Italian A1: Foundations

Numbers 0-20

Italian numbers are regular and phonetic — they're spelled the way they sound, which makes them unusually quick to learn.

Vocabulary

zero
0
uno
1
due
2
tre
3
quattro
4
cinque
5
sei
6
sette
7
otto
8
nove
9
dieci
10
quindici
15
venti
20

Example Phrases

  • Quanti anni hai?

    How old are you?

  • Ho venti anni.

    I am twenty years old.

  • Quanto costa?

    How much does it cost?

  • Sono dieci euro.

    That's ten euros.

Grammar note

avere for age

Like French and Spanish, Italian says you *have* years: ho venti anni, non sono venti. The word anni is required.

Uno shortens to un before a masculine noun (un caffè) and becomes una before a feminine one (una birra).

Cultural note

Il conto and the coperto

Italian restaurant bills often include a coperto — a small per-person cover charge for bread and table service. It's legal, standard, and printed on the menu.

Because of it, tipping is minimal; rounding up is more than enough.