So you’ve been studying Italian for a while now, and even though you’re nervous, you feel like it’s the right time to start talking to native speakers. As you start finding people to talk to — whether online or in-person — what phrases do you need to know and what tips might help you?
Here is a list of articles my team & I have written to help you have confident & fluid conversations.
BASIC CONVERSATION
11 Basic Italian Expressions to Master
11 More Basic Italian Expressions to Master
8 Expressions You’ll Hear Every Day in Italy
11 Ways to Say Goodbye in Italian
12 Phrases For Making Friends While Traveling in Italy
4 Phrases for Curving the Conversation Back to Italian
SMALL TALK
How to Talk About the Weather in Italian
How to Tell Your Lover When to Meet You (Or How to Talk About the Date and Time in Italian)
Four Q’s You Can Ask to Get Authentic Food in Italy
23 Phrases for Congratulating People on New Beginnings in Italian
How to Talk About What You Like, Love, or Really Enjoy in Italian
How to Talk About Your Family in Italian
DEEPER CONVERSATIONS
9 Phrases to Use With a Language Partner
15 Ways to Say “That’s Cool/Awesome/Amazing” in Italian
13 Expressions to Keep a Conversation Flowing When You Forget a Word, Phrase, or Conjugation
11 Questions to Spark Conversation On a First Date – Do note that the questions here can be used for any first meeting & don’t necessarily need to seen in a romantic context ;]
How to Talk About That Book You Loved or Hated in Italian
How to Argue Like an Italian (And Which Topics to Avoid)
9 Phrases for Talking About Your Business in Italian
10 Phrases for Talking About Music in Italian
How to Say “I Wonder” and Other Forms of Probability in Italian
20 Phrases for Telling Captivating Stories in Italian
8 Swear Words in Italian to Add Sass to Your Vocabulary
5 Italian Proverbs to Spice Up Your Vocabulary
PHONE/WRITING
How to Send Texts or IMs in Italian
20 Phrases for Making a Phone Call in Italian
How to Write a Birthday Card in Italian
SITUATIONS
How to Buy Bread at the Panetteria in Italy
How to Buy Meat at the Macelleria in Italy
7 Italian Phrases for Shopping at a Market in Italy
CONNECTOR WORDS
Italian Word Speed Dates: Appunto & Magari
Italian Word Speed Dates: Finché & Affinché
Italian Word Speed Dates: Allora
Italian Word Speed Dates: Siccome, Dato Che, Poiché
Italian Word Speed Dates: Appena, Addirittura, Comunque and Quindi
Italian Word Speed Dates: Anzi, Dunque, and Piuttosto
3 Main Ways to Use the Word “Proprio” in Italian
INTIMATE CONVERSATIONS
7 Phrases to [Politely + Firmly] Turn Down a Date in Italian
14 Classy Italian Phrases to Say in the Bedroom
25 Romantic Italian Phrases (Or How to Melt Your Lover’s Heart)
11 Italian Expressions You Never Learned in the Classroom
11 More Italian Expressions You Never Learned in the Classroom
ADVICE
How to Use Italki to Become Conversational in Italian with Sam Bleakly
Can You Be Conversational in Italian With a Limited Vocabulary? (An Interview with Madeline Jhawar)
8 Reasons Your Italian Doesn’t Sound Italian (And 8 Fixes to Get to a Near Native Level)