Here are 60 Italian words for an ordinary day, from svegliarsi to buonanotte: getting up, getting around, shopping, chores, the weather and greetings. Learn these five first: svegliarsi (to wake up), alzarsi (to get up), fare la spesa (to do the food shopping), di solito (usually) and oggi (today). Many routine verbs are reflexive, which the next section explains.
- Words
- 60: routine, errands, weather, greetings
- Variety
- Standard Italian
- Level
- A1
- Read them in
- Contos stories (chapters 1–2 free)
60 Italian words for every day
Verbs are in the infinitive; those ending in -si are reflexive. Greetings are listed as you would say them. This is the same word pack the Contos web app uses for flashcard review.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| svegliarsi | to wake up |
| alzarsi | to get up |
| vestirsi | to get dressed |
| lavarsi i denti | to brush your teeth |
| fare la doccia | to take a shower |
| la doccia | shower |
| la sveglia | alarm clock |
| andare a letto | to go to bed |
| fare il pendolare | to commute |
| la fermata dell'autobus | bus stop |
| la stazione | station |
| il binario | platform |
| il biglietto | ticket |
| l'orario | timetable |
| il supermercato | supermarket |
| fare la spesa | to do the shopping |
| fare la fila | to queue |
| lo scontrino | receipt |
| pagare in contanti | to pay in cash |
| pagare con la carta | to pay by card |
| il tempo | weather |
| soleggiato | sunny |
| nuvoloso | cloudy |
| ventoso | windy |
| piove | it is raining |
| nevica | it is snowing |
| l'ombrello | umbrella |
| oggi | today |
| domani | tomorrow |
| ieri | yesterday |
| stasera | tonight |
| sempre | always |
| di solito | usually |
| spesso | often |
| a volte | sometimes |
| mai | never |
| presto | early |
| tardi | late |
| ogni giorno | every day |
| il fine settimana | weekend |
| fare il bucato | to do the laundry |
| lavare i piatti | to do the washing-up |
| riordinare | to tidy up |
| la pattumiera | rubbish bin |
| il vicino | neighbour |
| la chiave | key |
| l'ascensore | lift |
| le scale | stairs |
| avere fretta | to be in a hurry |
| ciao | hello |
| benvenuto | welcome |
| buonanotte | good night |
| arrivederci | goodbye |
| per favore | please |
| grazie | thank you |
| scusa | sorry |
| mi scusi | excuse me |
| come stai | how are you |
| a più tardi | see you later |
| piacere | nice to meet you |
Mi sveglio, mi alzo: how reflexive routine verbs work
Svegliarsi, alzarsi and vestirsi end in -si, which means "oneself": you wake yourself, get yourself up, dress yourself. When you use them, the si moves in front of the verb and changes with the person.
| Person | svegliarsi (to wake up) | alzarsi (to get up) | vestirsi (to get dressed) |
|---|---|---|---|
| io | mi sveglio | mi alzo | mi vesto |
| tu | ti svegli | ti alzi | ti vesti |
| lui, lei, Lei | si sveglia | si alza | si veste |
| noi | ci svegliamo | ci alziamo | ci vestiamo |
| voi | vi svegliate | vi alzate | vi vestite |
| loro | si svegliano | si alzano | si vestono |
In the past tense reflexive verbs take essere, so the ending agrees: mi sono alzato (a man), mi sono alzata (a woman). With lavarsi i denti, Italian says mi lavo i denti, "I wash myself the teeth", not "my teeth".
Si alza, esce per cinque minuti, e torna con Alessio.Mi sveglio alle sette, ma mi alzo alle sette e mezza.
I wake up at seven, but I get up at half past seven.
Di solito faccio colazione al bar.
I usually have breakfast at the café.
La sera vado a letto tardi.
I go to bed late in the evening.
Sempre, spesso, mai: how do you say how often?
Sempre (always), spesso (often) and a volte (sometimes) usually go straight after the verb: vado spesso al mercato. Di solito (usually) and ogni giorno (every day) can start the sentence.
Mai (never) needs non in front of the verb: non bevo mai il caffè. Without the non, mai means "ever" in a question: sei mai stato a Roma? (have you ever been to Rome?).
Prova sempre, ma non parla mai.Early, late and tonight
- presto means early and also soon: a presto is "see you soon".
- tardi is late in the day (è tardi, it's late). Late for an appointment is in ritardo: sono in ritardo.
- stasera is this evening. For the night itself, after going to bed, Italian says stanotte.
- For the weather Italian uses fare: fa freddo (it's cold), fa caldo (it's hot), che tempo fa? (what's the weather like?). Rain and snow have their own verbs: piove, nevica.
Fare la spesa, fare la fila: the everyday jobs that use fare
Many chores in this list are built on fare, which makes them easy to learn as a set: fare la doccia (to shower), fare la spesa (to do the food shopping), fare la fila (to queue), fare il bucato (to do the laundry), fare il pendolare (to commute) and, from outside the list, fare colazione (to have breakfast).
«Vado a fare la spesa», dice.Greetings in the list: informal or polite?
The pack mixes the two registers. Scusa (sorry) is for a friend; mi scusi is the polite form for a stranger. Come stai? in the pack is the friendly "how are you?"; to a stranger say come sta?. Ciao works for hello and goodbye, but only with people you would call tu. More in how to say how are you in Italian and how to say excuse me.
Read a slice of everyday Italian life at A1: tap any word to see what it means.
Read free in your browserFrequently asked questions
How do you say "I wake up at seven" in Italian?
Mi sveglio alle sette. Svegliarsi is reflexive, so it needs mi with io. For half past, say alle sette e mezza; for a quarter past, alle sette e un quarto.
How do you say "I never…" in Italian?
Put non before the verb and mai after it: non guido mai, I never drive. In the past tense mai usually sits between the two parts: non sono mai stato a Venezia, I've never been to Venice.
What is the difference between fare la spesa and fare spese?
Fare la spesa is the food and household shopping, usually at the supermarket or market. Fare spese, or fare shopping, is shopping for clothes, presents and other things.
Does presto mean early or soon?
Both. Mi alzo presto is I get up early; torno presto is I'll be back soon. A presto means see you soon. The opposite of early is tardi, and late for something is in ritardo.