All Discussions
292 discussions from all categories
Oh my! / my goodness! / wow! The two-word exclamation that captures surprise, dismay, delight or exasperation — Italy's most famous emotional reflex.
Sorry / regretful — formal adjective meaning 'sorry' or 'regretful'. More formal than 'mi dispiace'.
No problem — reassuring phrase meaning there's no issue or difficulty.
I don't know — the most common way to express ignorance or uncertainty.
Here is / there is / here you go / here we are. The deceptively simple word that introduces, presents, or points things out — "ecco" is the Italian "voilà".
What a pity / what a shame / too bad — the Italian word of regret. Literally "sin", it laments small misfortunes and missed chances with a touch of sympathy.
Come on! / cheer up! / be brave! As an interjection "coraggio!" encourages someone to keep going; as a noun it means "courage".
Excellent! / great! / top-notch! "Ottimo!" is the enthusiastic "excellent!" that warmly approves a result, an idea, or a meal.
Don't mention it / no problem / you're welcome / don't worry — the Swiss-army-knife reply of Italian courtesy. Answers thanks, apologies and worry all at once.
Obvious! / of course! / clearly! "Ovvio!" is the confident "of course!" or "obviously!"; the adjective "ovvio" means "obvious / self-evident".
Come on / No way — informal exclamation of disbelief, surprise, or dismissal.
Difficult / hard — adjective meaning 'difficult', 'hard', or 'not easy'.
With pleasure / gladly — polite phrase accepting an invitation or request enthusiastically.
I dunno / beats me / who knows — the quintessentially Italian shrug-word. One syllable that says "I have absolutely no idea" with a hint of indifference.
I mean / that is / in other words — "cioè" is the Italian way of rephrasing, clarifying, or self-correcting mid-sentence. Extremely common in spoken Italian, es…
To your health!
Don't worry / stay calm
Good morning / good day
Oh God / oh my God — "oddio" is a very common exclamation expressing surprise, fear, shock, or dismay. Literally "O God".
I can't wait