Italian Slang Words: 30 Expressions Italians Actually Use
🇮🇹 Italian · 30 cards · B1 · by Giulia Ferrante
I teach Italian to people who move here or visit often, and the same thing always happens: after a few weeks of polite phrasebook Italian they hear friends say boh, che palle, sgamare and understand nothing. This deck collects thirty words and phrases that come up constantly in bars, group chats and on the bus, ordered from harmless (dai, magari, meno male) to genuinely rude (stronzo, vaffanculo). Read the notes before you repeat anything: some of these are fine with your landlord, others will end the conversation. Several are regional — I've flagged where they come from and whether the rest of Italy uses them.
Flip through the cards, then switch to Quiz. Tap the play button on any row to hear it. The full table below is there to read, print or copy into your own flashcard app.
The Reji iPhone app is being rebuilt and returns to the App Store soon.
All 30 cards
| # | Italian | English | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | boh Informal but not rude. Usually said with a shrug; works as a complete answer on its own. | dunno, no idea | Boh, chiedilo a lui. Dunno, ask him. | |
| 2 | dai Used to push, encourage or express mild disbelief. Also 'ma dai!' = 'no way!' | come on | Dai, muoviti che siamo in ritardo! Come on, hurry up, we're late! | |
| 3 | uffa Child-safe complaining noise, used by adults too. | ugh, come on (annoyance) | Uffa, ancora questa fila! Ugh, this queue again! | |
| 4 | magari On its own it means 'if only'. Inside a sentence it means 'maybe': 'magari viene anche lei'. | I wish!, maybe | Magari! Ma domani lavoro. I wish! But I'm working tomorrow. | |
| 5 | figo Northern form; Tuscany and much of central Italy say 'fico'. Vulgar in origin, completely normal now. The feminine adjective is fine for things ('una serata figa'), but calling a woman 'una figa' is crude. | cool, awesome; good-looking guy | Il tuo quartiere è davvero figo. Your neighbourhood is really cool. | |
| 6 | meno male Literally 'less bad'. Neutral register, safe everywhere. | thank goodness, just as well | Meno male che hai portato l'ombrello. Thank goodness you brought an umbrella. | |
| 7 | figurati Informal reply to thanks. Formal version: 'si figuri'. Can also mean 'imagine that' or dismiss an idea. | don't mention it; no way | Grazie mille! – Figurati! Thanks so much! – Don't mention it! | |
| 8 | tipo Extremely common filler, as overused as English 'like'. Avoid in writing. | like (filler) | Ci vediamo tipo alle otto. Let's meet at like eight. | |
| 9 | raga Clipped from 'ragazzi'. Under-35 speech: group chats and friends only. | guys, folks | Raga, si va a mangiare o no? Guys, are we going to eat or not? | |
| 10 | casino Stress on the middle syllable: ca-SI-no. 'Casinò' (final stress) is the gambling house. 'Un casino di' = a ton of. | mess, chaos, racket; loads | Ieri in centro c'era un casino incredibile. There was unbelievable chaos downtown yesterday. | |
| 11 | che palle Mildly vulgar (literally 'what balls'). Fine among friends, not with your boss. | what a pain, so annoying | Che palle, piove di nuovo. What a drag, it's raining again. | |
| 12 | mannaggia Mild and almost quaint; southern in origin but used nationwide. | damn, dammit | Mannaggia, ho dimenticato le chiavi! Dammit, I forgot my keys! | |
| 13 | sfigato Opposite of 'figo'. Related: 'sfiga' = bad luck, 'che sfiga!' = what rotten luck. Insulting if said seriously. | loser; lame, uncool | Non fare lo sfigato, vieni anche tu. Don't be a loser, come along too. | |
| 14 | beccare Literally 'to peck'. 'Mi hanno beccato' = I got caught; reflexive 'beccarsi' = to meet up. | to catch (someone); to meet up | Ci becchiamo alle sette davanti al bar. See you at seven outside the bar. | |
| 15 | avere una cotta From 'cotto' = cooked: being 'cooked' for someone. Sweet and harmless, used about teenagers and adults alike. | to have a crush | Ha una cotta per la sua vicina di casa. He has a crush on his neighbour. | |
| 16 | essere al verde Literally 'to be at the green'. Colloquial but perfectly printable. | to be broke | Questo mese sono al verde. I'm broke this month. | |
| 17 | abbiocco Roman in origin, now understood everywhere. Usually with 'venire': mi viene l'abbiocco. | post-meal drowsiness, food coma | Dopo pranzo mi viene sempre l'abbiocco. I always get sleepy after lunch. | |
| 18 | sbronzo Informal, not vulgar. Noun 'sbronza' = a bender; 'prendersi una sbronza' = to get wasted. | drunk, hammered | Ieri sera era già sbronzo alle nove. Last night he was already hammered by nine. | |
| 19 | incazzarsi Vulgar (from 'cazzo') but very common. Milder options: arrabbiarsi, innervosirsi. | to get pissed off | Si è incazzato per una stupidaggine. He got pissed off over something stupid. | |
| 20 | sclerare Youth slang from 'sclerosi'. Not vulgar, but it sounds odd coming from anyone over fifty. | to lose it, to freak out | Con questo computer sto per sclerare. This computer is about to make me lose it. | |
| 21 | rompere le scatole The polite version of 'rompere i coglioni'. A 'rompiscatole' is a pest. | to bug someone, to be a nuisance | Smettila di rompere le scatole a tua sorella. Stop bugging your sister. | |
| 22 | fregarsene Mildly rude; 'non me ne frega niente' is the everyday form, 'non me ne frega un cazzo' the vulgar upgrade. 'Fregare' alone also means to rip someone off. | to not give a damn | Se ne frega di quello che pensa la gente. He doesn't give a damn what people think. | |
| 23 | sgamare Youth slang, Roman in origin but widespread. Also 'ho sgamato tutto' = I figured the whole thing out. | to catch out, to suss out | Mi hanno sgamato mentre copiavo. They caught me copying. | |
| 24 | scazzato Mildly vulgar (from 'cazzo'). 'Uno scazzo' means either a hassle or a falling-out. | fed up, can't be bothered | Oggi sono troppo scazzato per uscire. Today I can't be bothered to go out. | |
| 25 | fuori come un balcone Literally 'out like a balcony' ('fuori' = out of one's mind). Jokey, often said affectionately. | completely nuts | Quel tipo è fuori come un balcone. That guy is completely off his rocker. | |
| 26 | fare una figura di merda Vulgar. Clean alternatives: 'fare una brutta figura', 'fare una figura barbina'. | to make a total fool of oneself | Alla riunione ho fatto una figura di merda. I made a complete fool of myself at the meeting. | |
| 27 | stronzo Vulgar insult; literally a turd. Feminine 'stronza'. Strong, but heard daily. | asshole, jerk | Non fare lo stronzo, scusati con lei. Don't be an asshole, apologise to her. | |
| 28 | cazzo Strong vulgarity, and the most productive swear word in Italian: 'che cazzo fai?', 'un cazzo' (nothing at all). Never in formal settings. | dick; damn, what the hell | Cazzo, ho perso il treno. Damn, I missed my train. | |
| 29 | minchia Sicilian and southern equivalent of 'cazzo': vulgar, but usually pure surprise rather than aggression. | wow!, damn! (literally: dick) | Minchia, che caldo che fa oggi! Damn, it's hot today! | |
| 30 | vaffanculo Very strong. Contracted from 'va' a fare in culo'. Understand it, but think twice before using it. | fuck off | Vaffanculo, non ti voglio più sentire. Fuck off, I don't want to hear from you again. |
From Bologna, where the food vocabulary alone could fill a deck. I teach Italian to travellers and expats and build decks around the situations they land in first.
Questions about this deck
- Should I say figo or fico?
- Both mean 'cool'. 'Figo' is the northern form and the one you hear most on TV and social media; 'fico' is standard in Tuscany, Rome and much of central Italy. Pick whichever your local friends use. Note that 'un posto figo' is harmless, but calling a woman 'una figa' is crude, because the feminine noun also means female genitals.
- Which words in this deck are actually rude?
- Genuinely vulgar: cazzo, minchia, vaffanculo, stronzo, fare una figura di merda. Mildly vulgar but normal among friends: che palle, incazzarsi, scazzato, fregarsene. Safe in any company: boh, dai, uffa, magari, meno male, figurati, mannaggia, essere al verde, abbiocco. With a landlord, a doctor or a new colleague, stick to that last group.
- What's the difference between casino and casinò?
- Stress. 'Casino' (ca-SI-no) is slang for a mess, chaos or a loud racket — 'che casino!' — and 'un casino di' means 'loads of': 'ho un casino di lavoro'. 'Casinò', stressed on the final o, is the gambling house. Putting the stress in the wrong place is the classic learner slip with this word.
- Is Italian slang the same all over Italy?
- Mostly no. Boh, dai, casino and tipo are national, but 'minchia' marks you as southern (or as someone imitating Sicilians), 'abbiocco' and 'sgamare' started in Rome, and 'figo' versus 'fico' splits north from centre. Regional slang travels fast through TV and TikTok, so all thirty entries here will be understood everywhere — they just won't all sound local.
More Italian decks: italian slang
100 Basic Italian Words for Beginners (A1)
The 100 most useful basic Italian words for beginners: greetings, question words, core verbs, everyday nouns and adjectives, each with a natural example sentence.
100 Most Common Italian Verbs for Beginners (A1)
The 100 Italian verbs you will actually use first: essere, avere, fare, andare and 96 more, each with a real example sentence and conjugation notes for A1 learners.
Colors in Italian: 25 Essential Words
Learn the 25 Italian color words you actually need: basic colors, shades like azzurro and celeste, plus chiaro and scuro, with example sentences and agreement notes.
Common Italian Phrases for Beginners: 50 Basics
Fifty everyday Italian phrases for absolute beginners: greetings, thank-yous, ordering at the bar and asking for help, with natural examples and tu/Lei notes.
Famous Italian Phrases and Sayings About Life
30 famous Italian proverbs and sayings about life, patience, luck and friendship, each with a natural example sentence, the literal image and notes on when to use it.
Italian Adjectives: The 100 Most Useful (A1)
The 100 most useful adjectives in Italian for A1 learners: size, food, feelings, colours and time, each with a natural example sentence plus agreement and position notes.
Italian Numbers 1–100: Count from Uno to Cento
All 100 Italian numbers from uno to cento, one card each, with natural examples about prices, ages, times, buses and temperatures. For A1 beginners.
Italian Phrases for Travel: 50 Essentials
Fifty common Italian phrases for travellers at A1 level: restaurants, trains, hotels and directions, each with a short example sentence and usage notes.