short essays in italian language

Italian Texts for Beginners

Italian texts for beginners (A1 and A2) and intermediates (B1 and B2) to practice reading in Italian language. Written Italian is a beautiful, expressive part of this elegant language. Now, we have a simple, challenging online exercise to sharpen and evaluate your reading comprehension.

Professional Italian teachers prepared brief texts, interesting articles and everyday conversations and created challenging questions of understanding that follow each one. Just select, read, then answer the questions at the end. You will get your results immediately, and feel both challenged and accomplished! You can even download as pdf and print any text you wish. It's an enjoyable, fun and free way to learn and improve.

• Lettera al mio amico John PREMIUM Franco opens up about his life to his friend ? »
• La festa di carnevale PREMIUM ? »

6 Tips To Help You Write An Essay In Italian

Writing an essay in Italian can seem like a daunting prospect. However, it also marks a significant achievement, in that you have secured the basic grammar rules of the language and have sufficiently developed your Italian vocabulary to be able to write an essay.

For many people, however, it can be easy to get too focused on the grammar and spelling and forget how to make the essay creative and interesting. Here are 6 simple tips to help you write an essay in Italian .

1. Understand The Purpose And Target Audience Of The Essay

Begin by identifying what the essay is asking you to do and who it is you are writing for. This will help you to establish the type of language you will need to use and the style of essay you will be writing (for example, narrative , persuasive or descriptive ).

When doing your research, try to look for sources and references in Italian.

3. structure your essay.

You can use the basic five-paragraph format to ensure that your essay is well structured, including when writing in Italian . This will include an introduction, in which you outline your thesis statement. The main body or arguments of the essay will usually be divided into three paragraphs, each consisting of a point, explanation and example. Finally, provide your readers with a conclusion in which you restate the thesis statement and wrap up all loose ends.

2. Research In Italian

Once you are clear about what it is you are writing, brainstorm your ideas for the essay. Begin by listing all the things you already know about the topic and what areas you need to research further. Try to make your notes in Italian , as this will help you practice and develop your writing skills further.

“When doing your research, try to look for sources and references in Italian ,” suggests Diane Silver, an educator at Paper Writing Service and Boomessays . “Make sure that you make notes in Italian and that you keep a detailed record of your references to use in your essay.”

You can use the basic five-paragraph format to ensure that your essay is well structured, including when writing in Italian.

4. useful phrases to help your essay flow.

Even though you might be more conscious of your grammar and spelling because you are writing in Italian , instead of your native language, try to allow your own voice and expression to come through in your writing. If you’re unsure how to properly use a complex sentence, break it up into two simple sentences instead.

You might also want to use some Italian useful phrases or sentence starters to give your essay more individuality and flair. For example:

First of all – Prima di tutto Firstly – In primo luogo Moreover – Inoltre Likewise – Allo stesso modo Similarly – In modo simile As well as – Come pure However – Tuttavia Instead – Invece On the other hand – D’altra parte For example – Ad esempio To conclude – In conclusione

5. Edit And Proofread The Essay

Once you have written your essay, it’s important to spend some time editing and proofreading it. Read through your entire essay and see if you have successfully conveyed your main point and cited all your sources. Read it again a second time, this time focusing on the grammar and spelling. If you’re struggling with proofreading, consider using a service like OXEssays , Bigassignments , Eliteassignmenthelp or Best Writing Services to help you improve your essay.

6. Keep Writing And Reading

The best way to improve your essay writing skills in Italian is to keep practicing. Learn from your mistakes and view these as learning opportunities, instead of being disappointed. Try to read in Italian , as this will help to develop your vocabulary and improve your writing skills.

“If you can, try to write something in Italian each day . It can be as simple as keeping a diary or writing a short paragraph of your opinion on a news topic. Crucially, daily writing will help you to develop your confidence and overall writing ability,” says David Monroe, an essay writer at Paper Fellows and Essayroo .

Try to read in Italian, as this will help to develop your vocabulary and improve your writing skills.

Writing an essay can be daunting in any language, but even more so when it’s in a foreign language. When writing an essay in Italian , remember to identify who it is you’re writing for and try to conduct all of your research and planning in Italian. Use helpful phrases to add more fluency to your essay and remember to proofread it at the end.

Emily Henry

About the author: Emily Henry is an experienced writer at Personal Statement Help , where she regularly writes about essay writing. She also offers tips on how to improve essay structure and the correct use of references at Stateofwriting . Emily is passionate about writing and enjoys sharing tips and advice with others to help them improve their writing and she is also a tutor at Book Report Writing . When not writing, Emily enjoys spending time reading and learning new foreign languages.

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Instantly Italy

Italian speaking practice and grammar tutoring

#italianwritingchallenge: A Monthly Challenge to Practice Your Writing Skills in a Fun Way

Who is up for a challenge? 

This week’s blog post is a bit different from the others but, after the success of #tiregalounaparola , I have decided to incorporate more creative projects into this blog.

I love this kind of projects because they are a way to put your language skills into practice while having fun at the same time and I think this is the best way to learn a language and make it part of your life.

As I said for #tiregalounaparola, learning a language does not only mean studying it but mainly using it, making it a tool in your hands that you can use for your communication purposes .

I had been thinking about organizing a challenge for a while but I was struggling to find a theme. Many challenges focus on different aspects of language learning and are really fun but I wanted something more focused to help participants work hard and improve a specific language skill .

After brainstorming ideas, I decided to focus on writing for a few reasons: 1) writing assignments are great to memorize words and structures and make them stick into your mind, 2) students do not focus a lot on writing when they study on their own and 3) it’s a excuse to buy a nice notebook, which is always fun!

But now let me tell you how this Italian writing practice challenge works.

The challenge will begin on February 1st and end on the 29th, so there will be 29 prompts to help you practice your Italian writing skills on a daily basis.

I will be publishing the daily prompt on Instagram , as I always do with creative projects, but I am also writing all of them here. It will ruin the surprise a little but will be definitely helpful for you to plan in advance and make better use of the (little) time you have.

Even if you already know the prompt of the day, I highly recommend you to follow the project on Instagram because I will be there daily to share ideas and tips to help you with the daily assignment. Needless to say, all prompts are in Italian!

So, here are the prompts for your February #italianwritingchallenge:

• Scrivi un breve testo descrivendo il tuo aspetto fisico e il tuo carattere. Conosci tutte le parole che ti servono? Cercale sul dizionario!
• Manda una cartolina ad un amico scrivendo in italiano. Fallo veramente!!!
• Che cosa hai fatto questo weekend? Scrivilo come se stessi scrivendo un diario.
• Qual è il tuo hobby preferito? Scrivi un breve testo raccontando perché ti piace. Usa parole che non conosci!
• Traduci in italiano la tua ricetta preferita.
• Hai una insegnante di italiano? Scrivile una mail in italiano dicendole qualcosa di bello.
• Che programmi hai per il weekend? Fai una lista delle cose che vuoi fare.
• Scegli un episodio di un podcast in italiano. Di cosa parla? Raccontalo in un breve testo.
• Qual è la tua giornata dei sogni? Raccontala in un breve testo.
• Scrivi un breve testo parlando del tuo lavoro. Cerca sul dizionario le parole che ti servono e non conosci.
• Cosa ti piace e cosa non ti piace del paese in cui vivi? Fai un elenco!
• Qual è il tuo più grande desiderio? Raccontalo in un breve testo.
• Qual è il tuo attore preferito? Immagina di fargli un’intervista e scrivi le domande che faresti.
• Devi andare a fare la spesa oggi? Scrivi la lista in italiano!
• Qual è la tua parola italiana preferita? Scrivi un breve testo raccontando qual è e perché l’hai scelta.
• Hai già prenotato le vacanze? Scrivi dove andrai oppure dove ti piacerebbe andare. Ovviamente, scrivi anche perché!
• Pensa a dieci parole che usi sempre nella tua lingua e di cui non sai la traduzione italiana. Cercale e usale per scrivere una frase ciascuna.
• Di che cosa sei grato oggi? Scrivi almeno tre cose.
• Qual è il tuo libro preferito? Raccontalo in un breve testo.
• Qual è l’argomento di grammatica italiana più difficile per te? Ripassalo e scrivi dieci frasi legate a questo argomento.
• Hai una bucket list? Elenca i tuoi dieci desideri più grandi.
• Guarda un video su YouTube in italiano. Che video è? Di cosa parla? Raccontalo in un breve testo.
• Cosa ti piace e cosa non ti piace dell’Italia? Fai un elenco!
• Apri un sito italiano e cerca un articolo. Quali parole non conosci? Cercale sul dizionario e usale per scrivere alcune frasi.
• Qual è il tuo film preferito? Raccontalo in un breve testo.
• Scrivimi un’email a [email protected] raccontandomi perché studi la lingua italiana.
• Che cosa compreresti se vincessi alla lotteria? Scrivilo e, mi raccomando, esagera pure!
• Com’eri da bambino/a? Raccontalo in un breve testo.
• Cos’hai imparato grazie a questa challenge? Scrivilo!

Well, I hope you will find this challenge interesting and useful. One month is long, I know – even if February is a bit shorter 🙂 – but I have added something special to this challenge to avoid you losing focus.

I have created a special email address so that you can send me your daily assignments. The address is [email protected]: the people who send me all their daily tasks at this address will receive a nice surprise .

I won’t tell you what it is now to keep you curious and motivated, so that you will work on your challenge steadily and with motivation, let me just tell you that it will be a gift!

What do you think of this Italian writing practice? Are you ready to start? See you on February 1st!

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
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01/30/2020 at 5:32 PM

Is there a charge?

01/30/2020 at 5:36 PM

Absolutely no charge. You just have to work hard! 🙂

01/30/2020 at 8:14 PM

Sounds great.

01/30/2020 at 9:24 PM

Sono contenta!!!

09/07/2024 at 6:39 PM

Hope you’ll consider dojng a other writing challenge soon It’s a perfect idea. Grazue

09/09/2024 at 2:57 PM

I will! Thank you, Cinzia

01/30/2020 at 8:25 PM

I absolutely LOVE what you’ve put together! Terrific prompts that will be fun to “try” to answer 😀 Grazie in anticipo per averlo fatto!

01/30/2020 at 9:25 PM

Ma grazie, sono felicissima!!!

01/31/2020 at 6:03 AM

Great idea. I will try and accept the challenge here in Nuova Zelanda ??

01/31/2020 at 8:43 AM

Great! I can’t wait!

01/31/2020 at 2:32 PM

Io sono eccitato! Spero di poterlo fare….

02/01/2020 at 9:44 AM

02/01/2020 at 5:04 PM

Non sono sul Instagram. Ma faro questo esercizio! Grazie Cinzia! Ho ricevuto la mia parola da #tiregalounaparola venerdì! Ero molto emozionante! Era eccitante! (Io sto scrivendo queste frasi senza google translate, così forse ci sono errori! Ma sto provando!) Grazie di nuovo!!! Ciao!

02/02/2020 at 8:01 PM

Sono felicissima!!! Che bello!

02/01/2020 at 5:30 PM

Grazie mille Cinzia! I will definetly work on the challenge…

02/02/2020 at 2:02 PM

Sono triste che ho letto questo mail oggi invece di ieri, ma forse posso scrivere due volte oggi per ricuperare.

02/02/2020 at 8:00 PM

Ma certo!!!

[…] February, I’ve been using writing prompts from Cinzia of Instantly Italy who set up a writing challenge for the month and that’s been a great way to keep writing in my notebook. Each daily prompt has been […]

[…] auf Italienisch (oder poste auf Twitter/Instagram/… auf Italienisch). Oder nimm an einer #italianwritingchallenge […]

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Advanced Italian Words to Spice Up Your Vocabulary

So, you’ve passed the intermediate level in Italian. You have all the basics and then some, but you want to go the extra mile and learn more advanced Italian words and sentences. 

Are you applying for an Advanced Italian certificate [ CILS ], corresponding to the C1 or C2 level? Or are you enrolled in an Italian university? Maybe you just need to write an essay, compose the perfect cover letter, or take part in more formal and complex discussions with your Italian friends and colleagues. 

According to the Common European Framework Reference for Languages (known in Italian as QCER, Quadro Comune Europeo di Riferimento delle Lingue ), advanced learners of a language are able to effortlessly understand virtually everything, whether it’s written or oral. They can also use the language effectively for social, academic, and professional purposes, as well as produce well-structured and articulated text on complex topics.

Do you think you’re getting there? 

Here, we’ll present you with a great list of advanced Italian vocabulary words, including verbs, nouns, connectors, and example sentences and phrases. This list will help you sort out any complex linguistic situation for any professional environment you might find yourself in. But, if you still want more by the time you reach the end, check out our wide array of vocabulary lists with audio recordings. 

• Advanced Academic Words
• Advanced Business Words
• Advanced Medical Words
• Advanced Legal Words
• Advanced Words for Acing Italian Writing/Essays

1. Advanced Academic Words

Let’s start with some vocabulary you’ll need to feel at ease in any academic context.

Are you ready for some serious academic work?

For more words and phrases about school , school subjects , or even life on a school campus , make sure to refer to our free vocabulary lists !

2. Advanced Business Words

Many people travel for business reasons, and there’s no better way to conduct business than through effective communication. The business terms on this advanced Italian vocabulary list will help you avoid any misunderstandings when doing business with Italians. 

Are the accounts correct?

→ Want to learn more vocabulary for doing business successfully? You’ll find it here!

3. Advanced Medical Words

Whether you’re planning to study medicine in Italy or you need medical attention while traveling, being able to discuss medical issues requires a somewhat advanced vocabulary. To give you a head start, we’ve compiled this list of several advanced words in Italian related to the medical field. And if you really want a full immersion experience, check out the ten (10!!!) seasons of the historic TV series Un medico in famiglia ( A Doctor in the Family ) from the Raiplay platform. 

Does it look okay to you?

→ Check out our vocabulary list to practice talking about medicines and medical treatments .

4. Advanced Legal Words

Are you a fan of detective and crime stories? If so, you might love to watch the entire series of Il commissario Montalbano ( Detective Montalbano ), set in wonderful Sicily. You’ll need to study and practice a few advanced legal words first, but these words could be useful in many other situations as well. You never know…

I love detective stories!

5. Advanced Words for Acing Italian Writing/Essays

Writing essays, whether for language certification or a student thesis, is definitely an art! But you’ll do well as long as you choose your vocabulary carefully, selecting less common words to deliver key concepts in the best possible way.

Here is a selection of verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and conjunctions that will immediately increase your score on an essay or paper. 

1 – Alternative Verbs

Sometimes, the trick is to substitute a common verb with a more sophisticated one that has the same meaning. Here are some examples. Note that the first word is the common version, while the second one is the more advanced Italian verb. 

2 – Conjunctions

3 – Adverbs

He stubbornly refused to listen…

4 – Adjectives

You seem like a reasonable person…

6. Conclusion

In this guide, you have learned a large collection of both general and specialized advanced Italian words, from medical vocabulary to legal terms and business phrases. If we forgot any important topic or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below.

Make sure to explore ItalianPod101 , as we have plenty of free resources to help you practice your grammar and learn new words. Our vocabulary lists are also a great way to review new words and learn their pronunciation. Not sure where to start? Then we recommend checking out our advanced Italian course ! 

Remember that you can also use our Premium PLUS service, MyTeacher , to get personal 1-on-1 coaching. Your own private teacher will help you practice advanced words and phrases, provide you with assignments and personalized exercises, and record audio samples just for you. Your teacher will also review your work and help you improve your pronunciation.

Keep learning and having fun with ItalianPod101 !

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Learning Italian with accountability

Why serena's classes are different.

Do you feel like your Italian is not progressing as you would like? Most students who encounter a learning plateau lack a structured system and homework to rely on before and after class. You won’t become fluent in Italian simply by taking weekly classes; instead, it’s about learning how to learn on your own. What will truly advance your Italian skills is the amount of time you spend with the language independently, supported by guidance, structure, and accountability. This is where we step in with our method.

In our classes, we use the flipped-classroom method , making sure that you have completed your homework before every class. Our classes are also highly structured, following the CEFR (European Language Framework) standards. What does it mean? It means that you’ll work towards language levels, for example, progressing from beginner A1 to lower-intermediate (A2), then to intermediate (B1), and eventually to advanced over time (B2/C1).

What's the structure of the classes?

Our classes are a blend of Italian conversation practice and pre-class assignments customized to your level and learning needs. 

Examples of assignments include:

• listening to an audio prompt
• reading a short story
• writing a short essay or phrases using relevant vocabulary
• textbook exercises (dialogues, vocabulary drills, grammar, etc.).

Each task has a deadline and is followed by feedback and corrections. To put it shortly – I make you meet your tutor to use what you’ve previously learned, in a conversational setting and to address your doubts.

I believe this method of learning is extremely effective because it helps you build a framework to read, listen, and write in Italian even before meeting your tutor during the class. 

Needless to say, by following this learning approach, your Italian will improve much faster than it ever has before.

Why learning with Serena's method?

I’m a polyglot who has learned several languages from different families (German, Slovak, Swedish) and am a lifelong language learner. I know exactly what it takes to master speaking a foreign language as an adult, and I’m committed to making the process fun, accessible, and realistic, especially for busy adult learners.

I have over 10 years of language teaching experience, mainly with adults and English native speakers. Additionally, I’ve designed numerous language courses, written several easy-readers ( short stories ), and am currently writing my first grammar book. Teaching is not just a job for me; it’s my utmost passion.

Lastly, I believe that learning foreign languages is a lifelong journey that you decide to embark on. All my programs aim to help you become an independent and successful Italian learner over time.

Speaking foreign languages has always brought immense pleasure to my life, both professionally and personally. I want the same for you!

How do the classes happen?

Depending on your learning plan, we’ll establish a day and time for your classes (e.g., every Monday at 9 am). This will help you develop the habit of learning Italian over time and fit it into your schedule.

The classes are conducted online via Zoom . All you need is a reliable internet connection and a laptop. Serena or another teacher will call you at the established time for the class. The classes usually last 30 or 45 minutes.

Ciao, I'm Serena!

I'm a passionate teacher of Italian as a foreign language with over 10 years of experience. I've taught Italian in Japan, the UK, Slovakia, and Spain, both online and offline. My main focus today is on creating the best possible learning materials and experiences to enhance Italian fluency among adult language learners.

Your Investment

1-off class.

• Do you have a busy life and cannot commit to a regular schedule? This program is only for those who need maximum flexibility.
• Time and days will be discussed with Serena privately.
• You can enjoy the structure of my programs and decide when to take classes with me. Simply pay as you go.
• No commitment required. 

Immersive Plan

• 8 x 30-40 minute in-person lessons
• Pre-class assignments with corrections before the lesson
• Top-notch learning material tailored to you
• Lifetime access to lesson notes
• Infinite grammar and vocabulary worksheets based on your needs
• Constant feedback and evaluation
• Email support within working hours
• 4 x 40 minute in-person lessons with Serena
• Regular commitement

Happy Students!

Serena is extremely prepared and thorough with varying topics and mini-lessons within the lesson. Her lessons are fun and delightful!

Real Estate

Serena turns my mistakes into dynamic learning opportunities by coaching me during our conversations without interrupting them. Her preparation for our conversations is apparent when she seems to have anticipated every misstep I could possibly make. Serena is a language coach. Her style is adapted by my needs, unlimited by textbook learning and unnecessary memorization.

Serena doesn’t only teach Italian in a most professional way but she also knows how to trigger one’s deepest passions for this incredible, colourful and flowery language.

University Student

I don’t teach you just Italian. I share with you a creative and effective method to learn any foreign language.

Online Italian Club

How to write in Italian (even if you don’t know the grammar)

June 18, 2013 by Daniel

How much time do you spend learning how to write in Italian?

If you’re like most people, it’s probably not one of life’s greatest priorities.

Speaking the language, on the other hand, and understanding what others say to you, usually comes high on the list.

But sometimes, you may have to write in Italian. And if you reach a reasonable level, you’ll really be handicapped if you can’t (or won’t) write.

You probably won’t be able to work or study, for example. Or write e-mails. Or chat with friends on social networks. You’ll be pretty left out of things.

Back when I was just starting out with Italian, I took a master’s degree at the local business school, here in Bologna. It was taught completely in Italian, but it was cheap. I had my doubts whether I’d be able to cope. But I needed a better job, and hoped that business school would help me get one.

“What the hell!” I thought,

“I’ll get by.”

It soon became clear that though my level in Italian was completely inadequate, my professors and classmates were happy to practise their English and so didn’t make a big thing of it.

I scraped by. At least until the first written exam was scheduled.

My Italian is far from perfect NOW, but in those days I couldn’t form even the simplest of sentences without screwing up the tense, the gender, or missing the article. My spelling was also terrible, and I tended to use lots of words that I hoped were Italian, but weren’t.

Often a single sentence would suffer from all of these problems.

So how on earth was I supposed to express my thoughts on business strategy, in Italian, in writing?

I needed a plan.

Being an English teacher by profession, and often having had to mark essays written in English by Italians, I knew that one of the most typical weaknesses in student essays is the overall lack of coherence.

The grammar might be OK at sentence level, but the ideas simply don’t flow. The reader is often left scratching her head, or having to re-read parts of the text to make sense of it. Teachers hate that.

What’s missing is usually a conscious effort  on the part of the writer to CONNECT the ideas. To guide the reader through the argument. Students either don’t know it’s important, or they can’t be bothered. Either way, it shows.

OK, I thought. So my grammar sucks and I’m probably going to get roasted for it, but at least let me learn a list of “connecting words” to use to join up my embarassingly bad sentences into a reasonably coherent argument.

So I sat down to make a list. A bit like the one below, which I’ve just copied from Daniele’s new B2 e-book …

( Italian Workout! B2 is currently available at  50% off , so just 9.99 euros!

Download your FREE sample pages here  to see how great it is!

Disappointed? Not to worry. There’s a   60-day money back guarantee . Get yours here .)

Siccome / Poiché / Visto Che / Dato Che Sebbene / Nonostante / Benché Ormai / Già Inoltre Oltre a A parte / Eccetto / Tranne Però Perciò / Quindi Tuttavia / Comunque

Once I had my list of common “connecting words”, all I had to do was memorise them, so that on the day of the exam I would be able to use the words on my list to turn my gibberish into something that at least seemed organised.

Gibberish however gibberish on the other hand gibberish therefore gibberish so gibberish and gibberish. For example, gibberish. To sum up, gibberish.

And guess what? I passed the exam!

P.S. Usually this is the bit where I promote our latest e-book, but I already did that, so here’s a tip, instead.

If you want to learn to write, you have to actually write.

Doesn’t matter if you make mistakes. But you have to start, or you’ll never gain confidence and develop good writing habits, like checking your text fro spelling mistakes (that was deliberate, Mum.)

An excellent place to begin writing in Italian is the OnlineItalianClub.com forums . They’re free to members, and you can choose to write in Italian,  in English,  or a mix of both, if that helps.

And from today, we’ll have a teacher checking in regularly to answer your questions and interact with you.

So, why not head on over to the forums and give it a go?

P.P.S. Got any ideas about learning to write in Italian? I’d love to hear them. Leave a comment below (or if you’re reading this as an e-mail, click here to leave a comment on the website )

Nazanin Aliabadi says

June 23, 2013 at 7:42 pm

Ciao Daniel!

I really liked your list of common “connecting words”, I found that to be a useful tip. For me, personally, I find understanding others speak the hardest and writing the easiest. Then again, we all learn differently. Something I found useful when learning how to write in Italian is broken Italian. For example, for a native English speaker they could write there sentences in English and substitute the words they do know in Italian. It would look something like this: Oggi sono went to work. That’s what I still do today to help me build my vocabulary and slowly gain more confidence. I hope this will help others as well! At least you will be attempting Italian even if your sentences aren’t 100% in Italian 🙂

Daniel says

June 23, 2013 at 8:45 pm

Hi there Nazanin,

Welcome to OnlineItalianClub.com, and thanks for you comment.

Two things come to mind: 1. What you’re saying sounds like the idea of “meta-language”. In effect, all of us learning a foreign Language are in a “meta” or “in-between” stage, between begining, and full competency. People think that it’s only at low levels that you have to adopt strategies, as you suggested. But, in fact, it never finishes. Even after 15 years Learning and using Italian, I’m still making exactly the same sort of compromises to get the job done.

2. The best learners, it is said, are those most tolerant of ambiguity and imperfection. Sounds like you’d be a great learner! Italians would say that you’re willing to “buttarti” (throw yourself in). That’s just what’s needed.

Now how about throwing yourself into our forums??

A presto! Daniel

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The Great Translation Game

Italian writing practice made fun., learn to read, write, and think in italian faster and more effectively..

Practicing writing in Italian is a pain, we know. 😩

is here to help. 🙌

How it works 🔧

• Import a text - a news article, blog post, chapter from a book, etc.
• Read and translate from Italian into your native language.
• Play through and translate from your native language back into Italian.

Why it works 🤩

• Specificity - you choose your learning material, so you get to practice writing Italian sentences with material you actually want to learn and you're actually interested in.
• Native level content - by practicing writing using native level content, you learn to write in Italian like a native speaker.
• Immediate feedback - as you play through you know immediately whether you're making a spelling or grammatical error. No waiting for a tutor to correct your writing days later.
• Progress tracking - keep up your motivation by tracking the number of sentences and words you play each day. How much would you improve writing 100 words day in Italian? 200? 500?
• Fun - compete with other players learning Italian on the leaderboard. Level up as you write more and more. The Great Translation Game makes Italian writing practice fun.
• Community - join us on the forum to discuss resources, ask questions, and everything else related to learning Italian.

Try it out! 🎮

Learn to write in italian like a native speaker..

Practice writing Italian sentences. Add your own texts and track your progress. Join the community and compete on the leaderboard.

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83 Basic Italian Phrases To Survive Your First Conversations With A Native

Have you always dreamt about learning Italian ?

Perhaps you're fascinated by Italian culture. Or Italian people and their way of life.

In order to get started and have your first basic Italian conversations, you’re going to need to learn your first words!

In this post, you’ll learn 83 basic Italian phrases to help you have your first interactions in the language.

To make it easier for you, I’ve divided the phrases up into different categories based on the different situations they’re used in:

Simple Italian Greetings

• “I Don’t Understand!”
• Italian Numbers
• Visiting An Italian Restaurant

Transport In Italy

• Asking For Directions
• Shopping In Italian
• Dealing With Medical Emergencies
• Finding Hidden Gems & Other Places

Note:  Want to go beyond basic Italian phrases and learn Italian with confidence and fluency? The best way to do so is by working through a comprehensive and well designed course. My top recommendation is   Italian Uncovered , my in-depth online Italian course for beginners that teaches you through StoryLearning®. Click here for your free trial.

Anyway, back to our basic Italian phrases…. let's discover what they are!

Why Learn Italian Phrases?

In certain parts of Italy, chances are you’ll find some of the locals can speak good English. In big cities like Rome and Venice, the tourist industy is well developed and for locals working there speaking English is a must!

But as soon as you go off the beaten track, you’ll find that a little Italian goes a long way! In smaller towns, many people speak little or no English, so being able to get by in Italian makes a huge difference.

Get to grips with the basic Italian phrases in this post and you'll be able to have much more enjoyable and authentic experiences in Italy.

And even at home, learning Italian will allow you to discover more about the country's culture and history .

You don’t need to have a natural flair for languages. Learning a few key Italian sentences and a willingness to speak the language is all you need.

You never know, maybe learning these phrases will motivate you to go on and become fluent in Italian .

To make it as easy as possible for you to practice these phrases in your Italian conversations, I’ve created an audio of the phrases and a special PDF version of this article to save on your phone to listen to and read anywhere, anytime and practice your Italian.

Note: The anglicised pronunciation listed for each phrase is approximate. There are certain aspects of Italian pronunciation (such as the double consonant sounds, for example) which are unique sounds not common in English. In order to get a clear understanding of how each of the words and phrases in this post are pronounced, I’ve created a set of free audio files to accompany the post. To download these for free, just click here .

The first thing you need to learn to do in any language is to meet and greet people!

After all, you’re going to be using greetings every time you have a conversation in Italian!

These phrases are simple, easy to remember and will go a long way to help you make friends and have your first conversations in the language.

• (sal-vay ko-may va?)
• (bu-on-jour-no)
• (bu-on po-mer-eej-jio)
• (bu-on-a-say-ra)
• (bu-ona-not-tay)
• (gra-tsee mee-lay)
• (gra-tsee a lay)
• (arr-ee-va-der-chee al-la pros-see-ma)
• (bella jee-or-na-ta ojji vay-ro?)
• (mee kee-amo)
• (so-no am-er-ee-kah-no / kan-a-day-say / een-glay-say)
• (lay dee do-vay?)
• (pee-a-chay-ray)
• (mee sto dee-ver-ten-do mol-to)

Italian Vocabulary To Say “I Don't Understand”

As a beginner, there will be many moments when you get stuck and can't understand what people are saying to you in Italian.

When this happens, don't worry! It's a perfectly normal part of the learning process and in time, you'll begin to understand more and more of what you hear.

In the meantime, the key is know how to handle these situations when you can't understand. Let's learn a few simple phrases that will allow you to remain in control of the situation even if you don't know what's being said to you.

• (mee scoo-see non ka-pee-sko)
• (non par-lo ital-ee-ah-no mol-to beh-nay)
• (po-tre-bay ree-peh-teh-reh per fa-vawr-ay)
• (po-tre-bay skree-ver-may-lo?)
• (ko-sa vu-ol-ay dee-ray?)
• Cosa vuol dire questo/quello? = “What does this mean?”, when showing something written

We don't say cosa vuol dire quello? implying something the other person said. We just say Cosa vuole dire? = “what do you mean by that?”

• (par-la een-glay-say?)
• (mee skoo-see)
• (non lo so)
• (va be-nay)
• (non eem-por-ta)

Numbers In Italian

Whether you're ordering drinks, paying a bill or buying a train ticket, numbers are something you'll need to be familiar with in Italian right from the beginning.

The good news is that numbers in Italian are pretty logical and straightforward. Once you learn 1-20, the rest just follow on from there!

• (chee-kway)
• (dee-ay-chee)
• (oon-dee-chee)
• (do-dee-chee)
• (tray-dee-chee)
• (kwa-tor-dee-chee)
• (kween-dee-chee)
• (say-dee-chee)
• (dee-chee-a-set-tay)
• (dee-chee-ot-to)
• (dee-chee-no-vay)
• (ven-too-no)
• (ven-tee-doo-ay)
• (kwa-ran-ta)
• (cheen-kwan-ta)
• (ses-san-ta)
• (se-ten-ta)
• (no-van-ta)
• (doo-ay-chen-to-cheen-kwan-ta)
• (cheen-kway-chen-to)
• (set-tay-chen-to ot-tan-ta-tray)

Italian Expressions To Use At The Restaurant

Arguably one of the most motivating reasons to learn Italian is to explore the country's cuisine!

Italian food is famous the world over and with good reason! These next few phrases will help you get by in restaurants so you can try out some of those delicious Italian recipes.

• (oon ta-vo-lo per oo=no / doo-ay, per fa-vo-ray?)
• (see-et-ay jee-ah a-per-tee?)
• (poss-ee-amo as-pett-ah-ray per oon ta-va-lo?)
• (poss-ee-amo se-der-chee la-jee-oo)
• (ko-sa mee kon-sihl-ya?)
• (Kwal e la spe-chee-a-lee-tay de-la ka-sa?)
• (ko-say kwes-to?)
• (mee fa-ray-bay un a-sor-tee-men-to day pee-a-tee mil-yor-ee?)
• (fach-ee-a lay! / las-chee-o de-chee-day-ray a lay)
• (il kon-to, per fa-vor-ay)
• pot-ray a-vay-ray eel me-noo, per fa-vo-ray?)

If you're planning a trip to Italy, you're probably going to need public transport to get around. These phrases will help you to buy tickets and find your destinations easily.

• (vo-ray an-da-ray a _ )
• (a kay oh-ra par-tay eel pros-see-mo tray-no / auw-to-boos per _ ?)
• (kwan-to kos-ta?)
• (oon bil-yeto / doo-ah bil-yetti per _ , per fa-vo-ray)
• (kwan-to doo-ra eel vi-ahj-o)
• (do-vay day-vo an-da-ray a-day-sso?)
• (kwan-do par-tay?)
• (kay ora so-no a-day-sso?)
• (kwes-to tray-no / auw-to-boos fer-ma a _ ?)
• (mee skoo-see, ee kwee _ ?)
• (do-vay see tro-va _ soo-la kar-ta?)

Asking For Directions In Italian

Exploring new places is exciting, but it can also be frustrating when you find yourself lost! But fear not, by learning to say and understand the following phrases, you'll be able to ask for and receive directions from the locals.

• (mee skoo-si, posso far-lay oo-na do-man-da?)
• (vo-ray an-da-ray kwee)
• (mee so-no per-so / mee so-no per-sa)
• (ko-mo pos-so a-rree-var-chee?)
• (ay dee kwa?)
• (po-tray-bay een-di-kar-may-lo soo-la kar-ta?)
• (do-vay _ ?)

Shopping In Italy

Whether in the supermarket, the shopping centre or the local farmer’s market you’re going to want to buy things at some point or another!

To do this, you need to be able to ask questions [or even haggle a bit!] just like you would in English! Here are the Italian phrases you'll need:

• (mee pee-a-chay kwes-to)
• (kwan-to kos-ta kwes-to?)
• (see lee com-pro en-tram-bee?)

Note: li means “them” for masculine nouns. It is OK to use it with two masculine nouns or a mix of feminine and masculine nouns, but when referring to two feminine nouns le should be used instead

• (ay troh-poh ca-roh per may)
• (poo-o far-mee oo-no skon-to?)
• (cher-ko oo-na _ )
• (Sto so-lo gwar-dan-do)
• (gra-tsee, kon-tee-noo-o a gwar-da-ray)
• (oon attee-mo)
• (see, gra-tsee)
• (no, gra-tsee)

Dealing With Medical Emergencies In Italian

Hopefully, you’ll never need the phrases in this section! Nonetheless, it’s always good to know some basic medical vocabulary so that can handle an emergency in case you get sick or suffer an accident.

• (poo-o ay-oo-tar-mee, per fa-vo-ray?)
• (de-vo an-day-ray da oon me-dee-ko)
• (non mee sen-to bay-nay)
• (non see sen-tay bay-nay)
• (chay oon os-pay-da-lay da kwes-tay par-tee)
• (mee por-tee in os-pay-da-lay, per fa-vo-ray)
• (mee fa ma-lay kwee)
• (o bi-son-yo dee me-dee-cee-nay)

Finding Hidden Gems & Other Places In Italy

Finally, let's learn some simple phrases that will help you discover the hidden gems on your next trip to Italy! Locals are always keen to share their favourite restuarants and cafes with visitors, but if you want to find out about them you need to know how to ask!

• (mee skoo-see ma)
• (posso far-lay oo-na do-man-da?)
• (cher-ko oon pos-to kwee in zo-na do-vay see man-gee bay-nay)
• (cher-ko oon bar kar-ee-no kwee in zo-na)
• (nay kon-os-chay kwal-koo-no?)
• (chay qual-kay pos-to in-ter-es-san-tay da vee-see-ta-ray kwee in zo-na?)
• (grat-see ko-moon-kway)

Your Next Steps In Italian

So there you have it: all of the basic Italian phrases you need to help you discover and start using the Italian language.

With these phrases in your back pocket, you will soon find yourself having your first basic conversations with native speakers and getting excited about developing your conversational Italian.

So now that you’ve learned the basics, are you ready to take the next step in your Italian adventure?

I'm such a big believer in the power of StoryLearning® to enable you to learn a foreign language. That's why I've created an entire beginner course dedicated to learning Italian by immersing yourself in an engaging story.

It's my Italian Uncovered course, and it's designed to take you from beginner to B1 Intermediate level. Click here to find out more and try out the method for free.

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6 Short Italian Poems with English Translation

February 6, 2019 10:00 am

Poetry in other languages such as Italian can be intimidating. Where do you even start? If you want to dip your toes into Italian poetry and sample the works of great Italian poets, look no further. Here in this article, we’ve listed down six short Italian poems written by influential Italian poets. We’ve even included their English translations!

These Italian poems are a perfect start to enjoying Italian poetry. So without further ado, let’s see the poems.

I. Alla Sera (Ugo Foscolo)

The first poem on this list is by Ugo Foscolo, or originally, Niccolò Foscolo whose works are ranked among the Italian literary greats.

Alla Sera   ( To Evening  )

by Ugo Foscolo (Translated by Nick Benson)

Forse perché della fatal quiete

tu sei l’immago, a me si cara vieni,

o Sera! E quando ti corteggian liete

le nubi estive e i zeffiri sereni,

Perhaps because you are the image of that fatal quiet

so dear to me, you have come,

O Evening! And when happy summer clouds

and the gentle west wind are your escort,

e quando dal nevoso aere inquiete

tenebre e lunghe all’universo meni,

sempre scendi invocata, e le secrete

vie del mio cor soavemente tieni.

and when from snowy restless heights

you send shadows and darkness into the world,

you descend summoned always, and gently hold

the secret ways of my heart.

Vagar mi fai co’ miei pensier su l’orme

che vanno al nulla eterno; e intanto fugge

questo reo tempo, e van con lui le torme

You make my thoughts wander forms

that vanish into eternal nothing; meanwhile

this cursed time flees, and with it, the throng

delle cure onde meco egli si strugge;

e mentre guardo la tua pace, dorme

quello spirto guerrier ch’entro mi rugge.

of cares with which it me destroys;

and while I gaze on your peace, that warlike spirit

sleeps, that yet within me roars.

Listen to the poem here .

II. Il Lampo (Giovanni Pascoli)

Another famous Italian writer, Giovanni Pascoli was considered the greatest poet in the beginning of the twentieth century. The poem featured here is taken from his first literary work "Myricae”, a volume of short poetry inspired by nature and his own inner turmoil.

Il lampo ( The Lightning )

by Giovanni Pascoli  

E cielo e terra si mostrò qual era:

la terra ansante, livida, in sussulto;

il cielo ingombro, tragico, disfatto:

bianca bianca nel tacito tumulto

una casa apparì sparì d’un tratto;

come un occhio, che, largo, esterrefatto,

s’aprì si chiuse, nella notte nera.

And sky and earth showed what they were like:

the earth panting, livid, in a jolt;

the sky burdened, tragic, exhausted:

white white in the silent tumult

a house appeared disappeared in the blink of an eye;

like an eyeball, that, enlarged, horrified,

opened and closed itself, in the pitch-black night.

If you want to listen to an interpretation of Il Lampo, check out this video.

III. L'Infinito (Giacomo Leopardi)

Another important name not just in Italian literature, Giacomo Leopardi was considered to be among the best writers of the 19th century. His genius shines through in his poetry, as do his hopes and frustrations. His poems are often admired for its musicality and intensity. Here’s one example.

L'Infinito ( The Infinite  )

by  Giacomo Leopardi  ( Translated by Henry Reed )

Sempre caro mi fu quest’ermo colle,

E questa siepe, che da tanta parte

Dell’ultimo orizzonte il guardo esclude.

Ma sedendo e rimirando, interminati

Spazi di là da quella, e sovrumani

Silenzi, e profondissima quieteIo nel pensier mi fingo, ove per poco

Il cor non si spaura. E come il vento

Odo stormir tra queste piante, io quello

Infinito silenzio a questa voce

Vo comparando: e mi sovvien l’eterno,

E le morte stagioni, e la presente

E viva, e il suon di lei. Così tra questa

Immensità s’annega il pensier mio:

E il naufragar m’è dolce in questo mare.

Always to me beloved was this lonely hillside

And the hedgerow creeping over and always hiding

The distances, the horizon's furthest reaches.

But as I sit and gaze, there is an endless

Space still beyond, there is a more than mortal

Silence spread out to the last depth of peace,

Which in my thought I shape until my heart

Scarcely can hide a fear. And as the wind

Comes through the copses sighing to my ears,

The infinite silence and the passing voice

I must compare: remembering the seasons,

Quiet in dead eternity, and the present,

Living and sounding still. And into this

Immensity my thought sinks ever drowning,

And it is sweet to shipwreck in such a sea.  

Listen to the poem here.

IV. Soldati ( Giuseppe Ungaretti)

The next poem on our list is by modernist Italian poet, essayist, and journalist Giuseppe Ungaretti who debuted his career in poetry while he was fighting in the trenches during World War 1. Here is his very short poem, Soldati.

Soldati ( Soldiers )

by  Giuseppe Ungaretti ( Translated by Matilda Colarossi)

Si sta come 

sugli alberi

on branches

You can listen to a reading of this poem below.

V. Rimani (Gabriele D’Annunzio)

Gabriele D’Annunzio was not only an Italian poet (and a playwright and journalist), he was also a soldier and later on a political leader.  

Though he lived a life that was filled with scandals and some controversy, he remained one of the most striking personalities in Italy during his time and his poems continue to become among the modern masterpieces of Italian poetry.

Here is his romantic poem called Rimani.

Rimani  (Stay)

by Gabriele D’Annunzio

Rimani! Riposati accanto a me.

Non te ne andare.

Io ti veglierò. Io ti proteggerò.

Ti pentirai di tutto fuorchè d’essere venuto a me, liberamente, fieramente.

Ti amo. Non ho nessun pensiero che non sia tuo;

non ho nel sangue nessun desiderio che non sia per te.

Lo sai. Non vedo nella mia vita altro compagno, non vedo altra gioia.

Riposati. Non temere di nulla.

Dormi stanotte sul mio cuore…

Stay! Rest beside me.

I will watch you. I will protect you.

You'll regret anything but coming to me, freely, proudly.

I love you. I do not have any thought that is not yours;

I have no desire in the blood that is not for you.

You know. I do not see in my life another companion, I see no other joy

Rest. Do not be afraid of anything.

Sleep tonight on my heart…

You can listen to this poem here:

VI. San Martino (Giosuè Carducci)

Our final poem for this article is by no less than the official National Poet of Modern Italy. Giosuè Carducci won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1906 and he is considered one of the most influential literary figures in his time.

This poem, San Martino, is from his poetry collection called Rime Nuove (New Lyrics) published in 1887. It contains some of his greatest works.

San Martino ( Saint Martin’s Day)

by Giosuè Carducci

La nebbia agli irti colli

piovigginando sale,

e sotto il maestrale

urla e biancheggia il mar;

The fog to the steep hills

amid the rain ascends,

and under the mistral

the sea screams and whitens:

ma per le vie del borgo

dal ribollir de’ tini

va l’aspro odor dei vini

l’anime a rallegrar.

but through the alleys of the village

from the bubbling vats

goes the sour smell of wine

the souls to rejoice.

Gira su’ ceppi accesi

lo spiedo scoppiettando:

sta il cacciator fischiando

su l’uscio a rimirar

Turns on burning logs

the spit, sputtering;

stands the hunter whistling

on the door to gaze

tra le rossastre nubi

stormi d’uccelli neri,

com’esuli pensieri,

nel vespero migrar.

among the reddish clouds

flocks of blackbirds

as exiled thoughts,

in the twilight migrating.

Listen to the poem San Martin in this video.  

There you have it, six short Italian poems. We hope you enjoyed your foray into Italian poetry. Which one on this list do you like best? Or do you have a favorite Italian poem that we failed to mention? Do share it with us in the comments!

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I love poetry. I am mexican but I do speak english, french amd italian, it means I understand these 4 languages. I enjoy reading Italian writers and poets. I love Ungaretti.

Magnifico. These Italian Love Poems are beautiful. Grazie Mille.

THANK YOU!!!

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11 Easy Italian Short Stories for Beginners

If you’re short on time, easy Italian  short stories will help you make the most of it.

Better yet, the Italian short stories on this list come in convenient formats—from stories you can read online or on the go  to stories that come with an audio component so you can listen along.

Read on and learn!

Easy Italian Short Stories You Can Read Online

1. cose per crescere (things for growing), 2. grimm stories, 3. ercole guidi’s parallel texts, easy italian short stories with audio.

• 4. “Learn Italian with Subtitles for Children and Adults” 

5. One World Italiano

6. the italian experiment, easy italian short story books.

• 7. “Italian Short Stories for Beginners” 
• 8. “Learn Italian III – Parallel Text – Short Stories”
• 9. “Italian Reader – Short Stories“
• 10. “Italian Short Stories for Beginners: 8 Unconventional Short Stories to Grow Your Vocabulary and Learn Italian the Fun Way!“
• 11. “Italian: Short Stories for Beginners – 20 Captivating Short Stories to Learn Italian and Grow Your Vocabulary the Fun Way!“

The Benefits of Easy Italian Short Stories for Beginners

How to learn italian with easy short stories, and one more thing....

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Reading Italian short stories online is convenient: Just pull up your laptop, tablet or favorite internet-connected device and visit the following resources for plenty of reading practice options.

This resource is a website that’s written exclusively in Italian.

That may seem a little intimidating for beginner Italian learners, but a little work during the first visit will allow you to reap the benefits of this great website.

Primarily, the site is a directory of children’s stories, with each story comprising of short posts with a title, photo and some text on the directory page. Simply click on a story that looks the most interesting to you and start reading.

Best of all, you can sign up on the website with an email and download the stories for access anywhere, anytime! Many of these stories are folktales and fables at a level best suited for pre-intermediate learners.

Being a website all in Italian, I definitely suggest the three-step approach for these stories.

This site full of Grimm fairy tales offers a large selection of childhood favorites to read.

Each story is initially presented in Italian. At the bottom of each story, there’s an option to pick another translation. Most helpful of all is the option to have a side-by-side comparison of English and Italian.

Starting with the Italian translation only is great practice for reading comprehension. Then you can compare it against the English text and find vocabulary that you didn’t understand the first time around!

If you’re looking for something more challenging than children’s stories, this is the website for you. This page of literary translations features side-by-side Italian and English versions of popular short stories and limited excerpts of longer works by famous authors.

The resource now offers the new option to shift from parallel text to hiding the English or Italian text . You can start by seeing both languages, then hide the English version to reduce distractions and focus on the Italian text.

This website also offers a wide variety of genres to choose from. You can practice your spooky vocabulary by reading some Edgar Allan Poe. Or brush up on your wit by reading some Mark Twain. You can even read excerpts from popular novels!

Choose from Oscar Wilde’s “The Picture of Dorian Grey,” F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” and Ernest Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises,” just to name a few.

If you’re feeling super brave, you can try your vocabulary with a Shakespeare play or reading some Italian to English translations. And, if you want to get back to some fairy tales, there’s a well-translated version of the Italian story “The Adventures of Pinocchio.”

Wondering what a certain word sounds like? Wonder no more. The following resources feature easy Italian short stories that come with audio so you always know exactly how to pronounce every word in the story.

Read along to maximize your learning potential.

4. “ Learn Italian with Subtitles for Children and Adults ” 

This YouTube playlist by BookBox is a fantastic resource for all Italian learners and it includes 19 easy Italian short stories aimed at beginners and children. Despite this, I recommend this playlist even for intermediate learners.

Each story includes slow, clear audio accompanied by a video. Additionally, stories include written, on-screen subtitles in Italian that BookBox has put in the video itself. No need for dodgy YouTube subtitles.

As an added bonus, each story has beautiful illustrations so it really feels like you’re reading an Italian fairy tale.

If you’re interested, Bookbox is also an app! Check out all the Italian stories on the app for  iOS  and Android .

If you’ve been studying Italian for a while, you’re probably familiar with One World Italiano—an online Italian course that has a great YouTube channel and supplementary material.

Since it’s on this list, you’ve probably already guessed that the website also has a selection of easy short stories and texts for learners to use to improve their Italian.

The best part about One World Italiano is how short the stories actually are. Each tale is only a couple of paragraphs long, making these stories perfect for bite-sized Italian learning when you’re really in a tight squeeze.

Every story also includes a quiz to check your understanding and solidify concepts and vocabulary. Additionally, stories come with an audio reading and the option to follow along with the written story or hide the text and focus on the spoken words.

The stories include well-known tales such as “Jack and the Beanstalk” and “The Emperor’s Nightingale,” which makes them good resources for learners who are already familiar with the stories to some extent. Beginners, try this one!

This fantastic website has a little bit of everything for practicing your Italian.

Channel your inner child, and enjoy revisiting stories that you loved! The Italian Experiment features “Three Little Pigs,”   “Little Red Riding Hood”  and “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.”

The best thing about The Italian Experiment is that you have the option to read the stories in Italian, listen to a native Italian speaker recite the story or listen as you follow along with the text.

Since the stories are spoken at a slow pace, it’s easy to follow and understand the vocabulary.

Want to take your reading on the go? You can with these books. Just load the e-book onto your e-reader or throw the physical book into your bag and you’ll be ready to learn Italian short stories, no matter where you are.

7. “ Italian Short Stories for Beginners ” 

For those who love their Kindle, this resource for easy Italian stories is for you! It’s an e-book that’s specifically made for English learners of Italian!

The book includes 10 short stories which cover everyday topics such as jobs, home and travel.

The best part is that the stories are broken into sections, and each section is followed by a word list of key translations. 

Better yet, each story has a subsequent summary and multiple-choice questions. These questions are great to test comprehension and reinforce your Italian learning.

Also included with the purchase of the e-book are 13 hours of audio recordings of the stories read aloud in Italian.

8. “ Learn Italian III – Parallel Text – Short Stories ”

Our next resource is actually a book created for Italian learners from Polyglot Planet Publishing. Who doesn’t prefer paper to screen, after all?

The book includes seven English-Italian short stories, presented in a parallel, dual-language format. For each line of Italian text , there’s a translated line of English text underneath.

The book also has the same seven stories but in an Italian-only format. This is a great way to review the content of the stories and the words you didn’t know during the first read-through.

The parallel text occurs line-by-line, which ensures that the translation is always close. This is perfect for beginners who often find themselves spending too much time flipping through the dictionary for every other word.

Further, the topics of these stories are varied and include art, relationships and food, making them excellent resources for learners looking to build their vocabulary.

9. “ Italian Reader – Short Stories “

This collection has a whopping 16 stories for you to read and study.

There are even five “warm-up” stories to ease you into reading! Each story is presented in both English and Italian, adapted from well-known authors.

“Italian Reader – Short Stories” is a super helpful way to practice your Italian.

10. “ Italian Short Stories for Beginners: 8 Unconventional Short Stories to Grow Your Vocabulary and Learn Italian the Fun Way! “

This book by Olly Richards is an excellent resource for practicing Italian.

Written for students from beginner level to intermediate, the eight short stories in this book have been developed to make learning as enjoyable as possible.

They use simple grammar and vocabulary, and the topics are ones that will keep you constantly entertained.

This book is a great read!

11. “ Italian: Short Stories for Beginners – 20 Captivating Short Stories to Learn Italian and Grow Your Vocabulary the Fun Way! “

This book contains several different genres of short stories, so there’s something to entertain everyone.

The stories are fun and interesting enough to keep you motivated and intrigued, making the book hard to put down.

There are several bonus features in this book, including vocabulary, story summaries and even testing exercises.

All these aspects combined make it easy to grow your understanding of vocabulary, grammar and context. “Italian: Short Stories For Beginners” is a top choice for practicing your Italian!

Since short stories are by nature short, you can use them to squeeze a lot of Italian learning into a relatively small span of time.

Reading short stories is a great way to get quick, informal doses of Italian language practice.

Easy short stories in Italian offer exposure to simple , natural sentence structure . This makes them great for beginners just getting accustomed to the language and even intermediate speakers who want to maintain their language competency.

Further, short stories often include repetition of the most common Italian words. “To say” in Italian? It’s probably in the short story you’re reading (dire) . Basic conversation structure? That’s probably there too!

Best of all, short stories make great learning tools because they’re more entertaining than a textbook. Unless you’re a grammar nerd like me, reading verb tables and agreement rules is no way to spend your 20 minutes of free time. Simply open up a short story and learn away!

Thanks to technology, many short stories are available on the web, so they’re perfect for a blast of Italian just about anywhere, whether you’re on your commute, in the waiting room or during lunch. Just download and read away!

Since these stories are often pretty straightforward, you’ll need a simple plan for learning effectively with them. To get the most out of your short story, I suggest this three-step approach:

• Read the story for the gist, not the details . Focus on trying to understand the main ideas of the story—the characters, the major plot developments and the setting.
• Read it again but this time do a careful read . Highlight or underline unknown words, phrases or grammatical constructions that are unfamiliar to you. Once you finish this read, translate all the unfamiliar words and phrases and write them down in a notebook or on flashcards to help you remember them later.
• Use the translations to read the story one final time . This allows you to understand the text fully and have quick access to the translations and explanations.

For extra practice, I suggest writing a summary of the story. This will give you a more complete understanding of it and make new vocabulary and grammar topics easier to recall later.

You can also pair your stories with visuals like pictures and video, to make the content more memorable. On FluentU , for example, you can find plenty of Italian videos, including some animated short stories.

FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

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Before, your biggest problem was finding the time to learn.

Now, it turns out that your biggest conundrum is deciding which easy Italian short story to read first!

Happy learning!

If you're as busy as most of us, you don't always have time for lengthy language lessons. The solution? FluentU !

Learn Italian with funny commericals, documentary excerpts and web series, as you can see here:

FluentU helps you get comfortable with everyday Italian by combining all the benefits of complete immersion and native-level conversations with interactive subtitles . Tap on any word to instantly see an image, in-context definition, example sentences and other videos in which the word is used.

Access a complete interactive transcript of every video under the Dialogue tab, and review words and phrases with convenient audio clips under Vocab .

Once you've watched a video, you can use FluentU's quizzes to actively practice all the vocabulary in that video. Swipe left or right to see more examples of the word you’re on.

FluentU will even keep track of all the Italian words you’re learning, and give you extra practice with difficult words. Plus, it'll tell you exactly when it's time for review. Now that's a 100% personalized experience !

The best part? You can try FluentU for free with a trial.

Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

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Italian Sentence Structure

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The correct way to structure a sentence in Italian

Jun asks: “ how do i structure sentences in italian “.

Let's start from this assumption…

The first thing we want to address here is the fact that you are better off not worrying too much about the sentence structure in Italian and go with the general idea that Italian and English use a very similar structure, in most cases.

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Both Italian and English are S V O languages. That is: Subject + Verb + Object

Of course you should remember that in Italian the subject is omitted in most cases and that Italian tends to use definite articles before the Object a lot more often than English does, but at the core, they are more similar than different.

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When is the structure different then?

When pronouns are involved in Italian, you have to remember that these go right before the verb !

My name is Manu

Technically speaking that “MI”, which means “myself” is already the Object of the sentence, but we prefer to just think of it as being part of the verb, so we don't get confused!

Alex loves me

Here the difference between English and Italian stands out, since to Object is clearly in the “wrong” place! But that's because pronouns (direct, indirect and reflexive) always go right before the verb .

Take it as a fact of life. A rule . The norm.

Alex does not love me

When making the sentence negative things look even more weird , but again, what's happening is simply that the pronoun must go before the verb . And as usual the NON goes before the verb … so nothing too weird here, really!

Remember that in Italian we do not have words like DO, DOES, DID used in English to create questions, negative or emphatic sentences.

What happens in longer sentences?

Generally speaking, we'll have the same word order as English. Or better, the same order for the blocks of words that make up the sentence.

DOMANI VADO A FIRENZE PER UNA MOSTRA Tomorrow I'm going to Florence to see an exhibition

Here we have the following “blocks” (groups of words that must remain together):

– DOMANI – VADO A FIRENZE – PER VEDERE UNA MOSTRA

While the previous sentence represents the most standard way of expressing our concept, in Italian we can freely shuffle the blocks around to confer a slightly different meaning .

We can say, for example:

VADO A FIRENZE PER VEDERE UNA MOSTRA DOMANI

By putting the DOMANI at the end of the sentence, we are stressing the WHEN we are doing something, rather than the WHAT we are doing (expressed in the first example above).

DOMANI VAI A FIRENZE PER VEDERE UNA MOSTRA Tomorrow you are going to Florence to see an exhibition

DOMANI VAI A FIRENZE PER VEDERE UNA MOSTRA? Tomorrow are you going to Florence to see an exhibition?

This last sentence often confuses you, since the structure in English would be different when we are asking a question .

But we can, in spoken English, do the same thing as in Italian, that is, asking a question using exactly the same structure as the statement, but raise our pitch: Tomorrow you are going to Florence to see an exhibition (right)?

You see? Same structure as in Italian ! No verb inversion, no DO's or DOES or DID's! 😉

Also remember that, in most cases, in Italian adjectives FOLLOW the noun they are describing.

QUESTO È UN LIBRO INTERESSANTE This is an interesting book

It's tricky in questions…

The time when you really have to be alert and think about sentence structure in Italian should be when you're asking questions .

This is because questions do have a different structure from English . Let's have a look:

QUANDO ARRIVA IL BUS? When does the bus arrive?

As you can see in Italian we start with the Question Word (just like in English) but then we put the verb, with the subject coming in last .

QUANTO COSTA QUESTO LIBRO? How much does this book cost?

PERCHÉ È TRISTE MARIA? Why is Maria sad?

Once again, Italian follows the structure:

QUESTION WORD + VERB + SUBJECT ….?

I'll be honest with you. That is not the best question you could ask. Languages do their own thing , no point in going crazy trying to understand why. Let's just get familiar with the “ exception ” and start using it!

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The secret to structuring questions

When using “ Question Words ” you must use this structure: QUESTION WORD + VERB + SUBJECT …?

Question Words include:

• QUANDO = When
• DOVE = Where
• PERCHÉ = Why
• QUANTO = How much
• CHE COSA / CHE / COSA = What
• QUALE = Which

Just remember to have the verb immediately follow these words and throw the subject of your sentence after the verb , if you need to specify a subject.

Check out these other lessons

How to say SO in italian

How to use the Particle / Pronoun NE (Part 4 of 4)

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4+ Easy Italian Short Stories for Beginners

An interactive lesson guiding you from key takeaways to expert insights. Comes with Q&A, useful vocabulary, interactive audio, quizzes and games.

• Italian learning resources

Key Takeaways

• Think in Italian offers over 1,200 bite-sized stories with audio, vocabulary lists, and comprehension questions to enhance learning.
• Racconti Italiani per Principianti by Olly Richards features simplified stories with vocabulary lists and exercises, perfect for beginners.
• Italian Short Stories for Beginners by Lingo Mastery includes simple language, vocabulary lists, grammatical explanations, and audio recordings.
• Easy Italian Reader: L'Italiano Facile by Riccarda Saggese offers simplified stories with vocabulary and comprehension exercises for new learners.
• Reading Italian short stories helps in expanding vocabulary, improving comprehension, and understanding Italian culture .

Stefano's Insights

Quick facts, how can reading italian short stories benefit language learners, what is a recommended starting point for beginners reading italian short stories, how can bilingual books assist beginners in learning italian, what is the advantage of reading italian aloud, who are some renowned italian short story authors suitable for beginners, what themes do italian short stories for beginners commonly explore, how does reading italian short stories help in cultural understanding, how can enjoyment and entertainment be enhanced when reading italian short stories, what are some recommended italian short story collections for beginners, can beginners improve their italian language skills by discussing stories with tutors, teachers, or language partners, audio images.

Main Article

The best short italian stories, 1. bite-sized stories by think in italian.

Think in Italian offers a collection of Italian reading materials tailored for learners at various proficiency levels. You can read over 1,200 bite-sized, 1-minute reads complete with Italian and English audio and transcripts.

This collection accompanies texts with audio recordings , vocabulary lists , and comprehension questions . It is designed to enhance reading skills, improve vocabulary, and boost comprehension through engaging and level-appropriate stories.

You will find captivating stories ,  news  articles, real-life  dialogues , jokes, and songs that will make your Italian learning process engaging and educational.

You can even take your comprehension to the next level by discussing your readings with our AI tutor ; engage in personalized conversations and delve into the text’s subtleties to deepen your grasp of the Italian language.

2. Racconti Italiani per Principianti by Olly Richards

This book is a highly recommended Italian short story collection for beginners. It is specifically designed for beginners, offering simplified stories that are accessible for learners who have just started their language journey.

The stories cover a wide range of themes, including everyday life and daily routines , travel and exploration , and relationships and romance.

Each story is written in clear and concise language , allowing you to understand and follow along without feeling overwhelmed. It also includes vocabulary lists and exercises to help learners practice and reinforce their understanding of the Italian language.

Check our review of Olly Richards’ language app

3. Italian Short Stories for Beginners by Lingo Mastery

This is a valuable resource for people who just started learning Italian. Its stories are specifically designed for beginners, given their simple and straightforward language which allows learners to understand and follow along with the plot more easily.

The stories cover a variety of interesting topics and themes, are accompanied by vocabulary lists , grammatical explanations , and exercises, as well as audio recordings of the stories, which learners can listen to while reading. This helps improve listening skills, pronunciation, and overall comprehension.

4. Easy Italian Reader: L’Italiano Facile by Riccarda Saggese

This is a highly recommended book for beginner Italian learners. It features multiple short stories written in simplified Italian , making it suitable for new learners.

Its stories cover varied themes related to everyday life, travel, and relationships, and also includes vocabulary and comprehension exercises to aid learning and enhance language proficiency.

Italian Stories for Beginners

Why read italian short stories.

When I started learning Russian, one of the most magical experiences was diving into Russian stories. That’s why I suggest you read Italian narratives,  that are filled with rich culture and vibrant characters, which bring the language to life in ways textbooks cannot.

Beginner stories are crafted with learners in mind, using simple language and structures. This makes them perfect for grasping the basics. For instance, a story might start with:

Also, reading stories helps in naturally expanding your vocabulary . Each new word is presented in context , which aids memory retention.

Stories are an excellent tool for improving comprehension. They require you to grasp the main idea without getting overwhelmed by every unfamiliar word. I remember the satisfaction of grasping the plot of a story, even if I didn’t understand every single word.

For instance, consider a sentence like:

Il cielo era grigio e sembrava che stesse per piovere.

The sky was gray and it looked like it was about to rain.

Even if you don’t know the word sembrare (to seem), you can understand its meaning from the context of the weather description.

Finally, if you are an Italian language learner, Italian stories will offer you a window into the culture , traditions , and daily life of Italy .

Practical Tips for Reading Italian Stories

• Start Simple

Begin with short stories designed for beginners, with simple vocabulary and grammar structures, and gradually progress to more complex texts as your proficiency improves. Children’s book are perfect for this: they are designed with simple language and colorful illustrations to help you understand the context.

• Use Bilingual Books

Use bilingual books that feature Italian and English (or your native language) translations side by side. This will help you grasp the meaning of unfamiliar words or phrases without losing the narrative flow or, if you are impatient like me, without getting frustrated!

• Listen and Read

Practice reading Italian aloud to improve pronunciation and fluency. If possible, include audio recordings of the stories in your reading practice to enhance listening skills and familiarize yourself with native Italian accents and intonations.

• Take Notes and Review Vocabulary

Keep a vocabulary journal to write down new words and expressions you encountered while reading. Review and revise the vocabulary regularly to reinforce learning and expand your language repertoire.

Popular Italian Short Stories Authors

Giovanni verga.

Giovanni Verga was an influential Italian author, famous for his short stories that are suitable for beginners. He is known for his realistic and naturalistic style, and for his stories that offer a deep insight into Italy’s everyday life during the late 19th century.

I personally really like Verga’s stories, because they depict various aspects of life, including the struggles of peasants , the hardships of rural living , and the complexities of human relationships, exploring important themes of poverty and social injustice .

With his stories, beginners can enhance their language learning skills by immersing themselves in authentic Italian literature . You will also cultivate a better understanding of Italian history and culture through his vivid and descriptive storytelling.

Italo Calvino

Another important Italian writer I love is Italo Calvino, recognized for his unique writing style and inventive storytelling techniques. Calvino’s works often explore complex themes and combine elements of fantasy and reality.

Italo Calvino’s stories can be a great choice for beginners looking to expand their Italian language skills. His writing style is accessible, making it easier for language learners to understand and appreciate the Italian language.

Calvino’s writing has been praised for its thought-provoking nature and philosophical undertones. If you, like me, enjoy exploring deep philosophical concepts and unconventional narratives , you will love Calvino’s works and appreciate his ability in pushing the boundaries of storytelling.

Elsa Morante

Elsa Morante’s works are invaluable for beginners thanks to her rich  and  deep writing style , which, for me, make her one of the most able Italian novelist in merging together complex narratives and vivid descriptions.

Her rich vocabulary and complex sentence structures provide learners with a chance to see Italian used in varied and expressive ways, while evoking intense emotions and provoking critical thinking.

Morante’s works often explore themes of social issues , identity , and complexities of human relationships. Through her novels, beginners can improve their language skills while gaining a profound understanding of the country’s heritage.

Reading as a learning tool

Reading Italian short stories is a great way for beginners to improve their language skills. It allows for practicing vocabulary and grammar patterns in a more engaging and practical context. Short stories also provide exposure to correct grammar and sentence structure, helping beginners absorb the language more effectively.

Discuss the stories you read

Discussing the stories with tutors, teachers, or language partners is important for effective learning as it allows beginners to practice speaking and listening skills. It provides an opportunity to practice real-life conversation and receive feedback on language usage. Additionally, discussing the stories can deepen understanding, clarify any misunderstandings, and offer insights into cultural aspects associated with the language.

re-reading short stories

Re-reading short stories multiple times over a few months can be highly beneficial for language learning. It helps in retaining vocabulary and reinforcing newly acquired knowledge. Repeated exposure to the same stories also aids in internalizing grammar patterns, sentence structures, and idiomatic expressions, leading to improved comprehension and fluency.

Recommended resources for beginners

For beginners, websites like “Noi parliamo italiano” and “Favole della buonanotte” offer easy-to-navigate resources with practical examples and simplified Italian short stories. These platforms provide convenient formats such as audio and PDF files, allowing beginners to read online or put away their reading practice options for later use.

Short story books for beginners

There are short story books available that beginners can use to boost their Italian language skills. Books like “Grimm Stories” offer a collection of Grimm fairy tales in Italian, providing an opportunity to read in both English and Italian through side-by-side comparison. Ercole Guidi’s Parallel Texts offer Italian and English versions of popular short stories and excerpts from longer works by famous authors, catering to the needs of beginners.

LingQ platform

LingQ is a recommended platform that stores various Italian short stories and related content in one place. It offers professionally created lessons and the ability to import your own content, providing a wide range of reading materials and flexibility. LingQ’s features like easy vocabulary look-up, vocabulary saving and review using LingQ’s SRS (Spaced Repetition System), a mobile app for on-the-go learning, and more, enhance the learning experience for beginners.

Test your knowledge in 10 quick questions

Leggere racconti brevi in italiano aiuta ad arricchire il vocabolario.

Reading short stories in Italian helps to enrich vocabulary.

I racconti per principianti sono scritti con un linguaggio semplice.

Stories for beginners are written in simple language.

Gli esercizi di comprensione migliorano la capacità di capire il testo.

Comprehension exercises improve the ability to understand the text.

Ascoltare le registrazioni audio aiuta a migliorare la pronuncia.

Listening to audio recordings helps improve pronunciation.

Le storie semplificate includono elenchi di vocabolario utili.

Simplified stories include helpful vocabulary lists.

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Beginners Italian

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Italian Reading Comprehensions

Choose the topic you prefer and test your reading skills with these texts! Every text, besides widening your vocabulary and improving your reading skills, includes various exercises that will allow you to verify if you really understood what you read. Moreover, if something is not clear, you can leave us a comment and ask for further clarification: we will be more than happy to help you! 😉

Beginner (A1/A2)

Intermediate (B1/B2)

Advanced (C1/C2)