Italian conversation for beginners
Updated 2026-10-18
At the start, a conversation is a handful of lines you use again and again: a greeting, a request, a number, a thank you. Below are two short dialogues set in scenes from the Convola app, one at A1 and one at A2, with a note on each line.
What you need at A1
Your first scenes need very little grammar. They need a few fixed phrases and the nerve to use them while someone waits.
- A greeting for the time of day: buongiorno in the morning, buonasera later on.
- A polite request: vorrei, I would like, or per me, for me.
- Numbers up to twenty, for nights, platforms and how many of something.
- Grazie and prego: thank you, and you're welcome.
- A way out when you did not catch something: come, scusi?
Dialogue one: coffee at the bar (A1)
This is an example in the app's format, written for this page, for the scene "ordering a coffee and a cornetto at the bar counter". There is one person besides you, the barista.
- Barista
- Buongiorno, cosa le preparo?Good morning, what can I make you?
- You
- Buongiorno. Vorrei un caffè e un cornetto, per favore.Good morning. I'd like an espresso and a cornetto, please.
- Barista
- Il cornetto vuoto o alla crema?The cornetto plain or with custard?
- You
- Alla crema, grazie.With custard, thanks.
- Barista
- Ha lo scontrino?Do you have the receipt?
- You
- Sì, eccolo.Yes, here it is.
- Barista
- Grazie. Ecco a Lei.Thanks. Here you are.
- Un caffè is an espresso. Order it and a small, strong coffee arrives.
- Vorrei is the polite way to ask for something, in a bar or any shop.
- Lo scontrino is the receipt. In many bars you pay at the till, the cassa, first, then give the receipt to the barista and repeat your order.
- Ecco a Lei: here you are, said to someone you address as Lei, the formal you.
Dialogue two: at the farmacia (A2)
At A2 the other person asks more, and you describe instead of order. Again an example in the app's format, for the scene at the farmacia with a cold:
- Farmacista
- Buongiorno, mi dica.Good morning, how can I help?
- You
- Ho il raffreddore da tre giorni e mi fa male la gola.I've had a cold for three days and my throat hurts.
- Farmacista
- Ha anche la febbre?Do you have a temperature as well?
- You
- No, ma sono molto stanco.No, but I'm very tired.
- Farmacista
- Allora le do uno sciroppo per la gola. Due cucchiai la sera.Then I'll give you a throat syrup. Two spoonfuls in the evening.
- Mi dica: "tell me", in the Lei form. Staff say it to invite you to speak.
- Ho il raffreddore da tre giorni: Italian uses the present with da for something that started in the past and is still going on. English says "I've had".
- Ha anche la febbre? uses ha, not hai, because the pharmacist speaks to you as Lei.
- Sono stanco becomes sono stanca if you are a woman. The adjective agrees with the person it describes.
Slips that are common at the start
A few mistakes turn up early, each shown here with the topic name the tutor files it under.
| Topic | Wrong | Right |
|---|---|---|
| plurals | due notte | due notti |
| articles | il studente | lo studente |
| essere vs avere | sono vent'anni | ho vent'anni |
| tu vs Lei | hai una camera? (to a receptionist) | ha una camera? |
The first row is real. It comes from a recorded Convola conversation, a hotel check-in, where the tutor's note said that notte is feminine, ends in -e, and so takes notti in the plural. The other rows are examples. The rules: lo goes before a masculine noun that starts with s plus a consonant, and age takes avere, to have.
Type first, then speak
If speaking feels like too much on day one, type. Writing a line is still putting Italian together, and you get time to check the ending before you send it. When the line is right, say it out loud.
In the app you can switch between voice and text whenever you like. The tutor writes in English. A word you tap because you did not know it can become a vocab card, so it comes back later in practice.
Good first scenes, all A1 with one person: a slice of pizza al taglio for lunch, the supermarket checkout and the bag, a haircut at the barbiere, and a taxi ride from the station.
Where to go next
Once a few one-person scenes feel easy, try an A1 scene with two people, such as an aperitivo with a new acquaintance. You follow two voices, but the Italian stays simple.
Italian conversation practice lists scenes at every level up to C2. If you are getting ready for a trip, Italian phrases for travel sets the lines you need in the places you will use them. All guides are on the Italian guides page.