1000 Words

Learn Italian – start with the 1000 most important words

Around 1000 words are enough to understand roughly 85% of everyday speech. That is exactly what 1000 Words focuses on: instead of endless grammar tables, you first learn the Italian vocabulary you will actually meet in real life – nouns, verbs, adjectives and full sentences, each with translation, example sentence and native-speaker audio.

Learn the way that fits your day: as a video to read along, as an audiobook for your commute or for falling asleep, as an ebook, or with the built-in vocabulary trainer that shows you every word again at the scientifically optimal moment (spaced repetition). Everything is available on the website and in the free app for iOS and Android.

A taste: Italian vocabulary with example sentences

EnglishItalianExample sentence
the applela melaI eat the apple.
Mangio la mela.
the bookil libroShe reads the book.
Lei legge il libro.
the catil gattoThe cat is sleeping.
Il gatto dorme.
the dogil caneThe dog is barking.
Il cane abbaia.
the carl'autoHe drives the car.
Lui guida l'auto.
the housela casaWe live in a house.
Noi viviamo in una casa.
the chairla sediaShe sits on the chair.
Lei si siede sulla sedia.
the tableil tavoloPut the book on the table.
Metti il libro sul tavolo.
the windowla finestraOpen the window.
Apri la finestra.
the doorla portaClose the door.
Chiudi la porta.
the pencilla matitaI write with the pencil.
Scrivo con la matita.
the paperla cartaThe paper is on the table.
La carta è sul tavolo.
the schoolla scuolaThe school is big.
La scuola è grande.
the teacherl'insegnanteThe teacher teaches math.
L'insegnante insegna matematica.
the studentlo studenteThe student is studying.
Lo studente sta studiando.
the boyil ragazzoThe boy is playing.
Il ragazzo sta giocando.
the girlla ragazzaThe girl is singing.
La ragazza sta cantando.
the adultl'adultoThe adult is working.
L'adulto sta lavorando.
the friendl'amicoMy friend is here.
Il mio amico è qui.
the treel'alberoThe tree is tall.
L'albero è alto.

Every word explained individually – with example sentence and audio: Browse all 1000 words →

The 100 most important Italian words →

Essential Italian verbs & adjectives

to acceptaccettare
to addaggiungere
to agreeaccordare
to allowpermettere
to askchiedere
to believecredere
to borrowprendere in prestito
to breakrompere
to bringportare
to buildcostruiamo

Italian sentences for beginners

I like applesMi piacciono le mele.
She is my friendLei è la mia amica.
It is a sunny dayÈ una giornata di sole.
He runs fastLui corre veloce.
We are happySiamo felici.
They play soccerLoro giocano a calcio.

How you learn Italian with 1000 Words

🎬 Learning videos

Every word narrated and illustrated – read along and repeat.

🎧 Audiobooks

All vocabulary as audio – including a 3x repetition version, perfect for learning while you sleep.

📖 Ebooks & PDFs

All words and sentences to look up and read offline.

🧠 Vocabulary trainer

Spaced-repetition system like flashcards – reviews exactly when you need them.

✨ AI stories

Short stories built from the words you already know, with audio and tap-to-explain.

📴 Offline mode

Download Premium content and keep learning without internet.

Frequently asked questions

How many words do I need to understand Italian?

With the 1000 most frequent words you understand about 85% of everyday spoken language. That is why 1000 Words focuses exactly on this core vocabulary – organized into nouns, verbs & adjectives and full sentences.

Does learning Italian while sleeping really work?

Research shows the brain consolidates previously learned material during sleep. Our audiobooks with triple repetition are made for this: listen in the evening, relax, and anchor what you learned. Read more in our article on learning while you sleep.

Is 1000 Words free?

Yes, getting started is free: parts of the videos and audiobooks, the vocabulary trainer, the matching game and previews of all content. Premium unlocks everything – including downloads for offline mode.

Who is 1000 Words for?

For beginners and returners (level A1–B1) who want to build a usable Italian vocabulary fast – without grammar overload, with native-speaker audio.

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