A first vocabulary in Italian needs more than a list of nouns. This 12-page guide combines the small words that hold sentences together, such as pronouns, articles, prepositions, and conjunctions, with the verbs, nouns, and adjectives that appear in almost every beginner conversation. Each word has a pronunciation hint and two example sentences translated into English.

What the seven sections cover

Section	Examples	Why it matters
Pronouns and articles	io, tu, lei, loro; il, la, i, le, un, una	Build the first subject and noun phrases
Verbs	essere, avere, fare, andare, sapere, stare, mangiare	Express actions and states
Nouns	famiglia, madre, amico, casa, lavoro, tempo, giorno	Talk about people, places, and time
Adjectives	grande, piccolo, bello, buono, nuovo, vecchio	Describe things and people
Numbers	uno to dieci, cento, mille	Count, tell the time, and pay
Prepositions and conjunctions	di, a, da, in, con, su, per; e, ma, o, che, se	Link words and ideas
Time adverbs	oggi, ieri, domani, ora, sempre, mai, spesso	Place actions in time

Unlike many word lists, the guide includes everyday nouns for family, home, school, and work, which makes it possible to describe your own life with the vocabulary provided.

Words with more than one job

Some of the examples show words doing double duty, and noticing this early saves confusion later:

Tempo means both time and weather: Non ho tempo and Che bel tempo!
Da can mean "from" (Vengo da Milano) or "at someone's place" (Vado dal dottore).
Che works as "that" in relative clauses (Il libro che leggo) and after verbs of thinking (Penso che sia vero).
Stare is used for how you are (Sto bene) and in fixed instructions (Stai attento).

Agreement from the start

The guide's main grammar note concerns gender and number. Adjectives change to match the noun: un libro nuovo, una casa nuova. The adjectives section applies this throughout, with forms such as piccolo / piccola and vecchio / vecchia, and a special short form in un bel ragazzo. The list of common mistakes adds that every noun has a gender, so it is best learned together with its article.

Pronouns and prepositions in combination

When you start combining the words from different sections, two details are worth knowing. After a preposition, the pronoun tu becomes te, as in the guide's Vengo con te and Questo è per te. And with parlare, the topic is introduced by di: Parliamo di questo, Parlo di lavoro.

Practice beyond the answer key

The five-item exercise at the end, with answers, checks nouns, pronouns, verbs, and articulated prepositions such as sul. To go further, write six sentences about your own life using one word from each section: a family member, a place, an adjective that agrees, a number, a preposition, and a time adverb. For example: Mia madre lavora sempre a casa.

Where the word bank stops

The guide covers present-tense examples almost exclusively and includes only the singular and plural articles il, la, i, le, un, and una; forms such as lo, gli, and l' are not explained. It is a good first word bank for beginners, and pairs well with a grammar resource for articles and verb conjugation.

Most Used Italian Words Book