How many words are in this list?

This page gives 100 Italian words on “Function words”. The full topic holds 120 in the KoKo app: 48 at the easy level, 42 at the medium level and 30 at the hard level.

Which words should I start with?

With level 1: these are the easiest words of the topic. Move on to level 2 once they come to you without thinking, then to level 3.

How can I remember this Italian vocabulary?

By seeing each word again at longer and longer intervals, just before you forget it: that is spaced repetition. The KoKo app does it for you and tells you each day which words to review.

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.

Italian vocabulary: function words

Pronouns, articles, demonstratives, possessives: the small words of Italian grammar you cannot build a sentence without.

Here are 100 Italian words on “Function words”, translated into English and sorted from easiest to hardest.

Level 1: easy 40 words

Italian	English
un	aIndefinite article, masculine singular
una	aIndefinite article, feminine singular
un po’ di	a little
tutti	allDeterminer or pronoun, masculine plural
per caso	doQuestion marker, no literal equivalent
lei stessa	herselfReflexive pronoun, feminine singular
gli	himObject pronoun, to him or to her
suo	hisSingular possessor, belonging to him or her
io	ISubject pronoun, first person singular
me	meStressed form, after a preposition or on its own
più di	more than
mio	myPossessive determiner, before the noun
no	noNegative answer
non più	no longer
niente	nothingPronoun used on its own
ne	of it
si	one
solo	only
altro	other
stesso	same
lei	sheSubject pronoun, feminine singular
della	somePartitive article, feminine singular
del	somePartitive article, masculine singular
la	theDefinite article, feminine singular
il	theDefinite article, masculine singular
loro	theirPlural possessor, belonging to them
c’è	there isExistence
questi	theseDemonstrative determiner, plural
loro	theySubject pronoun
questo	thisDemonstrative determiner, masculine before a consonant
questa	thisDemonstrative determiner, feminine singular
noi	weSubject pronoun, first person plural
che cosa	whatQuestion word, object
che cosa	whatQuestion word, subject
che	whatBefore a verb
quando	when
sì	yesYes, contradicting a negative statement
ti	youObject pronoun, informal address
tu	youSubject, informal address
voi	youSubject, formal or plural address

Level 2: medium 35 words

Italian	English
molto	a lot of
tutta	allDeterminer, feminine singular
tutte	allDeterminer, feminine plural
chiunque	anyone
tanto quanto	as much as
ogni	eachDeterminer, before the noun
l’un l’altro	each otherMutual action between two people
abbastanza	enough of
tutti quanti	everybodyPeople in general, everyone together
lui stesso	himselfReflexive pronoun, masculine singular
come	how
io stesso	myself
mai	never
nessuno	nobodyEveryday use
nessuno	nonePronoun, used on its own
nessun	not anyDeterminer, in a negative sentence
niente	nothingNegation used with the verb
nostro	ourPossessive determiner, belonging to us
parecchi	several
alcuni	someIndefinite determiner, a small number
qualcosa	somethingIndefinite pronoun, an unspecified thing
ciò	thatDemonstrative pronoun, refers to something far away or already mentioned
quello	that oneDemonstrative pronoun, masculine singular
loro	themStressed pronoun after a preposition
ecco	there isPointing out, presenting
questo	thisDemonstrative determiner, masculine before a vowel
quelli	thoseDemonstrative pronoun, masculine plural
troppo	too much
cosa	whatOn its own or after a preposition
quale	whichInterrogative determiner, before the noun
cui	whose
perché	why
perché no	why not
te	youStressed form, after a preposition
tu stesso	yourself

Level 3: hard 25 words

Italian	English
in qualsiasi modo	any which way
qualsiasi cosa	anything
in qualsiasi momento	anytime
dovunque	anywhere
tale e quale	as it is
certo	certain
ognuno	each onePronoun, masculine singular
ognuna	each onePronoun, feminine singular
suo	his ownPossessive pronoun, used on its own
fin dove	how far
quanti	how manyFollowed by a noun, to ask about a number
mio	minePossessive pronoun, used on its own
maggior parte	most
né né	neither nor
nessuno	no oneFormal or legal register
se stesso	oneselfEmphatic form, stresses the subject
noi stessi	ourselves
tale	such
un tale	such a
loro stessi	themselvesReflexive pronoun, masculine plural
questo	this oneDemonstrative pronoun, refers to something close
quelle	thoseDemonstrative pronoun, feminine plural
quale	which oneInterrogative pronoun, used on its own
chicchessia	whoever
tuo	yoursPossessive pronoun, used on its own

Mini quiz

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

Frequently asked questions

How many words are in this list?: This page gives 100 Italian words on “Function words”. The full topic holds 120 in the KoKo app: 48 at the easy level, 42 at the medium level and 30 at the hard level.
Which words should I start with?: With level 1: these are the easiest words of the topic. Move on to level 2 once they come to you without thinking, then to level 3.
How can I remember this Italian vocabulary?: By seeing each word again at longer and longer intervals, just before you forget it: that is spaced repetition. The KoKo app does it for you and tells you each day which words to review.
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.