Italian small talk
Small talk is where a phrasebook stops and a language starts. The questions are always much the same: what is your name, where are you from, what do you do, do you like it here. Having answers ready lets you listen to the rest.
This is what Selene, Verba’s conversation partner, talks about with you ad alta voce, out loud. Here it is in print.
Meeting someone
- Piacere!Nice to meet you!
- Come ti chiami?What's your name?
- Mi chiamo Anna.My name is Anna
- Di dove sei?Where are you from?
- Sono inglese, di Londra.I'm English, from London
- Che lavoro fai?What do you do for work?
- Faccio l'insegnante.I'm a teacher
- Da quanto tempo sei qui?How long have you been here?
- Per quanto tempo resti?How long are you staying?
Keeping it going
- Come va?How's it going?
- Tutto bene, grazie.All good, thanks
- Ti piace Firenze?Do you like Florence?
- Sei mai stato a Firenze?Have you ever been to Florence?
- Cosa fai nel weekend?What are you doing at the weekend?
- Com'è andato il weekend?How was the weekend?
- Hai visto la partita?Did you see the match?
- Tifo per la Fiorentina.I support Fiorentina
About you
- Sto imparando l'italiano.I'm learning Italian
- Parlo un po' di italiano.I speak a little Italian
- Mi piace cucinare.I like cooking
- Sono contento di essere qui.I'm glad to be here
- Mi manca casa.I miss home
- Mi sento a casa, anche se sono straniero.I feel at home, even though I'm a foreigner
Agreeing, or not
- Hai ragione.You're right
- Non sono d'accordo.I don't agree
- Dipende.It depends
- Magari!If only!
- Che peccato.What a pity
Saying goodbye
- È stato un piacere conoscerla.It was a pleasure to meet you
- Devo andare.I have to go
- A domani!See you tomorrow!
- A presto!See you soon!
- Buona giornata!Have a good day!
Tu or Lei
Tu is for friends, family, children and people your own age in a relaxed setting. Lei is for strangers, older people and anyone at work. Most of this page uses tu; È stato un piacere conoscerla uses Lei. If an Italian starts calling you tu, you can do the same.
Magari
One of the most useful words in Italian. As an answer it means if only, or I wish: vinciamo domani? Magari! In the middle of a sentence it means maybe. Either way, it sounds natural in a way a textbook answer does not.
Say you are learning
Sto imparando l’italiano is the most useful sentence on this page. It tells people to slow down and be patient, and in Italy it is usually met with real warmth and, quite often, a compliment you have not yet earned.
Biglietto · Try it
What does it mean?
Question 1 of 5: Di dove sei?
Verba prints lessons like these as train tickets out of Florence, and Selene, its AI tutor, talks them through with you out loud.
