NOTES
(by DuoItalian)

YES or NO
The Italian words for “yes” and “no” are simply sì and no.

But don’t forget to add the accent above the “i” in sì. Without it, the word si can be loosely translated as “self, himself, herself” (see Relexive verbs).

NEGATIVE STATEMENTS
In Italian, to make a sentence negative, you simply place non before the main verb.

  • Io gioco a scacchi. (I play chess.)
  • Io non gioco a scacchi. (I do not play chess.)
  • Mi piace il regalo. (I like the gift.)
  • Non mi piace il regalo. (I do not like the gift.)

GREETINGS
There are many different words that can be used in Italian when meeting and parting. They are often dictated by the person being addressed and the setting or time of day.

  • Ciao is considered very informal and used both when meeting and parting.
  • Salve (hello) and arrivederci (goodbye) are semi-formal ways of greeting and parting.
  • Buongiorno (good morning) and buonasera (good evening) are more formal. They are normally used when meeting, but can be used when parting as well.
  • Buona giornata (good day, have a nice day) and bouna searata (good night, have a good evening) can both be considered either formal or informal and are used when parting.
  • Buonanotte (good night) can be formal or informal and is always used when parting, as it presumes the day is over and someone is going to sleep.
  • Addio (farewell) is more serious and only used when you will probably never see the person to whom you are speaking again.

POLITENESS
Grazie (thank you) is the common word for thanking someone, while prego (you’re welcome) is the typical reply to a received “thank you”.

Per favore and per piacere (please) are commonly used when asking for something.

Mi dispiace (I’m sorry) is a an informal way of apologizing to someone in Italian and the most often used. While this lesson does introduce you to sono spiacente (also “I’m sorry”), it is very formal and infrequently used.

TIP: You will discover in a later lesson that the Italian word for “ready” is pronto. This word is also used by Italians when answering the phone, as in “ready to speak”.

VOCABULARY
(from Duolingo)
ciao hello, goodbye
arrivederci goodbye
sì yes
no no
non not
buongiorno good morning
buonasera good evening
buonanotte good night
grazie thank you
prego you're welcome
per favore please
spiacente sorry

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