In my opinion, these essential words and phrases are right up there with “Nice to meet you” and “Where is the bathroom?”. Plus, some of them are just a lot more fun.
1. Bo. A way of replying to something that you don’t really know or care little about. Done best with a shrug.
2. Che schiffo! One of my absolute favorites, meaning “Gross!” Heard most often in mummy exhibits.
3. Chi se ne frega? The equivalent of “Who gives a shit?” or “Who cares?” because sometimes...you just don’t.
4. Forse...ma non lo so. This means “Maybe, but I don’t know.” For those times when you’re on the fence. Similarly, you can say “Forse si” (“Perhaps yes”).
5. WOW! I know, I know. This one isn’t technically Italian, but our Italian teacher says it in a ridiculous way that I can’t even begin to describe. Ask for a demonstration the next time I see you, and you’ll hear the difference.
6. Andiamo! “Let’s go!” Must always be said with enthusiasm, occasionally with impatience.
7. Bello/Bellisimo. You probably know this one already, but it’s unbelievable how multifunctional the adjective “beautiful” is for the Italians. Pretty much anything positive can be described as “bello”. A step down is “carino” (cute).
8. Pezzo di merda! Means “Piece of shit!” Unfortunate things happen, and now you have a phrase to deal with them.
9. Va be/Va bene. Italians use this all the time to say “it’s okay” or “it’s all good”. The shortened version is a bit more nonchalant or indifferent, along the lines of “whatever”.
10. Niente. A lot of times when you say “Grazie” someone will reply with “Niente”, which basically just means “Oh, it’s nothing!” I find this super cute.
11. Vietato. The word for “forbidden”, because it’s usually good to know when you aren’t supposed to do something.
12. Fare uno scherzo. “To make a joke”. Handy for salvaging misunderstood sarcasm.
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