The English-Learning and Languages Review Æ Homepage
Italian
Miniphrase
Erik
V Gunnemark and Amorey Gethin
(complete
apart from some details of layout)
In the following list, in order
to give the learner as little as possible to remember at this stage, only one
Italian expression has been given for each idea. This is not necessarily the
most common usage, but it is always completely idiomatic. In practice, of
course, there are often several equally idiomatic alternatives. One of the
fascinating things about learning a foreign language is that as one hears more
of it, one can pick up many different ways of saying things.
Oblique strokes (/) separate
alternatives. In the Italian / is also used to separate the different verb
forms, pronouns, and genders. Where there are only two forms of verb or
pronoun, the first (e.g. [verb] sta/ or
[pronoun] la/) shows the formal 3rd person singular form for "you";
the second (e.g. /stai [verb] or /te
[pronoun]) shows the familiar 2nd person singular. Where three forms are shown,
the third is the 2nd person plural. For genders, the order is masculine
singular/feminine sing./m.plural/f.plur. In some cases, in order to avoid long
repetitions, only the endings of the alternative forms are given, and these are
underlined, e.g. potrebbe/resti/reste, which indicates that the three
forms are potrebbe, potresti, potreste.
ACCIDENT
There's
been a (bad) accident. C'è stato un
(brutto) incidente.
Bruno's
had a (bad) accident. Bruno ha avuto un
(brutto) incidente.
It's
not serious. Non
è grave.
AFRAID
I'm
afraid not/I can't. Mi dispiace, no/non posso.
Don't
be afraid or frightened. Non abbia/avere/abbiate paura.
AGE - See OLD
ALL RIGHT
All
right, or O.K., I'll come. Va
bene, vengo.
That's
all right. or That's O.K.
(after
"Sorry!") Di
niente.
That's
all right.
(=
It doesn't matter, don't worry
about it.) Non
importa.
Is
that all right? or Is that O.K.?
(=
Is that agreed?) D'accordo?
Fine! Benissimo!
O.K.
See you tomorrow. Va bene. Ci vediamo
domani.
Are
you all right? Sta/Stai/State bene?
BED
I'm
sleepy. I'm going to bed. Ho sonno. Vado a letto.
BIRTHDAY
Happy
birthday! Tanti
auguri! [especially spoken]
Buon
compleanno! [especially written]
BOTHER
(Please) Don't bother. Non
si preoccupi./Non preoccuparti.
It's no bother. Nessun
disturbo.
(I'm)
Sorry to bother you (but I
wonder
if you could help me). Scusi/Scusa/Scusate se
la/ti/vi disturbo (potrebbe/resti/reste
aiutarmi?)
BY - See TRANSPORT
CALL - See NAME, SAY
CALM
Keep
calm! Calma!
Calm
down! or Take it easy! Calmati!
CAN, COULD - See also MAY, PLEASE, HAVE, HELP &
HOW
Could
or Can I have another cup of
coffee? Posso
avere un'altra tazza di caffè?
Certainly. or
Of course.
or Sure. Certo.
Could
I have my key please?
Number 22. Mi
da la chiave, per favore. Numero
ventidue.
Could
you bring me another knife?
This one's dirty. Mi
da un altro coltello, per favore. Questo
è sporco.
Can
I have five kilos of potatoes. Posso avere cinque chili
di patate?
Can I smoke here? Si
può fumare qui?
No, it's not allowed. No,
è proibito.
Yes,
that's all right. Si,
va bene.
Can
you drive? Sa/Sai guidare?
Yes, I can. Si.
No,
I can't. No.
CARE - See also LOOK
Take
care of yourself/selves. Attento/a/i/e a
te/voi. [all these are familiar
forms]
I don't care. Non
mi importa.
CAREFUL
(Be)
Careful! Attento/a/i/e!
CHANGE
I've
changed my mind. Ho
cambiato idea.
I
must change (my clothes). Devo
cambiarmi.
I'd
like to change my room. Vorrei cambiare camera.
CHEERS
Cheers! (=
toast) Salute!
CHRISTMAS
Merry
Christmas! Buon
Natale!
CLOCK - See TIME
COLD
I'm
cold. Ho
freddo.
It's
cold. (=
weather) Fa
freddo.
COME
Come here. Venga/Vieni/Venite qui.
I'm coming! Vengo!
Come in. Avanti!
Do come in. Prego, avanti!
Where
do you come from? Di dov'è?/Di
dove sei/siete?
I'm from
I'm English. Sono
inglese.
COMPASS, POINTS OF
It's
in north/south/east/west
They
live about 30 kilometres north
of
We
must go south. Dobbiamo
andare verso sud.
CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations! Congratulazioni!
COST
What
does this cost? or How much is
this? Quanto
costa?
COULD - see CAN
COURSE, OF
Yes,
of course. Ma
certo.
DATES
What's
the date (today)? Che data è (oggi)?
(on) 1st/2nd/30th January 1999 (-)
il 1(primo)/2(due)/30(trenta) gennaio 1999 (mille novecento
novantanove)
What
day will you arrive? In che giorno arriva/i/ate?
The
eighteenth. Il
diciotto.
in 1848/2000 nel
1848 (mille ottocento quarantotto)/2000 (due mila)
in the
nineteen sixties negli
anni sessanta
DAY - see DATES
DEAR
Dear Nina/Bruno,... Cara/o Nina/Bruno, ...
Dear Mrs/Miss/Mr Rossi,... Gentile signora/signorina/signor Rossi, ...
DIRECTION - see WAY
DISTURB - See BOTHER
DO - See also HELP, STOP, & WORK
Can
I do something (for you)? Ha/Hai bisogno di aiuto?
Don't
do that! Non
farlo!
EASY - see CALM, SLOWLY
ENJOY - See GOOD
ENOUGH
That's
enough. Basta
(così).
EXACTLY
Exactly! Esatto!
EXCUSE
Excuse
me.
(=
apology or preliminary to request) Scusi/a/ate.
Excuse
me.
(=
request for permission to pass
or enter - "May I come in?") Permesso.
FAR - see HOW FAR
FINE - See ALL RIGHT and HOW ARE
FUN - See also GOOD
We
had great fun. Ci
siamo proprio divertiti.
GIVING something to somebody - see THERE
GLAD - See also WELCOME
I'm
glad to hear that. Sono contento/a di
saperlo.
I'll
be glad to (do it). Con
piacere.
GOOD
Good morning/day. Buongiorno.
Good afternoon/evening. Buona
sera.
Good
night. Buona
notte.
Good! Bene.
Have
a good time. or Enjoy yourself. Buon divertimento.
Have
a good trip or journey. Buon viaggio.
Good luck! Buona
fortuna!
GOODBYE
Goodbye. Arrivederci.
Bye-bye.
or Cheerio. Ciao.
All
the best. Tante
belle cose.
GREETINGS - See HOW DO, HULLO, MEET, REGARDS, WELCOME
HALF - see TIME
HAVE
Can
I have four of those apples/them?
or
I'll take four of those apples/them. Mi da quattro di quelle
mele./Me ne
da
quattro.
HAVE DONE
Where
can I have my bicycle/this
part
repaired? Dove
posso far riparare la mia
bicicletta/questo
pezzo?
HEALTH - See HOW ARE
HELLO - See also TELEPHONE
Hullo!
or Hi! Ciao!
HEAR
Sorry,
I didn't hear what you said. Scusi/a/ate , non ho sentito quello
che
ha/hai/avete detto.
HELP
Help! Aiuto!
Could
you help me? Potrebbe aiutarmi?
Certainly.
or Sure. Certo.
Can
I help you? Posso aiutarla (signora/signorina/
signore)? Posso aiutarti/vi?
[Note the pronoun la, the accusative
of lei, with signore as well as
signora.]
It
can't be helped. or
There's nothing we can do. Non c'è niente da
fare.
HERE - see also THERE
Here he is/I am! Eccolo/mi!
HOME
Is he/she at home? E
a casa?
Let's
go home. Andiamo a casa.
HOPE
I hope so./Let's hope so. Spero
di si./Speriamo.
I hope not. Spero
di no.
HOT
I'm
hot. Ho
caldo.
It's
hot. (= weather) Fa
caldo.
HOW
(Can
you show me) how to do it? or How
does one do it? (Può/Puoi/Potete farmi vedere) Come
si fa?
HOW ARE
How
are you? Come sta/stai/state?
Very
well, thank you. And you? (Sto)
Benissimo, grazie, e
lei/tu/voi?
I've
got a cold. Ho
un raffreddore.
I've got a
headache/sore throat/
stomach-ache. Ho
mal di testa/gola/stomaco.
Not too bad. Non
c'è male.
I
don't feel well. Non
mi sento bene.
He/She became ill yesterday. Si è ammalato/a
ieri.
HOW ARE THINGS
How
are things (going)? or How are
you getting on? Come
va?
HOW DO
How
do you do. or Pleased to meet
you.
my name's Tom Scott. Piacere.
Sono Tom Scott.
How
do you do. or Pleased to meet
you. I'm Luca Masi. Piacere.
Masi, Luca. [Note the reversed order in
Italian.]
HOW FAR
How
far is it to
HOW LONG
How
long does it take (by train)? Quanto tempo ci vuole (in
treno)?
How long
have you been here? Da quanto tempo è/sei/siete qui?
I've/We've
been here (for) a week. Sono/Siamo qui da una
settimana.
How
long are you staying here? Per quanto tempo si ferma/ti fermi/
vi fermate qui?
Till
Monday. Fino a lunedì.
HOW MUCH - See COST
HOW...SAY - See SAY
HULLO - See HELLO & TELEPHONE
HUNGRY
Are
you hungry/thirsty.? Ha/Hai/Avete fame/sete?
HURRY
I'm
in a hurry. Ho
fretta.
There's
no hurry. Non c'è fretta.
Hurry up! Sbrigati!/Sbrigatevi! [sing. & plur.
familiar forms]
HURT
It/That hurts (here). Mi
fa male (qui).
Have
you hurt yourself? Le è/Ti sei fatto/a male? Vi siete
fatti/e male?
My feet hurt. Mi
fanno male i piedi.
IDEA
That's
a good idea. Che
bell'idea.
ILL - See HOW ARE
ISN'T IT?, AREN'T YOU?,
HAVEN'T THEY?, etc. Vero?
JOB See WORK
JOURNEY - See GOOD
KIND
That's
very kind of you. E molto gentile (da
parte sua/tua/
vostra).
KNOW
I
(don't) know. (Non)
Lo so.
I
didn't know that. Non lo sapevo.
LATE
I'm sorry I'm late. Mi
dispiace di essere in ritardo.
LAVATORY - see TOILET
LEFT - See also WAY
Is
there any wine left? C'è ancora un po'
di vino?
There's nothing/no bread left. Non ce n'è
più./Non c'è più pane.
LET
Let's go/have something to eat? or
Shall we go/have something to eat? Andiamo?/Andiamo a
mangiare
qualcosa?
Let
him go. (2nd pers. sing. & plur.) Lascialo/Lasciatelo andare.
Let go! Lascia!
Let
me know when you're ready. Mi faccia/Fammi sapere quando
è/sei/siete pronto/a/i/e.
Let's
see. Vediamo.
LIKE - See also CAN, LOVE, WEATHER
Do you like coffee? Le/Ti/Vi piace il caffè?
Yes, I do, but I prefer tea. Si, mi piace, ma
preferisco il
tè.
We
don't like it. Non
ci piace.
I
like you very much. Mi
piaci tanto.
I'd
like a room facing south. Posso avere una camera
esposta a
sud?
Would
you like some coffee/a beer? Posso offrire qualcosa? Un caffè/Una
birra?
Yes,
I'd love some coffee/a beer. Si, grazie. Mi piacerebbe un
caffè/una birra.
Have
you had enough or would you like
some more?
Le/Ti/Vi basta o ne vuole/vuoi/
volete ancora?
Would
you like to go for a walk? Vuole/Vuoi/Volete fare una
passeggiata?
LISTEN
Listen! Ascolti/a/ate!
LOOK
You
look well. La/Ti trovo bene.
It
looks good. Sembra buono.
He looks tired. Sembra
stanco.
Look
out! Attento/a/i/e!
I'll
look after/take care of that. or
I'll attend to it. Ci
penso io.
LOOK FORWARD
We're
looking forward to seeing
you. Non vediamo l'ora di
rivederla/ti/vi.
I was
so looking forward to her visit. Peccato, avevo tanta
voglia di
vederla.
LOVE
We'd/I'd love to come. Ci/Mi farà molto piacere venire.
Give
our love to Nina. Tanti (cari) saluti a
Nina.
She's/He's in love (with Bruno/Nina). E innamorata/o (di
Bruno/Nina).
make love fare
l'amore
LUCK
Good luck! Buona
fortuna!
What
luck! Che
fortuna!
What
bad luck! Che
sfortuna!
MARRIED
I'm/He's,
She's married (to Nina/
Bruno). Sono/E sposato/a (con Nina/Bruno).
MATTER
What's
the matter? Cosa
c'è?
Oh,
nothing to worry about. Oh, niente di importante.
It doesn't matter. Non importa.
MAY - See also CAN, COULD, EXCUSE, MIND
May
I (put the television on)? Posso (accendere la
televisione)?
Of
course (please do). Prego! Faccia/Fai/Fate pure.
I'd rather you didn't, if you
don't mind. Se
non le/ti/vi dispiace,
preferirei
di no.
May I
come in/come by or pass? Permesso?
MEAN
What
does this
word/"caldo" mean? Cosa vuol dire questa
parola/"caldo"?
What
do you mean (by that)? Cosa intende/i
dire (con questo)?
MEET - See also HOW DO, WELCOME
It
was nice meeting you. E stato un piacere
conoscerla/ti/vi.
When
shall we meet? Quando
ci vediamo?
I'll
meet you at the airport. Ci
incontriamo all'aeroporto.
MIND - See also BOTHER, MATTER, WORRY
Never
mind. (= Don't bother). Lascia
perdere.
Never
mind. (= You'll have forgotten
all about it tomorrow).
Do
you mind if I smoke/me smoking? Le/Ti/Vi
dà fastidio se fumo?
No, not at all. or
No, that's
all right. Go ahead. Faccia/Fai
pure! Prego!
MISTAKE
I'm
afraid I've made a mistake. Mi dispiace. Mi sono
sbagliato.
I think there's a mistake here/in Credo
che ci sia un errore in questo
conto.
MOMENT - See WAIT
MUCH - See COST and Minilex
NAME - See also TELEPHONE
What's
your name? Come
si chiama?
Could
I have your name please? Posso avere il suo cognome/nome?
first
name/Christian name
surname/family
name cognome
My
name is Tom Scott. Mi
chiamo Tom Scott.
NEW YEAR
Happy
New Year! Buon
Anno! [especially written]
Auguri!
[especially spoken - cf.
BIRTHDAY]
NO - See THANK YOU
NOT AT ALL - See also THANK YOU
Not
at all. (= Not in the least.) Niente
affatto.
NOTE
Let
me make a note of it. Faccio
un appunto.
NOTHING - see HELP
OCCUPIED - see TAKEN
O.K. - See ALL RIGHT
OLD
How
old is she/he? Quanti
anni ha?
She's/He's twenty-five. Ha
venticinque anni.
How
old is she/he/it? (= babies,
small
animals) Quanto
ha?
PAIN - See HOW ARE, HURT
PARDON - See HEAR, SORRY
PITY
What
a pity! Che
peccato!
PLEASE - See also CAN, COULD
Please. Per
favore.
Yes
please. Si,
prego.
PLEASED - See HOW DO, MEET, WELCOME
POINT _ see WORTH
QUICK(LY)! - See also HURRY Presto!
QUIET
Be quiet! Stia/Sta/State zitto/a/i/e!
RADIO - See TELEVISION
REALLY
(Oh),
really? Davvero?
REGARDS
Give
my regards to your husband /
your wife / your parents / Nina. Mi saluti/Salutami tanto suo/tuo
marito / sua/tua moglie / i
suoi/tuoi genitori / Nina.
REMEMBER
I
don't remember (it or that). Non
ricordo.
RIGHT - See also WAY
You
are right. Ha/Hai/Avete ragione.
Is
this right? (= correct) E
giusto?
ROOM – See LIKE
SAME
(Thank
you.) The same to you. (Grazie.) Altrettanto.
SAY - see also SORRY
Could
you please say that again? Le/Ti dispiace ripetere?
How
do you say "hot" in Italian? Come si dice
"hot" in italiano?
What
do you call that in Italian? Come si chiama in italiano?
What
should I say? Come
devo dire?
SEE
See
you this evening/tomorrow/soon. A stasera/domani/presto.
It
was nice/good to see you. E stato bello rivederla/ti/vi.
When
can I see you again? Quando possiamo
riverderci?
I see. Ho capito.
SERIOUS - See ACCIDENT
SHALL
What shall I do? Che
cosa devo fare?
Shall
I give you a ring? Le/Ti/Vi do un colpo di telefono?
Shall
I open the window? Devo
aprire la finestra?
SHOW - See also HOW
Will
you show me your photos? Mi fa/fai vedere le fotografie?
Can
you show me where it is on my map? Può/Puoi indicarmi dov'è sulla carta
geografica?
SIT
Please
sit down. Se
sieda/Siediti/Sedetevi.
SLEEP
Sleep well! Buon riposo!
Did
you sleep well? Ha/Hai/Avete dormito bene?
SLOWLY
Slowly!
or Easy! Piano
piano!
SORRY - See also ALL RIGHT, HEAR
I'm
sorry. Mi
dispiace.
I'm so terribly or really very sorry. Mi dispiace
tanto.
That's
all right. Va
bene.
I'm
sorry to hear that. Mi dispiace saperlo.
Sorry I'm late. Mi
dispiace essere in ritardo.
I beg your pardon. (= Sorry) Mi
scusi/Scusami/Scusatemi.
Sorry?
What did you say? or Pardon? or
I beg your pardon? Scusi/a?
Cosa ha/hai detto?
SOUND
That
sounds interesting. Sembra
interessante.
She/He sounded happy. Sembrava
felice.
SPEAK
Do
you speak English? Parla
inglese?
Only/Yes, a little. Soltanto/Si, un po'.
I'm
afraid not. No, mi dispiace.
Is
there anyone here who speaks
English? C'è
qualcuno qui che parla inglese?
Could you
speak a bit more slowly? Potrebbe parlare un po'
più
lentamente?
Could
I talk to you/to Nina for
a moment? Potrei parlarle/ti/vi un attimo?
Potrei
parlare un attimo con Nina?
SPELL
How
do you spell it? Come si scrive?
STOP
Stop! Ferma/i/ate!
Stop
it! Smettila!
STUFF
These
are all my things. or This is all
my stuff. Questa
è tutta la mia roba.
TAKE - see HAVE, HOW LONG
TAKEN
Is
this place taken? or Is this seat
occupied? E
occupato questo posto?
No, it's free. No,
è libero.
TELEPHONE - see also SHALL
Hello! Pronto!
Could
I speak to Bruno/Mr. Masi? Scusi, posso parlare
con Bruno/il
signor
Masi?
Who
am I speaking to? Con
chi parlo?
This
is Bruno Scott speaking. Sono
Bruno Scott.
TELEVISION & RADIO - See also MAY
I saw/heard it on television/the L'ho visto/sentito in televisione/
radio.
alla
radio.
THANK YOU
Thank
you (very much). Grazie
(tante).
Thank
you very much for your trouble/
help. Grazie
tante per il suo/tuo
disturbo/aiuto.
Not
at all. or That's O.K. or
Don't mention it. Di
niente.
You're
welcome. Prego.
No
thank you. No,
grazie.
THERE
There
you go. or Here you are. Prego.
[But after recipient says
"Grazie"]
THERE IS
Is
there a telephone near here? C'è un telefono
qui vicino?
Yes, there's one in front of the
post office. Si,
ce n'è uno davanti
all'ufficio postale.
THINK
I think so. Credo
di si.
I don't think so. Credo
di no.
What
do you think (of it)? Cosa ne pensa/i/ate?
THIRSTY - see HUNGRY
TIME
What's
the time? Che ore sono?
(It's)
six o'clock. Sono
le sei.
(At)
What time is she coming?/does the
bus for Milan leave? A
che ora viene?/parte l'autobus per
Milano?
(At) five (o'clock). Alle
cinque.
It
begins at twelve (o'clock). Comincia a mezzogiorno.
quarter of an hour un
quarto d'ora
half an hour mezz'ora
(at)
a quarter/twenty to four (al)le
quattro meno un quarto/venti
(at)
a quarter/seventeen minutes
past four (al)le
quattro e un
quarto/diciasette
(at)
half past four (in the morning/
evening). (al)le
quattro e mezza (di
mattina/sera)
It's
time for us to go/we went/
he went. E
ora di andare.
I fear
we haven't got time. Ho paura che non abbiamo
tempo.
TOILET
Excuse
me, where is the toilet/
lavatory?
Scusi,
dov'è il bagno?
TRANSPORT
How
are you going? Con che mezzo
va/vai/andate?
We're
flying/cycling. In
aereo/In bicicletta.
They're
coming by air/by bus/by car/
by sea/by train/on foot. Vengono in aereo/in
autobus/in auto/
via mare/in treno/a piedi.
UNDERSTAND
Do
you understand English? Capisce/i l'inglese?
Yes,/only a little. Si,/solo un po'.
I'm afraid not. No,
mi dispiace.
I'm
sorry, I don't understand (French). Mi dispiace - non capisco
(il
francese).
Do you
understand? Ha/Hai capito?
I
understand. Ho
capito.
URGENT
It's
urgent. E
urgente.
USE
That's
no use. or It's no use
(waiting). E
inutile (aspettare).
WAIT
Could
you wait a moment. or One moment
please. Aspetti
un attimo, per favore.
Let's
wait. Aspettiamo.
WAY - See also HOW
Excuse
me, can you tell me the way to
the station? Scusi,
può indicarmi la strada per la
stazione?
Straight
on. Sempre
diritto.
Go down here, and first to the
left then second to the right.
The station is immediately on
your right. Giù di qui, la
prima a sinistra,
poi la seconda a destra. La
stazione è lì sulla destra.
Which way
(should I go)? In
quale direzione?
Go that/this way. Vada/Vai/Andate da
quella/questa parte.
Your
suitcase is in the way. La sua valigia da
fastidio.
WEATHER - See also COLD, HOT, WHAT
What's
the weather like? Com'è
il tempo?
The
weather's bad. Fa
cattivo tempo.
The
weather's good. Fa
bel tempo.
It's
raining (hard). Piove
(a dirotto).
The
sun's out or shining. C'è
sole.
WELCOME - See also THANK YOU, THERE
Welcome (to London)! Benvenuto/a/i/e
(a Londra)!
WELL - See HOW ARE
WHAT - See also FUN, SAY
What
weather! Che
tempo!
What
a wonderful or lovely
or
beautiful day! Che
bella giornata!
What
a waste of time! Che perdita di tempo!
WHERE - See COME
WISH
I
wish she/he was here. Se solo lei/lui fosse qui!
I wish
you would tell me. Se solo tu me lo dicessi!
I wish
I was younger. Se solo fossi più
giovane!
I wish
I had a car. Se solo avessi una
macchina!
I wish
I could go too. Se solo potessi andare
anch'io!
WORK expressions - See also WRONG
What
do you do? (= What sort of work
do you do? What's your job?) Che
lavoro fa/fai/fate?
What
are you doing now or at
the moment? E
ora che cosa fa?
WORRY
Don't worry. Non si preoccupi/preoccuparti/
preoccupatevi.
Don't
worry about that. Non se ne preoccupi/
preoccupartene/ve ne preoccupate.
I'm
worried (about my son). Sono preoccupato (per mio
figlio).
WORTH
It's
not worth it. or There's
no
point (in doing that). Non ne vale la pena.
WOULD - See LIKE
WRONG
It's
wrong. E
sbagliato.
He/She
is wrong. Si
sbaglia.
There's
something wrong with the
engine. C'è
un guasto al motore.
YES - See COURSE, PLEASE
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