Skip to main content

One Language Labs journey

Use one connected route: retrieve and rehearse here, then use the classic SIOC Italian Lab for grammar maps, situation vocabulary, sentence banks, dialogues and spoken examples.

Open classic Italian Lab →Daily practiceA0–C1 vocabularyArrival packRepair & classroomAfter classExam tasksPrintable pack

Italian Intensive Vocabulary

The most useful spoken words, short everyday sayings, and contemporary youth language — organised from absolute beginner (A0) to advanced (C1), plus exam-focused practice.

A0–A1 Core A2 Everyday B1 Conversation B2 Natural C1 Advanced Youth / informal Short Sayings Exam Prep
A0 – A1

Survival Core (≈ 300–400 words)

The absolute highest-frequency words and phrases you need to start speaking from day one.

Greetings & Basics
Ciao
Hi / Bye (informal)
Ciao! Come stai?
Buongiorno
Good morning / Good day
Buongiorno, come va?
Buonasera
Good evening
Buonasera a tutti!
Arrivederci
Goodbye (more formal)
Arrivederci, a domani!
Sì / No
Yes / No
Per favore / Grazie
Please / Thank you
Un caffè, per favore. Grazie!
Prego
You’re welcome / Please (go ahead)
Scusa / Mi scusi
Sorry / Excuse me (informal / formal)
Come stai? / Come va?
How are you?
Ciao Marco, come stai?
Bene, grazie
Fine, thanks
Mi chiamo…
My name is…
Mi chiamo Sara.
Piacere
Nice to meet you
Essential Verbs (present)
essere
to be
Sono italiano. Sei stanco?
avere
to have
Ho fame. Hai tempo?
fare
to do / make
Cosa fai? Faccio una pausa.
andare
to go
Vado a casa. Andiamo!
venire
to come
Vieni con me?
volere
to want
Voglio un gelato.
potere
can / to be able
Posso entrare?
dovere
must / to have to
Devo studiare.
sapere / conoscere
to know (facts / people)
dire / parlare
to say / to speak
mangiare / bere
to eat / to drink
vedere / sentire
to see / to hear / feel
High-frequency function words
il / la / i / le / un / una
the / a
di / a / da / in / con / per / su
of / to / from / in / with / for / on
e / o / ma / perché
and / or / but / because
non / più / molto / poco / tanto
not / more / a lot / little / so much
questo / quello / qui / lì
this / that / here / there
io / tu / lui / lei / noi / voi / loro
I / you / he / she / we / you / they
mi / ti / ci / vi
me / you / us / you (object)
che / chi / dove / quando / come / quanto
what/that / who / where / when / how / how much

Card examples (Leitner)

Look at the front, say the back out loud, then check. Wrong → Box 1.

Front (cue)Say hello (informal).
Back (say out loud)Ciao!
Front (cue)Say your name.
Back (say out loud)Mi chiamo…
Front (cue)Ask how someone is.
Back (say out loud)Come stai? / Come va?
Front (cue)Say please and thank you.
Back (say out loud)Per favore. Grazie.
Front (cue)Say you don’t know.
Back (say out loud)Non so.
Front (cue)Say you want water.
Back (say out loud)Vorrei dell’acqua.
A2

Everyday Spoken Italian

Daily life vocabulary and the short phrases Italians actually use in conversation.

Daily life & feelings
lavoro / scuola / casa
work / school / home
amico / amica / famiglia
friend / family
tempo / soldi / problema
time / money / problem
bello / brutto / buono / cattivo
beautiful-nice / ugly / good / bad
stanco / contento / stressato
tired / happy / stressed
fame / sete / sonno
hunger / thirst / sleepiness
Ho una fame!
ora / oggi / ieri / domani
now / today / yesterday / tomorrow
sempre / mai / spesso / a volte
always / never / often / sometimes
Useful short spoken phrases
  • Come va?
    How’s it going?
  • Tutto bene?
    Everything okay?
  • Va bene / Va bene così
    Okay / That’s fine
  • Non lo so
    I don’t know
  • Aspetta un attimo
    Wait a second
  • Dammi un secondo
    Give me a second
  • Cosa fai stasera?
    What are you doing tonight?
  • Ci vediamo dopo / Ci sentiamo
    See you later / We’ll talk
  • Che figata!
    That’s so cool!
  • Che palle…
    What a pain… (mild)
  • Non ci credo
    I can’t believe it
  • Davvero? / Sul serio?
    Really?
  • Magari!
    I wish! / Hopefully!
  • Figurati
    Don’t mention it / No problem
  • Meno male
    Thank goodness
B1

Real Conversation Building

Connectors, opinions, past experiences and the language of opinions and stories.

Connectors & fillers (spoken)
allora / quindi / dunque
so / therefore
comunque / però / anzi
anyway / but / actually
cioè / tipo / praticamente
that is / like / basically
secondo me / a mio parere
in my opinion
mi sembra / credo che
it seems to me / I think that
per esempio / tipo
for example / like
in realtà / alla fine
actually / in the end
boh / mah
dunno / well… (spoken fillers)
Past & experiences
ho fatto / sono andato/a
I did / I went
c’era / c’erano
there was / there were
mi è piaciuto/a
I liked it
è successo che…
what happened is…
una volta / l’altro giorno
once / the other day
mi ricordo quando…
I remember when…
B2

Natural & Nuanced

More precise vocabulary, softeners, and expressions that make you sound less like a textbook.

a dire la verità
to tell the truth
in un certo senso
in a way
non è che…
it’s not that…
ci sta
that works / that’s fair
ha senso
it makes sense
non c’entra niente
that has nothing to do with it
mi sa che…
I have a feeling that…
dipende
it depends
alla fine dei conti
at the end of the day
non è il massimo
it’s not great
è un po’ così così
it’s so-so
mi fa strano
it feels weird to me
Youth / contemporary informal language

How young Italians actually speak

Informal expressions, anglicisms and short expressions used by Gen Z and young adults. Use carefully — context and age matter.

Fra / Bro
Dude / bro (very common address among friends)
“Fra, che fai stasera?”
Scialla / Sto nel chill
Chill / I’m relaxed / take it easy
“Scialla bro, non stressarti.” — Crusca’s 2026 youth word of the year vibe
Cringe
Embarrassing / awkward (second-hand embarrassment)
“Quel video è troppo cringe.”
Slay / Spaccare
To kill it / be amazing
“Hai slayato stasera.” / “Quel beat spacca.”
Ghostare
To ghost someone (suddenly stop answering)
“Mi ha ghostato dopo due messaggi.”
Crush
Crush (romantic)
“Ho una crush pazzesca per lui.”
Flexare
To flex / show off
“Sta flexando le scarpe nuove.”
Nabbo
Noob / beginner (often teasing)
“Sei un nabbo a questo gioco.”
Maranza
Showy / flashy street style (can be pejorative or ironic)
Godo
I’m enjoying this (often schadenfreude)
“Hai sbagliato tutto… godo.”
Ci sta
That works / fair enough / I’m down
“Pizza stasera? Ci sta.”
Bella zì
Hey bro / what’s up (very informal)
Shippare
To ship (want two people to be together)
Aura / Rizz
Vibe / charisma / attractiveness
Skippare
To skip
“Ho skippato la pubblicità.”
High-value chunks

Short sayings Italians use every day

Learn these as ready-made blocks. They sound natural and save you from translating word by word.

  • Come butta?
    How’s it going? (very casual)
  • Tutto a posto?
    Everything good?
  • Che si dice?
    What’s up? / What’s the news?
  • Dimmi tutto
    Tell me everything
  • Non ti preoccupare
    Don’t worry
  • Lascia stare
    Leave it / forget it
  • Fai come vuoi
    Do as you like
  • Me ne frego
    I don’t care (strong)
  • Che casino!
    What a mess!
  • Roba da matti
    Crazy stuff
  • Non ci posso credere
    I can’t believe it
  • È la fine del mondo
    It’s the end of the world (exaggeration)
  • Andiamo piano
    Let’s take it slow
  • Piano piano
    Little by little
  • Meglio di niente
    Better than nothing
  • Chi vivrà vedrà
    Time will tell
  • Alla prossima!
    Until next time!
  • A dopo!
    See you later!
C1

Advanced — Precision & Register

C1 is about flexible, precise language for social, academic and professional contexts. You can handle complex texts, implied meaning, and switch register.

Advanced connectors & argumentation
tuttavia / nondimeno
however / nonetheless
pertanto / di conseguenza
therefore / as a consequence
nonostante / a dispetto di
despite / in spite of
sebbene / benché / pur
although ( + subjunctive)
d’altronde / peraltro
on the other hand / furthermore
ne consegue che
it follows that
alla luce di
in light of
in merito a / per quanto riguarda
regarding / as far as … is concerned
a mio avviso / a parere di
in my view / according to
è innegabile che
it is undeniable that
occorre rilevare che
it should be noted that
si può obiettare che
one can object that
Formal / academic register
approfondire / esaminare
to go deeper into / to examine
dimostrare / corroborare
to demonstrate / to support with evidence
confutare / mettere in discussione
to refute / to call into question
sostenere / affermare
to argue / to assert
sintetizzare / riassumere
to synthesise / to summarise
la normativa vigente
current legislation
il contenzioso / il ricorso
dispute / appeal
il bando di concorso
public call / competition notice
Useful C1 idioms & fixed expressions
  • A mali estremi, estremi rimedi
    Desperate times call for desperate measures
  • Cadere dalle nuvole
    To be caught completely off guard
  • Costa un occhio della testa
    It costs an arm and a leg
  • Essere tutto fumo e niente arrosto
    All talk and no substance
  • Perdersi in un bicchiere d’acqua
    To make a mountain out of a molehill
  • Fare il passo più lungo della gamba
    To bite off more than one can chew
  • Non avere peli sulla lingua
    To speak bluntly / not mince words
  • Avere il coltello dalla parte del manico
    To have the upper hand
  • Cercare un ago nel pagliaio
    To look for a needle in a haystack
  • Essere una spina nel fianco
    To be a thorn in someone’s side
  • Allungare il brodo
    To pad out / drag on unnecessarily
  • Non battere ciglio
    Not to bat an eyelid
Nuanced spoken softeners & hedges
mica
soft negation / surprise (“Non è mica facile”)
magari
wish / maybe / if only
per così dire
so to speak
in un certo senso
in a sense
fino a un certo punto
up to a point
a dire il vero
to tell the truth
non è che…
it’s not that…
sia come sia
be that as it may
Exam Prep

CILS · CELI · PLIDA — What you need

Three widely used Italian certification routes. Structure differs slightly, but the skills tested are the same: listening, reading, writing, speaking (+ language use/grammar in CILS and CELI).

Quick comparison
CILS (Siena)
5 parts, each 20%: Listening, Reading, Language Use, Writing, Speaking. Levels: A1 → C2 (TRE-C1, QUATTRO-C2).
CELI (Perugia)
Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking (+ grammar component at higher levels). Weighting changes by level. CELI 4 = C1.
PLIDA (Dante Alighieri)
4 skills, equal weight (25% each). Strong focus on communicative ability. Recognised for citizenship and university.
Citizenship B1
Special CILS Uno B1 Cittadinanza or equivalent B1. Shorter, practical focus on daily life and integration.
What examiners look for by skill
  • Listening
    Understand main ideas + detail, speaker attitude, implied meaning (especially from B2/C1). Practice with RAI, podcasts, news at natural speed.
  • Reading
    Articles, notices, formal texts, literary extracts. At C1: long complex texts, style differences, implied opinions.
  • Writing
    Emails, opinions, arguments, summaries. At B2/C1: clear structure, connectors, appropriate register, few basic errors.
  • Speaking
    Interaction + monologue. Fluency, range, accuracy, ability to develop ideas and react. At C1: flexible, precise, can handle abstract topics.
  • Language use / Grammar (CILS & CELI)
    Not pure drills — transformation, gap-fill, lexical choice, sentence manipulation in context.
High-value exam phrases (writing & speaking)
Il presente testo intende…
This text aims to…
A sostegno di questa tesi…
In support of this argument…
Un punto a favore / contro…
A point in favour / against…
È fondamentale sottolineare che…
It is essential to emphasise that…
Alla luce di quanto detto…
In light of what has been said…
In conclusione si può affermare che…
In conclusion one can state that…
Sono pienamente d’accordo / non sono d’accordo
I fully agree / I disagree
Vorrei aggiungere un aspetto…
I would like to add one aspect…
Da un lato… dall’altro…
On the one hand… on the other…
Questo comporta sia vantaggi sia svantaggi
This involves both advantages and disadvantages
Grammar priorities for exams (B2 → C1)
  • Congiuntivo
    Triggers, all four tenses, sequence of tenses. Still expected in formal writing and many speaking tasks.
  • Condizionale + periodo ipotetico
    All three types (possible, improbable, impossible).
  • Pronomi combinati
    me lo, te la, glielo, etc. — frequent gap-fill target.
  • Passivo & si passivante
    Especially in formal and journalistic texts.
  • Gerundio & infinito passato
    Dopo aver finito…, Pur essendo stanco…
  • Relativi avanzati
    cui, il quale, chiunque, doppio relativo.
  • Concordanza dei tempi
    Especially in reported speech and complex sentences.
Practical prep tips
  • Timed practice
    Do full sections under exam timing. Writing and listening are often where candidates run out of time.
  • Past papers
    Official sample tests from CILS, CELI and PLIDA sites are the best training material.
  • Record yourself
    For speaking: 1–2 minute monologues on common topics, then longer interaction practice.
  • Register awareness
    Know when to be formal (exam writing, oral with examiner) and when natural informal Italian is acceptable.
  • Error diary
    Track recurring mistakes (agreement, prepositions, tense choice) and review them weekly.

Use this with the daily practice system

Pair vocabulary and exam phrases with the 30–45 minute daily routine and the interactive checklist.

Back to Daily Practice →