Sometimes we need to put more effort into communicating our feelings. From here the idea of interjection comes into action. Learn in this post how to use Common Italian Interjections and Exclamations with audio to help you remember sentences better.
Interjections, also known as exclamations, are usually words that come in a phrase expressing and showing happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, disgust, excitement, or enthusiasm.
Interjections are a characteristic of the spoken language, where Italian dialects have the most influence.
Regional interjections (including insults) are common in Italian: their use and choice reflect personal sensibility, but they may also be “trendy” one day and disappear the next.
The list below includes some of the more popular and “known” Italian interjections
Watch the video on YouTube about Common Italian Interjections and Exclamations:
Expressing/Showing Admiration or Beauty
INTERJECTION | MEANING | NOTES |
---|---|---|
Madonna! | wow! | |
Ostia! | wow! | |
Ammazza! | wow! | |
Fico! | cool! | (Center/south) unambiguously vulgar in the feminine |
Figo! | cool! | (North) unambiguously vulgar in the feminine |
Expressing/Showing Agreement
INTERJECTION | MEANING | NOTES |
---|---|---|
Come no! | You got it! | |
Vabbè! | Ok! | |
Ecco! | Right! | |
Certo! | Sure! | |
Senz’altro! | For Sure! |
Expressing Annoyance
INTERJECTION | MEANING | NOTES |
---|---|---|
Per la misera/Porca miseria! | Damn! | |
Accidenti! | Blast! | |
Uffa! | What a bore! | |
Vai al diavolo! | Go to hell! | to a person (offensive) |
Vai a quel paese! | Go to hell! | to a person (offensive) |
Che schifo!/Che schifezza! | Disgusting! |
Expressing Disbelief
INTERJECTION | MEANING | NOTES |
---|---|---|
Ma dai! | Come on! | |
Davvero? | Really? | |
Non mi dire! | Don’t tell me! |
Expressing Joy
INTERJECTION | MEANING | NOTES |
---|---|---|
Che bello! | How nice! | |
Evviva! | Hurray/cheers! | |
Fantastico! | Wonderful! |
Expressing Disagreement
INTERJECTION | MEANING | NOTES |
---|---|---|
Manco per idea/ Per sogno | Never! | |
Per niente/per carità | Not at all! | |
Basta! | Enough! | |
Che peccato! | What a pity | (regret) |
Expressing Surprise
INTERJECTION | MEANING | NOTES |
---|---|---|
Caspita! | Darn! | |
Cavolo! | Oh boy/oh, man! | |
Oddio! | Oh, God! | |
Mamma mia! | My goodness! |
Expressing doubt or ignorance
INTERJECTION | MEANING | NOTES |
---|---|---|
Boh! | Who knows?! | |
Mah! | Who knows?! |
What’s next?
You might want to keep learning Italian online with these free resources:
Leave a Reply