Italian for Beginners – Key Vocabulary

Flashcards covering essential Italian vocabulary and cultural terms introduced in the lecture notes to support foundational understanding and communication.

Passaporto

Passport – an official document allowing international travel and identification.

Carta d’identità

Identity card – internal identification document used in Italy.

Nazionalità

Nationality – the legal relationship between an individual and a state.

Cittadinanza

Citizenship – the status of being a legal member of a particular country.

Pronomi personali soggetto

Subject personal pronouns (io, tu, lui/lei, noi, voi, loro) used to indicate who performs the action.

Indicativo presente

Present indicative tense – expresses actions happening now or habitual facts.

Indicativo imperfetto

Imperfect indicative tense – describes past habitual actions or ongoing states.

Indicativo passato prossimo

Present perfect tense – narrates completed past actions with present relevance.

Condizionale presente

Present conditional – expresses wishes, polite requests, or hypothetical situations.

Future semplice

Simple future tense – indicates actions that will happen.

Verbi servili

Modal (helping) verbs: dovere (must), potere (can), volere (want) used with infinitives.

Pronomi possessivi

Possessive pronouns (mio, tuo, suo, nostro, vostro, loro) showing ownership.

Salve

Neutral greeting in Italian, equivalent to “Hello/Hi.”

Buongiorno

Formal greeting meaning “Good morning” or “Good day.”

Buonasera

Formal greeting for “Good evening.”

Buonanotte

Farewell at night meaning “Good night.”

Arrivederci

Standard way to say “Good-bye.”

Molto piacere

Phrase meaning “Pleased to meet you.”

I numeri (0-90)

Basic cardinal numbers used for age, dates, addresses, etc.

Famiglia patriarcale

Traditional extended family including parents, children, grandparents, uncles, aunts.

Famiglia nucleare

Modern family unit consisting of parents and their children only.

Cantiere

Building site – workplace for construction workers (muratori, carpentieri).

Fabbrica

Factory – industrial workplace for operai (factory workers).

Ristorante

Restaurant – workplace for cuochi (cooks) and camerieri (waiters).

Ufficio

Office – workplace for impiegati (clerks) and segretarie (secretaries).

Gru

Crane – tall machine used on construction sites to lift materials.

Betoniera

Cement mixer – rotating machine that mixes concrete.

Orario di lavoro

Work schedule – hours during which one is employed.

Turno di notte

Night shift – work period that takes place during nighttime hours.

Giorni feriali

Weekdays/working days (Monday to Friday).

Giorni festivi

Public holidays or days of rest (e.g., Sundays, national holidays).

Le stagioni

The four seasons: primavera (spring), estate (summer), autunno (autumn), inverno (winter).

Pronto soccorso

Emergency room – hospital department for urgent care.

Guardia medica

Out-of-hours medical service available nights, weekends, holidays.

Ricetta medica

Doctor’s prescription needed to obtain certain medicines.

Ticket

Co-payment Italian patients pay when collecting prescribed medicine or services.

Farmacia

Pharmacy – shop where medicines and health products are sold.

Analgesico

Painkiller – medicine that reduces or removes pain.

Antibiotico

Antibiotic – drug used to treat bacterial infections (requires prescription).

Sostantivi articolati

Combination of preposition and definite article (e.g., sul, nel, dello).

Articolo indeterminativo

Indefinite article: un, uno, una, un’ used before non-specific nouns.

Articolo partitivo

Partitive article (del, della, dei, degli, delle) indicating “some, any” quantity.

Biglietto dell’autobus

Bus ticket – must be validated when boarding public transport.

Fermata

Bus stop – designated place where buses pick up or drop off passengers.

Binario

Railway platform/track number at a train station.

Supplemento rapido

Extra fee required for fast trains (Intercity, EuroCity).

Prefisso telefonico

Area code dialed before a telephone number to reach a specific city or region.

Segreteria telefonica

Answering machine/voice mail where callers can leave messages.

Scheda telefonica

Pre-paid phone card for payphones or calling booths.

Cartolina d’auguri

Greeting card used to send best wishes for birthdays, holidays, etc.

Ferragosto

Italian mid-August holiday (15 August) associated with summer vacations.

Befana

Folkloric witch who brings children gifts on Epiphany (6 January).