Which Italian words should I learn first?

The easiest words of grammar and everyday life: basic verbs, small structural words, polite phrases, numbers, family, food. This page gathers 100 of them.

What comes after these 100 words?

Carry on topic by topic: each list gives 100 words sorted into three levels. The KoKo app gathers +6,000 Italian words and brings each one back at the right moment.

Can I print this list or save it as a PDF?

Yes. The “Print the list” button at the top of the page opens your device’s print dialog: choose to save as PDF to keep the 100 words and their translation, with nothing else around them.

Your first 100 Italian words

New to Italian? Here are 100 easy words to start with: verbs, the small words of grammar and everyday vocabulary, translated into English.

These words come from the 26 grammar and everyday-life topics of KoKo. The app holds 2,397 words at this level.

Grammar 24 words

Italian	English
dire	to say
leggere	to read
ridere	to laugh
uccidere	to kill
basso	low
buono	good
crudo	raw
duro	hard
lì	there
qui	here
male	badly
poco	little
a	toPreposition, movement in the direction of a place
di	fromProvenance, origin
e	and
o	or
ci	thereAdverbial pronoun of place, replaces a complement
questo	thisDemonstrative determiner, masculine before a consonant
del	somePartitive article, masculine singular
ne	of it
entrare	to come in
salire	to get on
restituire	to give back
uscire	to get out

Everyday life 76 words

Italian	English
no	no
sì	yes
grazie	thank you
ciao	hiInformal greeting
uno	one
dieci	ten
pochi	few
sei	six
fine	end
maggio	May
estate	summer
agosto	August
osso	boneHard part of the skeleton
collo	neck
schiena	back
naso	nose
livido	bruise
riposo	rest
salute	health
virus	virus
amico	friend
bebè	baby
figlio	son
marito	husbandEveryday use
pazzo	crazy
deluso	disappointed
imbarazzo	embarrassment
gioia	joy
chiave	key
letto	bed
muro	wall
pavimento	floor
vite	screw
legno	wood
chiodo	nail
colla	glue
calze	stockings
colletto	collar
raffinato	smart
pelle	leather
aglio	garlic
grano	wheat
acqua	water
succo	juice
biologico	organic
ciotola	bowl
fame	hunger
sapore	flavour
sacchetto	bag
caro	expensive
codice PIN	PIN code
costo	cost
via	street
stazione ferroviaria	train station
parco	park
pianta	map
autobus	bus
pullman	coach
moto	motorbike
porto	harbour
volo	flight
conto	bill
sito	site
guida	guide
passo	mountain pass
est	east
lago	lake
becco	beak
gallo	rooster
nido	nest
oro	gold
arco	arch
ferro	iron
link	link
pagina	page
chiamata	call

Mini quiz

5 words from this page, picked at random. Find their translation.

Frequently asked questions

Which Italian words should I learn first?: The easiest words of grammar and everyday life: basic verbs, small structural words, polite phrases, numbers, family, food. This page gathers 100 of them.
What comes after these 100 words?: Carry on topic by topic: each list gives 100 words sorted into three levels. The KoKo app gathers +6,000 Italian words and brings each one back at the right moment.
Can I print this list or save it as a PDF?: Yes. The “Print the list” button at the top of the page opens your device’s print dialog: choose to save as PDF to keep the 100 words and their translation, with nothing else around them.

How KoKo makes words stick

These lists come from KoKo, the app to learn Italian vocabulary on iPhone.