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? (quite formal) |
| come va la vita? | how's life? (quite formal) |
| come vanno le cose? | how are things? (quite formal) |
| sto bene, grazie | I'm fine, thanks |
| tutto ok, grazie | I'm OK, thanks |
| non c'è male, grazie | not too bad, thanks |
| tutto a posto, grazie | alright, thanks |
| non molto bene | not 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 molto | working a lot |
| ho studiato molto | studying a lot |
| sono stato molto occupato | I've been very busy (said by a man) |
| sono stata molto occupata | I've been very busy (said by a woman) |
| sempre le solite cose | same as usual |
| non molto | not much |
| sono appena tornato dal ... | I've just come back from ... (said by a man) |
| sono appena tornata dal ... | I've just come back from ... (said by a woman) |
| Portogallo | Portugal |
Asking where someone is
| dove sei? | where are you? (familiar) |
| sono ... | I'm ... |
| a casa | at home |
| al lavoro | at work |
| in città | in town |
| in campagna | in the countryside |
| in negozio | at the shops |
| sul treno | on a train |
| da Mauro | at Mauro's place |
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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) |
| Natale | Christmas |
| Capodanno | New Year |
| Pasqua | Easter |
| Italian phrase guide | |
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| Page 3 of 15 | |
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➔
Emergencies |
Jobs
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Sound is available for all the Italian phrases on this page — simply click on any phrase to hear it.