You might have learnt some textbook phrases to get around Italy.
Some of these can be useful but real Italians don’t speak like they’re from a textbook. They use informal words and expressions that can throw you off if you’re not familiar with them.
In this post, you'll find common Italian slang used by Italians of all ages. That way you can understand real Italian conversation and show you’re not just a tourist.
Italian Slang for Everyday Expressions and Reactions
Listen out for these expressions in Italy, because you’ll hear them everywhere. They’re perfect for showing a quick reaction to something, or asking how somebody’s doing.
| Dai | Come on | Dye |
| Vabbè | Ok, whatever, fine then | Vah-BEH |
| Boh | I don’t know | Boh |
| Tutto a posto? | All good? | TOOT-toh ah POH-stoh |
| Cavolo | Darn | KAH-voh-loh |
| Un sacco | A ton (lit. a sack) | Oon SAHk-koh |
For example:
Dai, non vuoi fare shopping? -Come on, don’t you want to go shopping?
Vabbè, andiamo in treno allora -Fine, let’s go by train then
Dove compro i biglietti? Boh! -Where do I buy the tickets? I don’t know!
Italian Slang for Visiting Places
Here are some Italian slang expressions you might hear when talking about places and getting around.
| Un postaccio | A dump | Oon poh-STAH-choh |
| In culo ai lupi | In the middle of nowhere (lit. in the butt of wolves) | Een KOO-loh ai LOO-pee |
| Mettersi in marcia | To set off, to get going (lit. to put yourself in gear) | MEH-ter-see een MAR-chah |
| Fare un giro | To go for a walk | FA-reh oon JEE-roh |
| Fare un giretto | To go for a “little” walk | FA-reh oon jee-RET-toh |
| Fare un selfie | To do a selfie | FA-reh oon SEL-fee |
| Che casino | What a mess, how noisy | Keh kah-SEE-noh |
| Che schifo | How disgusting | Keh SKEE-foh |
| Fare schifo | To be disgusting | FA-reh SKEE-foh |
| Una schifezza | A disgusting thing | OO-nah skee-FET-tsah |
For example:
Il mio hotel è in culo ai lupi! -My hotel is in the middle of nowhere!
Vuoi fare un giro in centro? -Do you want to go for a walk in the center?
Facciamo un selfie? -Shall we take a selfie?
Italian Slang to Show How You’re Feeling
These slang phrases are the ones Italians use to show how they’re feeling.
| Non vedo l’ora | I can’t wait (lit. I can’t see the hour) | Non VEH-doh lohr-ah |
| Sono cotto/a* | I’m exhausted (lit. I’m cooked) | SOH-noh KOHt-toh/ah |
| Sono a pezzi | I’m exhausted (lit. I’m in pieces) | SOH-noh ah PET-zee |
| Che spettacolo | How amazing (lit. what a show) | Keh speht-TAH-koh-loh |
| Che figata | How cool | Keh fee-GAH-tah |
| Allucinante | Unbelievable | Ahl-loo-chee-NAHN-teh |
| Alla grande | Amazingly | AHL-lah GRAN-deh |
| Pazzesco | Crazy | Pah-TSEH-skoh |
*If you’re a man you say cotto , if you’re a woman you say cotta.
For example:
Non vedo l’ora di visitare Roma -I can’t wait to visit Rome
Sono a pezzi dopo il volo -I’m exhausted after the flight
La quantità di monumenti in questa città è allucinante -The amount of monuments in this city is unbelievable
Italian Slang for Food and Drink
Of course Italy has slang expressions to do with eating and drinking. Here are some food and drink related expressions that you’ll hear in everyday conversations.
| Mangiare come un maiale | To eat like a pig | Man-JAH-reh KOH-meh oon mah-YAH-leh |
| Fare la scarpetta | To mop up the sauce with bread (lit. to do the little shoe) | FAH-reh lah skar-PEHT-tah |
| Sto per scoppiare | I’m about to explode | Stoh per skohp-PYAH-reh |
| Ho una fame da lupi | I’m starving, I could eat a horse (lit. I have the hunger of wolves) | Oh OO-nah FAH-meh dah LOO-pee |
| Bere una birretta* | To drink a “little” beer | BEH-reh OO-nah beer-REHT-tah |
| Bere un vinello* | To drink a “little” wine | BEH-reh oon vee-NEL-loh |
| Bere un caffettino* | To drink a “little” coffee | BEH-reh oon kaf-feht-TEE-noh |
*Italians sometimes use the diminutive of certain words to give an affectionate, warm tone
For example:
A Napoli mangio sempre come un maiale -In Naples, I always eat like a pig
Chi vuole un caffettino? -Who wants a coffee?
Sto per scoppiare dopo quella pizza! -I’m about to explode after that pizza
Italian Slang for People and Relationships
Here are some common expressions you'll encounter in Italy when Italians are talking about other people. Some are very complimentary, others are a little less flattering.
| Essere sulla stessa lunghezza d’onda | To be on the same wavelength | EH-sseh-reh SOOL-lah STES-sah loon-GET-zah dON-dah |
| Essere fuori di testa | To be out of your mind (lit. to be out of your head) | EH-sseh-reh FWOH-ree dee TEH-stah |
| Essere fuori come un balcone | To be completely crazy (lit. to be outside like a balcony) | EH-sseh-reh FWOH-ree KOH-meh oon bal-KOH-neh |
| Sei fuori? | Are you crazy, out of your mind? (lit. are you outside?) | SAY FWOH-ree |
| Stammi bene | Take care | STAHM-mee BEH-neh |
| Tipo / tipa | Guy / woman | TEE-poh / TEE-pah |
| Tizio / tizia | Guy / woman | TEE-tzoh / TEE-tsyah |
| Ragazzi | Guys | Rah-GAHT-tsee |
| Fare casino | To make a mess, to make noise | FAH-reh kah-SEE-noh |
| Dare buca | To stand someone up (lit. to give hole) | DAH-reh BOO-kah |
For example:
Ciao ragazzi, tutto a posto? -Hi guys, all good?
La tizia alla reception vuole parlare con te -The woman at reception wants to talk with you
Vuoi andare al mare in gennaio? Sei fuori? - You want to go to the sea in January? Are you crazy?
Italian Slang to Talk About Luck
Italians have a very unique way of saying and replying to “good luck”. Here are some common expressions you’ll hear for “good luck” in Italy.
| Che culo* | How lucky (lit. what bottom, very informal) | KEH KOO-loh |
| In bocca al lupo | Good luck (lit. In the mouth of the wolf) | EEN BOK-kah al LOO-poh |
| Crepi | The reply for in bocca al lupo (lit. let it die) | KREH-pee |
| Viva il lupo | Alternative reply for in bocca al lupo (Lit. long live the wolf) | VEE-vah eel LOO-poh |
| In culo alla balena | Good luck (lit. in the whale’s butt) | EEN KOO-loh AL-lah ba-LEH-nah |
| Speriamo che non caghi | Reply to in culo alla balena (lit. let’s hope it doesn’t poop) | Speh-ree-AH-moh keh non KAH-ghee |
* Culo is sort of a swear word, so you’ll only hear this one in very informal situations, like between good friends.
For example:
Domani vai in Toscana? Che culo! -Tomorrow you’re going to Tuscany? How lucky!
In bocca al lupo per la presentazione -Good luck with the presentation
In culo alla balena per l’esame domani -Good luck for the exam tomorrow
When Life Goes Wrong: Italian Slang for Unlucky Moments
When things don’t go as planned, Italians have a few colorful slang phrases to show their frustration. Here are the phrases you might hear when things go wrong in Italy.
For a list of stronger phrases (along with their softer alternatives), here’s a collection of Italian swear words.
| Che palle | How annoying (very informal) | Keh PAHL-leh |
| Che sfiga | What bad luck, that sucks (very informal) | Keh SFEE-gah |
| Che fregatura | What a rip-off, what a bummer | Keh freh-gah-TOO-rah |
For example:
Non c’è WiFi? Che palle! -There’s no WiFi? How annoying!
Un caffè costa 5 euro? Che fregatura! -A coffee costs 5 euros? What a rip-off!
Piove? Che sfiga! -It’s raining? What bad luck!
Italian Slang for Things You Can’t Name
In Italian, you’ll hear people use slang words to refer to things they can’t quite name. They’re really handy when you’re talking about random stuff.
| Roba | Stuff | ROH-bah |
| Coso | Thingy | KOH-zoh |
For example:
Uso quel coso per fare la pasta -I use that thingy to make pasta
Che casino! C’è roba dappertutto -What a mess! There’s stuff everywhere
52 Italian Slang Words You’ll Actually Hear in Italy: Review
Now you've seen plenty of common Italian expressions. Let’s recap some of the ways you might hear them in real Italian conversations.
-
Italian Slang for Everyday Expressions and Reactions
Dai, non vuoi fare shopping? -Come on, don’t you want to go shopping?
Dove compro i biglietti? Boh! -Where do I buy the tickets? I don’t know!
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Italian Slang for Visiting Places
Il mio hotel è in culo ai lupi! -My hotel is in the middle of nowhere!
Vuoi fare un giro in centro? -Do you want to go for a walk in the center?
-
Italian Slang to Show How You’re Feeling
Non vedo l’ora di visitare Roma -I can’t wait to visit Rome
Sono a pezzi dopo il volo -I’m exhausted after the flight
-
Italian Slang for Food and Drink
A Napoli, mangio sempre come un maiale -In Naples, I always eat like a pig
Sto per scoppiare dopo quella pizza! -I’m about to explode after that pizza
-
Italian Slang for People and Relationships
La tizia alla reception vuole parlare con te -The woman l at reception wants to talk with you
Vuoi andare al mare in gennaio? Sei fuori? - You want to go to the sea in January? Are you crazy?
-
Italian Slang to Talk About Luck
Domani vai in Toscana? Che culo! -Tomorrow you’re going to Tuscany? How lucky!
In bocca al lupo per la presentazione -Good luck with the presentation
-
When Life Goes Wrong: Italian Slang for Unlucky Moments
Un caffè costa 5 euro? Che fregatura! -A coffee costs 5 euros? What a rip-off!
Piove? Che sfiga! -It’s raining? What bad luck!
-
Italian Slang for Things You Can’t Name
Uso quel coso per fare la pasta -I use that thingy to make pasta
Che casino! C’è roba dappertutto -What a mess! There’s stuff
K: Ciao a tutti e benvenuti! Hi everyone and welcome to “Learn Italian with Joy of Languages”.
In today’s episode we’re going to look at Italian slang words. They’re not the kind of slang words that only a few people use, they’re words that come up all the time in everyday conversation.
M: It’s really important to learn these expressions so you can connect with Italians by understanding the way they actually speak to each other.
K: Or even just for the entertainment - some of the expressions are funny when you find out what they really mean. But before we get started, can we ask you a quick favore . If you’re listening to this on your podcast app, could you hit the subscribe or follow button? This way you’ll get notified when we release a new episode and you’ll help our podcast grow so that we can keep making free lessons like this. Grazie!
M: To hear some Italian slang words, you’ll hear a conversation with Katie and I talking about my recent trip to Naples.
K: Tutto a posto a Napoli?
M: Sì, ma sono cotto.
K: Cosa hai fatto?
M: Ieri ho fatto un giro in centro e ho bevuto una birretta al sole
K: Che figata!
M: Poi ho mangiato un sacco di roba: la mozzarella, la graffa, un paio di pizze…
K: Dai, che culo! Non vedo l’ora di ritornare a Napoli.
K: I asked Matteo
M: Tutto a posto a Napoli? - Did it go well in Naples? Literally:
Tutto - all
A - at
Posto - place
A - at
Napoli - Naples
Tutto a posto a Napoli? M: So the first slang expression is: tutto a posto (x2).
K: Tutto a posto is used in all sorts of situations in Italy . One common way you'll hear it is as a casual way to say, “How are you?” A bit like saying “all good?”
M: For example, you could say, Ciao ragazzi , tutto a posto ? - Hi guys, all good? Literally:
Ciao - hi
Ragazzi - guys
Tutto - all
A - at
Posto - place
Ciao ragazzi, tutto a posto?
K: It’s also really common for waiters to ask tutto a posto? to check that everything’s ok with the meal.
After I asked Matteo how Naples was, he replied:
M: Sì, ma sono cotto - Yes, but I’m exhausted. Literally:
Sì - yes
Ma - but
Sono - I am
Cotto - cooked
Sì, ma sono cotto.
K: The next slang expression is: Sono cotto (x2).
K: You can use this expression when you’re really tired, like after a trip or a day sightseeing.
M: Usually when you’re tired because you’ve been doing a lot of things, not because you slept badly.K: Then I asked Matteo:
M: Cosa hai fatto - what did you do? Literally:
Cosa - what
Hai - you have
Fatto - done
K: And he replied
M: Ieri ho fatto un giro in centro - Yesterday, I went for a walk in the center. Literally:
Ieri - Yesterday
Ho - I have
Fatto - done
Un - a
Giro - loop
In - in
Centro - center
Ieri ho fatto un giro in centro M: The slang expression you heard here was: Fare un giro (x2)
K: Fare un giro can mean going around a place to explore it. Or just going for a walk. So if you wanted to ask someone to go for a walk, you could ask them if they want to “fare un giro”.
Then Matteo added:
M: E ho bevuto una birretta al sole - And I drank a little beer in the sun. Literally:
E - and
Ho - I have
Bevuto - drank
Una - a
Birretta - little beer
Al - at the
Sole - sun
E ho bevuto una biretta al sole
M: Birretta is another slang word in Italian. It’s the word birra , beer, but it has this etta ending on the end. Biretta (x2) K: We also have this in some English words, like kitchenette to mean a small kitchen.
M: So una birra is a normal beer, while birretta means “small beer”. But it often doesn’t always refer to the size.
K: If you say birretta , you’re emphasising there’s something nice about having the beer. Like if you said in English to someone, “that’s a nice little jacket”, you don’t necessarily mean that the jacket is small, you’re just adding a warm, affectionate tone.
M: Remember that word we saw earlier, giro ? It’s also common to say fare un giretto in Italian to say “go for a little walk”.
K: After Matteo told me about his beer in the sun, I replied
M: Che figata - how cool. Che figata ( x2)
K: Che figata isn’t offensive, but it’s very informal. It’s one you’d hear among friends, but you won’t hear an Italian saying it to his nonna.
Then Matteo told me:
M: Poi ho mangiato un sacco di roba - Then I ate a ton of stuff: Literally:
Poi - then
Ho - I have
Mangiato - eaten
Un - a
Sacco - sack
Di - of
Roba - stuff
M: The slang expression that I used here was:
un sacco di roba (x2)
You can use un sacco di to say when you have a lot of something, like un sacco di libri - a lot of books, or un sacco di foto - a lot of photos.K: It does kind of make sense, if you had a sack of something, you would have a lot of something.
M: And the other slang word is roba . It means “stuff,” and you can use it for both things you can physically see, like stuff around the house, or things you can’t see, like “stuff” for work that you need to get done.
K: Then Matteo told me what exactly he ate:
M: la mozzarella, la graffa, un paio di pizze. Literally:
La - the
Mozzarella - mozzarella
La - the
Graffa - graffa
Un - a
Paio - couple
Di - of
Pizze - pizzas
K: In case you’re wondering what a graffa is, it’s not slang, it’s just the word for a type of Neapolitan donut. It’s one of Matteo’s favorites.
Then I replied to Matteo:
M: Dai, che culo! - No way, how lucky! Literally:
Dai - give
Che - what
Culo - bottom
Yes, you heard it right. You get to talk about bottoms in Italian to say that something is lucky.
M: Che culo (x2)
K: As you can imagine, because of this literal translation, the expression che culo is definitely one you’d only hear between friends and family.
M: Katie also used the slang word dai at the start of the phrase. . Italians use this one all the time in lots of different situations. Here it’s being used to say “no way”.
K: Then I said: Non vedo l’ora di ritornare a Napoli. I can’t wait to go back to Naples . Literally
Non - not
Vedo - I see
L’ora - the hour
Di - of
Ritornare - to return
A - to
Napoli - Naples
K: To show how much I’m looking forward to going back to Naples, I used the classic Italian expression non vedo l’ora .
M: Non vedo l’ora (x2)
K: Non vedo l’ora isn’t too informal, so you can use it in lots of situations. Even with your Italian nonna.
M: Saying “I can’t see the hour” might sound a bit odd, but it’s like saying you’re so excited for something that you’re already looking forward to it, almost like saying, “I can’t wait for that hour to come.”
K: Let’s see how many of these slang words and phrases you can remember. How can you ask someone “all good?”
[...]
M: Tutto a posto? (x2)K: How could you say “I’m really tired” or “exhausted”? It literally means “I’m cooked”.
[...]
M: Sono cotto (x2)
K: What’s the phrase for “to go for a walk?”
[...]
M: Fare un giro ( x2 ). We also saw how you could say “go for a little walk”, and that would be fare un giretto (x2).
K: On the topic of little, how would you say “a little beer”?
[...]
M: Una birretta (x2)
K: What’s a very informal way to say “how cool?”
[...]
M: Che figata (x2)
K: What about saying “a lot of stuff”M: Un sacco di roba (x2)
K: What about the expression that has bottom in it and means “how lucky”?
M: Che culo (x2)
K: And lastly, to say “I can’t wait”? Literally “not, I see the hour”
M: Non vedo l’ora (x2)
K: Let’s hear the whole conversation again:
K: Tutto a posto a Napoli?
M: Sì, ma sono cotto.
K: Cosa hai fatto?
M: Ieri ho fatto un giro in centro e ho bevuto una birretta al sole
K: Che figata!
M: Poi ho mangiato un sacco di roba: la mozzarella, la graffa, un paio di pizze…
K: Dai, che culo! Non vedo l’ora di ritornare a Napoli.
M: There are definitely more Italian slang words out there, so we’ve included a longer list on our blogpost. Learning them will help you feel more confident speaking and understanding real, everyday Italian.
K:. You’ll also get to see when to use them in common situations you might find yourself in while in Italy, like what to say after you’ve just had a really tasty Italian meal, or talking about getting from one place to another.
M: To get the full list click the link in the description, or visit italian.joyoflanguages.com/podcast and search for episode 178.
M: See you next time.
K: Or as we say in Italian.
Alla prossima!
Time to check your understanding and remember everything you just learned! Below you’ll find a mini-quiz and some vocabulary cards to help it all go in.
Quiz: Italian slang words
How much did you learn? Find out in the quiz!
Click here to take the quiz for this episode: Italian slang words
Vocabulary
Il mio hotel è in culo ai lupi! = My hotel is in the middle of nowhere!
Sono a pezzi dopo il volo = I’m exhausted after the flight
A Napoli, mangio sempre come un maiale = In Naples, I always eat like a pig
Sto per scoppiare dopo quella pizza! = I’m about to explode after that pizza!
Vuoi andare al mare in gennaio? Sei fuori? = You want to go to the sea in January? Are you crazy?
Domani vai in Toscana? Che culo! = Tomorrow you’re going to Tuscany? How lucky!
Un caffè costa 5 euro? Che fregatura! = A coffee costs 5 euros? What a rip-off!
Piove? Che sfiga! = It’s raining? What bad luck!
Ciao ragazzi, tutto a posto? = Hi guys, all good?
Sono cotto = I’m exhausted (lit. I’m cooked)
Che figata! = How cool!
Ieri ho fatto un giro in centro = I went for a walk in the center
Ho mangiato un sacco di roba = I ate loads of stuff
Non vedo l’ora di ritornare a Napoli = I can’t wait to go back to Naples
Flashcards: Italian slang words
Not sure how it works? Click here to watch the tutorial
