learn Conversational Italian

For more than 10 years, ItalianPod101 has been helping students learn to speak Italian by creating the world’s most advanced online language learning system. Here are just a few of the specific features that will help you learn conversational Italian fast using our proven system:

• The Largest Collection of HD Video & Audio Lessons from Real Italian Instructors: ItalianPod101 instructors have created hundreds of video and audio lessons that you can play again and again. And the best part is: They don’t just teach you Italian vocabulary and grammar, they are designed to help you learn to speak Italian and teach you practical everyday topics like shopping, ordering, etc!
• Pronunciation Tools: Use this feature to record and compare yourself with native speakers to quickly improve your pronunciation and fluency!
• 2000 Common Italian Words: Also known as our Core List, these 2,000 words are all you need to learn to speak fluently and carry a conversation with a native speaker!

In all, more than 20 advanced learning tools help you quickly build vocabulary and learn how to carry a conversation with native speakers—starting with your very first lesson.

Conclusion

Although it may seem intimidating for a beginner, the truth is that it is very easy to learn conversational Italian. By learning a few core vocabulary terms and which questions to ask to keep a conversation going, just a little practice and exposure to real Italian conversations or lessons is all it really takes. ItalianPod101 has created the world’s largest online collection of video and audio lessons by real instructors plus loads of advanced tools to help you learn to speak Italian and carry a conversation quickly.

Act now and we’ll also include a list of the most commonly used questions to keep a conversation going so you can literally get started immediately!

Some Italian learners progress more quickly than others. Is this because they’re smarter, more talented, or maybe just lucky? In some cases perhaps. Most of the time though, a lot of what determines your success in a language is a) the amount and consistency of time you put into it; and b) the way that you go about practicing it.

In this post we’ll take a look at 5 practical techniques that you can use to learn Italian successfully.

1. Hit the Easy Targets

Italian comes from the family of the Romantic languages. Romantic languages have deep Latin roots. English has also been influenced by Latin (though not quite as much). Latin isn’t the only language to influence European languages. Greek also had a huge part to play. Also hidden in many languages are words based in languages you wouldn’t expect. Take the English word bazaar (bazar in Italian)….

This word comes from an original Persian word. Over the years languages (along with cultures) have rubbed shoulders and influenced one another. As a result neither Italian nor English has developed in isolation. This means English and Italian have words with similar meanings, spellings, and sounds that both originated from a separate third language.

These words are known as cognates. Cognates are great for language learners because they often look and sound similar in your native and target languages. Here’s a few English/Italian cognates:

Problema-Problem
Temperatura-Temperature
Originale-Original
Terribile-Terrible

Learning cognates sometimes feels like cheating because they are so easy to use and remember. In reality though you already learned them when you learned English. Because you’re a native English speaker you have a mild head start in learning Italian over the native speakers of languages that aren’t as closely related. That being said, learn as many cognates as you can! Even if the word isn’t as common it could still come in handy if you get stuck.

2. Break down most difficult parts of Italian grammar

There’s always been a bit of debate in the language learning world as to whether or not you should learn grammar explicitly or implicitly. I don’t think a lack of grammar should ever keep you from trying to speak a foreign language.

However I do think that implicit learning by itself doesn’t work well when dealing with more complicated grammar. In some of my reviews I’ve written about how beginners often decry one of the most popular language courses out there because it simply doesn’t explain grammar.

Tenses, verb conjugations, noun inflection…there’s some tough spots in Italian grammar. As you come across these foreign grammar concepts take some time to study and practice them. Hone in on one aspect at a time and practice using it by writing out sentences or simply by speaking.

Read different grammatical explanations and example sentences. While you don’t want to spend all your time grinding out grammar exercises, 10 or 15 minutes a day of focused practice will help you master these otherwise difficult areas of the language.

Another great way to master Italian grammar is to work with whole phrases or conversations. This isn’t as easy to do while you’re speaking with someone, but it can be done with Italian audio. ItalianPod101’s podcast episodes are ideal for this because they feature native Italian conversations.

As you study and work through a conversation first look at the words and phrases that you do know. Then without resorting to a translator or dictionary, do your best to figure out what any new or unfamiliar words mean. After that feel free to look them up. If you work this way with whole sentences you are much more likely to internalize Italian grammar.

3. Practice with native speakers

Italian course books, apps, and podcasts are all great ways to learn the language, but eventually the rubber will have to meet the road and you’ll need to start using what you learn. The best students of Italian take every opportunity they can to practice the language with real people.

Italian may not be quite as popular to learn as Spanish or French, but even so there are still a lot of other Italian learners out there. Try to link up with a meetup or language exchange in your town or city. If you’re unable to find an exchange in your area take the search online and find some native Italian speakers on free sites like Wespeke or Hellolingo. These sites connect language learners around the world. Here you can help out an Italian who is learning English, while they in turn can help you practice Italian. It’s a win-win.

4. Focus on being understood, not being perfect

Undoubtedly when you begin to speak Italian with native speakers you will make a lot of mistakes. This is a natural part of the language learning process. In your first few conversations you’ll probably mispronounce, misconjugate, or all together forget Italian words. But that’s okay. Learn to embrace these mistakes. As long as you’re practicing with a native speaker who can give you accurate feedback, those mistakes can do nothing but help you improve.

After getting feedback on your mistakes, the next most important thing in your spoken language practice will be to keep the conversation going (in Italian of course). If you make a mistake correct it and move on. If you can’t remember a word do your best to describe it in Italian to your language partner. Use what words you have in order to be understood, even if your sentence or diction comes out a little weird.

5. Keep an Italian journal

Most people talk about how important it is to speak a language you’re learning, but not nearly as many mention how powerful writing in the language can be. Writing in Italian lets you use all the material you’ve learned but without the demands of a real time conversation. Writing is also an excellent way to expose the words or phrases you don’t know or are unsure about.

You can write in an old fashioned paper journal and do your best to check it or have an Italian friend look over it. You can also write entries online and have them corrected by Italian speakers. Lang-8 lets you do just that. The site is completely free. There you can write a short entry in Italian and receive feedback almost instantly!

Final thoughts

Italian is a beautiful and worthwhile language to learn. While it’s not always easy to speak, it is always rewarding. Use these tips as a guide to jumpstart your progress. No matter what, keep your head up and stick to your guns. After a bit of patience and hard work you’ll be speaking Italian soon enough!

Learn 4 tools and techniques to stop translating in your head and start thinking in Italian

Going through Italian lessons is enough to get by and learn the basics of Italian, but to truly become fluent you need to be able to think in Italian. This will allow you to have conversations with ease, read smoothly, and comprehensively understand natives. To do this, you need to go beyond just completing daily or weekly lessons.

We naturally translate in our heads because it’s viewed as the easiest way to learn the definitions needed when learning a language. This way of learning can actually hinder your skills and fluency later on. If your brain has to make neural connections between the word you’re learning, what it means in your native tongue, and the physical object the connection will not be nearly as strong. When you bypass the original translation between Italian and your native language then there is a more basic and strong connection between just the Italian vocabulary word and the tangible object.

In this blog post, you will learn the 4 important techniques to easily and naturally begin to speculate about the daily occurrences in your life. The best part is all of these techniques are supported and can be achieved through ItalianPod101.com.

Create Your Free Lifetime Account and Start Learning the whole Italian Language from the Beginning!

1. Surround yourself with Italian

By surrounding yourself with Italian constantly you will completely immerse yourself in the language. Without realizing it you’ll be learning pronunciation, sentence structures, grammar, and new vocabulary. You can play music in the background while you’re cooking or have a Italian radio station on while you study. Immersion is a key factor with this learning process because it is one of the easiest things to do, but very effective. Even if you are not giving the program your full attention you will be learning.

One great feature of ItalianPod101.com is the endless podcasts that are available to you. You can even download and listen to them on the go. These podcasts are interesting and are perfect for the intention of immersion, they are easy to listen to as background noise and are interesting enough to give your full attention. Many of them contain stories that you follow as you go through the lessons which push you to keep going.

2. Learn through observation

Learning through observation is the most natural way to learn. Observation is how we all learned our native languages as infants and it’s a wonder why we stop learning this way. If you have patience and learn through observation then Italian words will have their own meanings rather than meanings in reference to your native language. Ideally, you should skip the bilingual dictionary and just buy a dictionary in Italian.

ItalianPod101.com also offers the materials to learn this way. We have numerous video lessons which present situational usage of each word or phrase instead of just a direct translation. This holds true for many of our videos and how we teach Italian.

3. Speak out loud to yourself

Speaking to yourself in Italian not only gets you in the mindset of Italian, but also makes you listen to how you speak. It forces you to correct any errors with pronunciation and makes it easy to spot grammar mistakes. When you speak out loud talk about what you did that day and what you plan to do the next day. Your goal is to be the most comfortable speaking out loud and to easily create sentences. Once you feel comfortable talking to yourself start consciously thinking in your head about your daily activities and what is going on around you throughout the day.

With ItalianPod101.com you start speaking right away, not only this, but they have you repeat words and conversations after a native Italian speaker. This makes your pronunciation very accurate! With this help, you are on the fast path to making clear and complex sentences and then actively thinking about your day.

4. Practice daily

If you don’t practice daily then your progress will be greatly slowed. Many people are tempted to take the 20-30 minutes they should be practicing a day and practice 120 in one day and skip the other days. This isn’t nearly as effective because everyday you practice you are reinforcing the skills and knowledge you have learned. If you practice all in one day you don’t retain the information because the brain can realistically only focus for 30 minutes at most. If you’re studying for 120 minutes on the same subject little of the information will be absorbed. Studying everyday allows you to review material that you went over previous days and absorb a small amount of information at a time.

It’s tough to find motivation to study everyday, but ItalianPod101.com can help. It’s easy to stay motivated with ItalianPod101.com because we give you a set learning path, with this path we show how much progress you’ve made. This makes you stick to your goals and keep going!

Conclusion

Following the steps and having patience is the hardest part to achieving your goals, it’s not easy learning a new language. You are essentially teaching your brain to categorize the world in a completely new way. Stick with it and you can do it just remember the 4 tools I taught you today! With them, conversations, reading, and understanding will become much easier. The most important thing to remember is to use the tools that ItalianPod101.com provides and you will be on your way to being fluent!

Learn Italian With ItalianPod101 Today!

Speaking is usually the #1 weakness for all Italian learners. This is a common issue among language learners everywhere. The reason for this is obvious: When language learners first start learning a language, they usually start with reading. They read online articles, books, information on apps and so on. If they take a class, they spend 20% of their time repeating words, and 80% of the time reading the textbook, doing homework or just listening to a teacher. So, if you spend most of your time reading instead of speaking, you might get better at reading but your speaking skills never grow. You get better at what you focus on.

So if you want to improve you speaking skills, you need to spend more of your study time on speaking. Here are five tips to help you get started:

1. Read out loud
If you’re listening to a lesson and reading along, read out loud. Then re-read and speed up your tempo. Do this again and again until you can speak faster. Try your best to pronounce the words correctly, but don’t obsess about it. Read swiftly, emote and put some inflection on the sentences. Reading aloud helps to train the muscles of your mouth and diaphragm to produce unfamiliar words and sounds.

2. Prepare things to say ahead of time.
As you may know from experience, most learners run out of things to say. But, if you prepare lines ahead of time, you won’t be at a loss for words in conversations. This will help you not only to learn how to say the words, but how to say them in the right context. A good way to prepare yourself before conversations is with our Top 25 Questions Series, which teaches you how to ask the most common conversational questions, and how to answer them, in Italian:

Click here to learn the top 25 Italian questions you need to know.

3. Use shadowing (repeat the dialogues as you hear them).
Shadowing is an extremely useful tool for increasing fluency as well as improving your accent and ability to be understood. Shadowing helps create all the neural connections in your brain to produce those words and sentences quickly and accurately without having to think about it. Also, as mentioned in tip #1, shadowing helps develop the muscle memory in all the physical parts responsible for the production of those sounds. Depending on what your primary and target languages are, it’s quite likely that there are a lot of sounds your mouth just isn’t used to producing. Shadowing can be done, for example, when watching TV shows or movies or listening to music.

Each one of our lessons begins with a dialogue. Try to shadow the conversation line by line, and you’ll be mastering it in no time.

Click here to for a FREE taste of our Absolute Beginner series!

4. Review again and again.
This is the key to perfection, and we can’t emphasize it enough. Most learners don’t review! If you review and repeat lines again and again, you’ll be speaking better, faster and with more confidence.

5. DON’T BE AFRAID TO MAKE MISTAKES!
You’d be surprised by how many people try to avoid talking! The more you speak, the faster you learn – and that is why you’re learning Italian. Practice speaking every chance you get: whether it’s ordering coffee, shopping or asking for directions.

Hello Listener,

You’ll want to know about these 2 new Italian learning tools and features. They’re great for reviewing, motivation and progress. One is an unofficial sneak peek.

So what are they? The brand new Achievement Badges and the Word Bank! And… if you want to master Italian, unlock our proven learning system at 26% OFF and get a Bonus 6.5-hour Audiobook!

In this month’s newsletter:

1. 72 Hours Left! Click here to get 26% OFF + FREE 6.5-Hour Audiobook
2. New Feature! Achievement Badges Now Available for Premium PLUS
3. Sneak Peek: Save & Review Vocab with this Study Tool

Click here to learn Italian and get 26% OFF. Up to $62.40 in savings.
(The free 6.5-hour Italian audiobook will be inside your welcome email)

2. NEW Feature! Learn and Stay Motivated with NEW Achievement Badges
Learning Italian? You deserve recognition and motivation. So, if you’re a Premium PLUS member… you can now unlock new badges as your Italian improves. Your Premium PLUS teacher will give out badges as you complete weekly assignments. The result? You master more Italian, unlock badges for your progress, and stay motivated to keep going.

Click here to learn about the Premium PLUS Achievement Badges!

3. Here’s a Sneak Peek at the Newly Redesigned Word Bank!
We haven’t fully announced this yet… but here’s a sneak peek! The Word Bank – your personal collection of words and phrases – is better than ever. What’s new? First, a shiny new design. You can sort and manage your vocab and phrases with custom labels. And feel free to print out your entries as physical study material or export them as files! Not a Premium member? Take advantage of the 26% discount by Friday.

Premium Users: Click here to access the New Word Bank!
(Note: You must be logged in to access this)

To your fluency,
Team ItalianPod101

P.S. We’re giving you a BONUS 6.5-Hour Audiobook. Get 26% OFF by Friday!
No school or textbooks necessary to learn Italian! In fact, you get a FREE Audiobook when you get 26% OFF any 1- or 2-year plan. Master Italian in LESS time with this 2-for-1 deal! Unlock our learning system – over 170 hours of audio and video lesson by real teachers and more! Just $2.96/month and up to $62.40 OFF. Hurry! Ends Friday, 8/28/2015!

Ends Friday! Click here to learn Italian and Get 26% OFF!
(Your FREE Audiobook will instantly be available in your welcome email)