Welcome to your very first Italian lesson! 🇮🇹 Whether you’ve always dreamed of sipping espresso in Rome or simply want to connect with Italian culture, you’ve come to the right place. In this lesson, we’ll start with the basics: how to greet people in Italian and how to introduce yourself. Don’t worry — by the end of this lesson, you’ll already be able to have a simple conversation. Cominciamo! (Let’s begin!)

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🌞 Buongiorno! Common Italian Greetings

Italian greetings change depending on the time of day and how well you know someone. Here are the most essential ones you’ll use every day:

🇮🇹 Italian	🇬🇧 English	⏰ When to Use
Ciao	Hi / Bye	Informal — with friends, family, peers
Buongiorno	Good morning / Good day	Morning until early afternoon; formal or informal
Buonasera	Good evening	From late afternoon onwards; formal or informal
Buonanotte	Good night	When saying goodbye at night or going to bed
Arrivederci	Goodbye	Formal farewell; polite contexts
A presto	See you soon	Informal; when you expect to see someone again shortly

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🙋 Introducing Yourself – Mi chiamo…

Now that you can greet someone, let’s learn how to introduce yourself. The phrases below are your building blocks — swap in your own name, nationality, and city!

🇮🇹 Italian	🇬🇧 English
Mi chiamo Marco.	My name is Marco.
Come ti chiami? (informal)	What is your name?
Come si chiama? (formal)	What is your name? (polite)
Sono italiano / italiana.	I am Italian. (male / female)
Sono inglese / americano.	I am English / American.
Vengo da Londra.	I come from London.
Abito a Roma.	I live in Rome.
Piacere di conoscerti! (informal)	Nice to meet you!
Il piacere è mio.	The pleasure is mine.

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💬 Practice Dialogue

Read through this short conversation between two people meeting for the first time. Try reading it aloud to practise your pronunciation!

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📚 Key Vocabulary

Here are the essential words and phrases from this lesson. Bookmark this list and try to memorise a few each day!

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📝 Quick Grammar Note: Tu vs. Lei

One of the first grammar choices you’ll face in Italian is whether to address someone as tu (informal) or Lei (formal). Here’s a quick guide:

💡 Tip: When in doubt, use the formal Lei — Italians will appreciate the courtesy, and they’ll often invite you to switch to tu if they’d prefer it by saying “Possiamo darci del tu!” (We can use tu with each other!)

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🎉 Keep Practising!

Fantastico! You’ve completed Lesson 1 — that’s a huge first step on your Italian journey! The best way to make these phrases stick is to use them every day. Try greeting a friend with Ciao! instead of “Hi”, or introduce yourself in Italian next time you meet someone new. The more you practise, the more natural it will feel.

In Lesson 2, we’ll be diving into Numbers & Colours in Italian — from counting to ten to describing the world around you in vivid Italian colour. Stay curious, stay consistent, and remember: every expert was once a beginner. A presto! 👋