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

How to Describe People in Italian (Or How to Talk About What She Was Wearing Who She Was With, and What Her New Hair Color Is)

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 Get a Haircut in Italy

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

How to Buy Clothes 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)

How to Learn to Speak Italian Without Ever Being in Italy