Greetings and Basic Expressions

One of the first things you’ll need to learn in any language is how to greet people and use basic expressions. These form the cornerstone of polite interaction and can make a significant difference in how you are perceived by native speakers.

– **Ciao** – Hello/Goodbye
– **Buongiorno** – Good morning
– **Buonasera** – Good evening
– **Buonanotte** – Good night
– **Grazie** – Thank you
– **Prego** – You’re welcome/Please (in the sense of inviting someone to do something)
– **Sì** – Yes
– **No** – No
– **Per favore** – Please
– **Scusa/Scusi** – Excuse me/Sorry (informal/formal)
– **Come stai?** – How are you? (informal)
– **Come sta?** – How are you? (formal)
– **Bene, grazie** – Fine, thank you
– **Mi chiamo…** – My name is…
– **Piacere** – Nice to meet you

Numbers and Counting

Understanding numbers is essential, whether you are shopping, telling time, or giving your age. Here are the basic numbers you need to know at the A1 level:

– **Uno** – One
– **Due** – Two
– **Tre** – Three
– **Quattro** – Four
– **Cinque** – Five
– **Sei** – Six
– **Sette** – Seven
– **Otto** – Eight
– **Nove** – Nine
– **Dieci** – Ten
– **Ventuno** – Twenty-one
– **Trenta** – Thirty
– **Quaranta** – Forty
– **Cinquanta** – Fifty
– **Sessanta** – Sixty
– **Settanta** – Seventy
– **Ottanta** – Eighty
– **Novanta** – Ninety
– **Cento** – One hundred

Days of the Week and Months

Knowing the days of the week and months of the year is fundamental for planning and understanding schedules.

Days of the Week

– **Lunedì** – Monday
– **Martedì** – Tuesday
– **Mercoledì** – Wednesday
– **Giovedì** – Thursday
– **Venerdì** – Friday
– **Sabato** – Saturday
– **Domenica** – Sunday

Months of the Year

– **Gennaio** – January
– **Febbraio** – February
– **Marzo** – March
– **Aprile** – April
– **Maggio** – May
– **Giugno** – June
– **Luglio** – July
– **Agosto** – August
– **Settembre** – September
– **Ottobre** – October
– **Novembre** – November
– **Dicembre** – December

Common Verbs

Verbs are the backbone of any language. At the A1 level, you’ll start with the most common and useful ones.

– **Essere** – To be
– Io sono – I am
– Tu sei – You are (informal)
– Lui/Lei è – He/She is
– **Avere** – To have
– Io ho – I have
– Tu hai – You have (informal)
– Lui/Lei ha – He/She has
– **Fare** – To do/make
– Io faccio – I do/make
– Tu fai – You do/make (informal)
– Lui/Lei fa – He/She does/makes
– **Andare** – To go
– Io vado – I go
– Tu vai – You go (informal)
– Lui/Lei va – He/She goes
– **Mangiare** – To eat
– Io mangio – I eat
– Tu mangi – You eat (informal)
– Lui/Lei mangia – He/She eats

Useful Nouns

Nouns are necessary for naming people, places, and things. Here are some common nouns you’ll encounter at the A1 level:

People

– **Uomo** – Man
– **Donna** – Woman
– **Bambino/Bambina** – Boy/Girl
– **Amico/Amica** – Friend (male/female)
– **Famiglia** – Family

Places

– **Casa** – House/Home
– **Scuola** – School
– **Lavoro** – Work
– **Città** – City
– **Paese** – Country

Things

– **Libro** – Book
– **Telefono** – Phone
– **Tavolo** – Table
– **Sedia** – Chair
– **Macchina** – Car

Adjectives

Adjectives are used to describe nouns and give more information about them. Here are some common adjectives:

– **Bello/Bella** – Beautiful (male/female)
– **Brutto/Brutta** – Ugly (male/female)
– **Grande** – Big
– **Piccolo/Piccola** – Small (male/female)
– **Vecchio/Vecchia** – Old (male/female)
– **Nuovo/Nuova** – New (male/female)
– **Buono/Buona** – Good (male/female)
– **Cattivo/Cattiva** – Bad (male/female)

Questions and Interrogatives

Being able to ask questions is crucial for communication. Here are some basic interrogative words and phrases:

– **Chi?** – Who?
– **Che cosa?** – What?
– **Quando?** – When?
– **Dove?** – Where?
– **Perché?** – Why?
– **Come?** – How?
– **Quanto/Quanta?** – How much? (male/female)
– **Quale?** – Which?

Prepositions

Prepositions are small words that link nouns, pronouns, or phrases to other words within a sentence. Here are some common Italian prepositions:

– **Di** – Of
– **A** – To/At
– **Da** – From
– **In** – In
– **Con** – With
– **Su** – On
– **Per** – For
– **Tra/Fra** – Between/Among

Food and Drink

Food is an integral part of Italian culture, and knowing some basic food-related vocabulary can be very useful.

Common Foods

– **Pane** – Bread
– **Formaggio** – Cheese
– **Carne** – Meat
– **Pesce** – Fish
– **Frutta** – Fruit
– **Verdura** – Vegetables
– **Pasta** – Pasta

Beverages

– **Acqua** – Water
– **Vino** – Wine
– **Birra** – Beer
– **Caffè** – Coffee
– **Tè** – Tea

Basic Phrases for Daily Use

These phrases can help you get through everyday interactions more smoothly:

– **Dove si trova…?** – Where is…?
– **Quanto costa?** – How much does it cost?
– **Vorrei…** – I would like…
– **Posso avere…?** – Can I have…?
– **Che ore sono?** – What time is it?
– **Parli inglese?** – Do you speak English?
– **Non capisco** – I don’t understand
– **Mi può aiutare?** – Can you help me?
– **Ho bisogno di…** – I need…

Time and Dates

Understanding how to tell time and speak about dates is important for scheduling and daily activities.

Telling Time

– **Che ora è?** – What time is it?
– **È l’una** – It’s one o’clock
– **Sono le due** – It’s two o’clock
– **Mezzogiorno** – Noon
– **Mezzanotte** – Midnight
– **E un quarto** – Quarter past
– **E mezza** – Half past
– **Meno un quarto** – Quarter to

Dates

– **Oggi** – Today
– **Domani** – Tomorrow
– **Ieri** – Yesterday
– **Settimana** – Week
– **Mese** – Month
– **Anno** – Year

Family and Relationships

Understanding terms related to family and relationships is essential, especially in a culture where family ties are highly valued.

– **Madre** – Mother
– **Padre** – Father
– **Fratello** – Brother
– **Sorella** – Sister
– **Nonno** – Grandfather
– **Nonna** – Grandmother
– **Zio/Zia** – Uncle/Aunt
– **Cugino/Cugina** – Cousin (male/female)

Adverbs

Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, providing more information about how, when, where, or to what degree something happens.

– **Sempre** – Always
– **Mai** – Never
– **Spesso** – Often
– **Raramente** – Rarely
– **Adesso** – Now
– **Poi** – Then
– **Subito** – Immediately
– **Qui** – Here
– **Lì** – There

Colors

Knowing the names of colors can be very useful, whether you’re shopping for clothes or describing objects.

– **Rosso/Rossa** – Red (male/female)
– **Blu** – Blue
– **Giallo/Gialla** – Yellow (male/female)
– **Verde** – Green
– **Nero/Nera** – Black (male/female)
– **Bianco/Bianca** – White (male/female)
– **Grigio/Grigia** – Gray (male/female)
– **Marrone** – Brown
– **Rosa** – Pink
– **Viola** – Purple

Weather

Talking about the weather is a common conversation starter. Here are some basic weather-related words:

– **Sole** – Sun
– **Pioggia** – Rain
– **Neve** – Snow
– **Vento** – Wind
– **Nuvola** – Cloud
– **Caldo** – Hot
– **Freddo** – Cold
– **Sereno** – Clear
– **Nuvoloso** – Cloudy

Transportation

Knowing how to talk about different modes of transportation can be very helpful, especially if you’re traveling.

– **Macchina** – Car
– **Autobus** – Bus
– **Treno** – Train
– **Aereo** – Airplane
– **Bicicletta** – Bicycle
– **Moto** – Motorcycle
– **Taxi** – Taxi
– **Metro** – Subway

Shopping

Shopping is an essential activity, and knowing some basic vocabulary can make it much easier.

– **Negozio** – Store
– **Supermercato** – Supermarket
– **Prezzo** – Price
– **Sconto** – Discount
– **Vendita** – Sale
– **Carta di credito** – Credit card
– **Contanti** – Cash
– **Ricevuta** – Receipt

Health and Emergencies

It’s always good to know some basic terms related to health and emergencies, just in case.

– **Medico** – Doctor
– **Ospedale** – Hospital
– **Farmacia** – Pharmacy
– **Ambulanza** – Ambulance
– **Emergenza** – Emergency
– **Malato/Malata** – Sick (male/female)
– **Dolore** – Pain
– **Febbre** – Fever
– **Allergia** – Allergy

Conclusion

Mastering these fundamental words and phrases will give you a solid foundation as you continue to learn Italian. Practice using them in sentences and real-life situations to reinforce your understanding and build your confidence. Remember, language learning is a journey, and every word you learn brings you one step closer to fluency. Buona fortuna! (Good luck!)