Seven Easy Italian Words to add to Your Vocab

To kick off the month, here are seven easy Italian words to get you started.

Ti vedo bene
Ahhh … a phrase I love to both say-and hear!-as often as possible. It means, “You look good” or more literally “I see you good,” but somehow it sounds different … no sweeter, in Italian than in English, so you can see why it is one of my favorites.

Ex: Ti vedo bene oggi
You look good today.

Mi fa piacere
This phrase has several meanings, including “it makes me happy,” “it’s a pleasure,” or “it gives me pleasure.”

Ex: Mi fa piacere a vederti.
It makes me happy to see you.

… another sweet one, if I can say so myself!

Chiacchierare
It means, “chit-chat,” and is something I am quite famous for in my group here in Florence. The word itself took me a long time to learn to pronounce correctly and even now, I have think a bit to make sure I say it correctly.

Ex: Mi piace chiacchierare.
I like to chit-chat.

Porca Miseria
It literally means “pig misery,” but is used to express something more like “damn it,” or maybe “darn!”
I learned this word from a great Sicilian friend who used it so often that it became engrained in my Italian vocabulary. I love how Italians put the emphasis on miseria. It comes in handy when you are upset, too.

Ex: Porca miseria! Fiorentina hanno perso la partita!
Damn it! Fiorentina lost the match!

Allora
Oh the token fill-in word or question word that in English we’d substitute for “so.”
I fell in love with Allora back in 2002 when my art and architecture teacher, Vera, used it over and over … and over … again.

Ex: Allora … Come stai?
So … How are you?

Svegliati
It means “wake up,” and I often think this to myself when I am not following a conversation.

Ex: Svegliati, e` tardi!
Wake up, it’s late!

Bellezza
It means “beauty or fairness,” and as such, I find I’m very attracted to this word.
It is used not only when referring to the beauty of a landscape, but can also describe someone’s inner beauty. It is a distinctive word and I love how the vibrations of the ZZ’s echo throughout my mouth when I say it.

Ex: Che bellezza, Oggi e` una bella giornata!
How beautiful, Today is a beautiful day!

Thanks, Katie. What other easy Italian words can you share with us today?

Katie Greenaway is a freelance travel writer and is the local expert of Florence for Nile Guide.

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