General conversation

Here are some common Italian phrases for general conversation with people you already know.

Asking how someone is

Come stai?How are you? (familiar)
Come sta?How are you? (polite)
Come va?How's it going?
Come va la vita?How's life?
Come vanno le cose?How are things?
Sto bene, grazieI'm fine, thanks
Tutto ok, grazieI'm OK, thanks
Non c’è male, grazieNot too bad, thanks
Tutto a posto, grazieAlright, thanks
Non molto beneNot so well
e tu? or e a te?And you?

Asking what someone is or has been doing

Cosa fai?What are you up to? (familiar)
Che cosa hai fatto ultimamente?What have you been up to? (familiar)
Ho lavorato moltoWorking a lot
Ho studiato moltoStudying a lot
Sono stato molto occupatoI've been very busy (said by a man)
Sono stato molto occupataI've been very busy (said by a woman)
Sempre le solite coseSame as usual
Non moltoNot much
Sono appena tornato …I've just come back from … (said by a man)
dal PortogalloPortugal
Sono appena tornata …I've just come back from … (said by a woman)
dalla GermaniaGermany

Asking where someone is

Dove sei?Where are you? (familiar)
Sono …I'm …
a casaat home
al lavoroat work
in cittàin town
in campagnain the countryside
in negozioat the shops
sul trenoon a train
da Mauroat Mauro's place

Asking about someone's plans

Hai dei programmi per questa estate?Do you have any plans for the summer? (familiar)
Cosa fai a …?What are you doing for …? (familiar)
PasquaEaster
capodannoNew Year
NataleChristmas
sound

Sound is available for all the Italian phrases on this page — simply click on any phrase to hear it.

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