Lesson 2: Buongiorno! Welcome to your Italian Course

Ciao a tutti! In today’s lesson, we’re going to dive into the world of numbers, time, and daily routines in Italian. So grab your caffeinated beverage of choice ☕️ and let’s get started!

You can find the complete series of my free Italian crash course by clicking the link. Ready to move ahead? Jump to Lesson 3: Basic Vocabulary & Nouns → after this lesson.

Italian Numbers: Counting, Time, and Age (0-100)

Numbers are the building blocks of language, and in Italian, they are molto importante! Let’s start with counting from 0 to 100. 🙌

🔈 Pro tip: Notice how numbers 11-19 have unique forms (undici, dodici, tredici…). From 20 onward, they follow a pattern: tens + unit (venti + uno = ventuno). When the tens word meets ‘uno’ or ‘otto’, the final vowel drops: ventotto (28), not ventiotto.

🤔 Let’s practice using these numbers in different contexts. For example, if you want to say your age, you can say, “Ho venti anni!” (I am 20 years old!) or “Ho trentaquattro anni!” (I am 34 years old!). Now, let’s move on to time.

Days of the Week, Months, and Seasons

To talk about time, we need to know the days of the week, months, and seasons. Here they are:

Days of the Week

• Monday: lunedì
• Tuesday: martedì
• Wednesday: mercoledì
• Thursday: giovedì
• Friday: venerdì
• Saturday: sabato
• Sunday: domenica

Months

• January: gennaio
• February: febbraio
• March: marzo
• April: aprile
• May: maggio
• June: giugno
• July: luglio
• August: agosto
• September: settembre
• October: ottobre
• November: novembre
• December: dicembre

Seasons

• Spring: primavera
• Summer: estate
• Autumn/Fall: autunno
• Winter: inverno

💭 Now let’s practice using these words in sentences. For example, “Vado al cinema venerdì!” (I’m going to the cinema on Friday!) or “Mi piace l’estate perché posso andare in spiaggia.” (I like summer because I can go to the beach.)

🔈 Pro tip: In Italian, days of the week and months are NOT capitalized (unlike English). Use “di” before days for habitual actions: “di lunedì” = “on Mondays”. Use “a” before months: “a gennaio” = “in January”.

Telling Time in Italian

Knowing numbers is essential for telling time. Here’s how it works:

• Che ora è? / Che ore sono? (What time is it?)
• È l’una. (It’s 1:00.)
• Sono le due / tre / quattro… (It’s 2:00 / 3:00 / 4:00…)
• Sono le tre e dieci. (It’s 3:10.)
• Sono le tre e mezzo. (It’s 3:30.)
• Sono le tre e un quarto. (It’s 3:15.)
• Sono le tre meno un quarto. (It’s 2:45 / quarter to three.)

🌟 Try it yourself: Look at the clock right now and say the time in Italian. “Sono le ___.” This simple habit will make telling time feel natural in no time!

Talking about Daily Routines and Activities

To express your daily routine or talk about activities, we need some useful verbs. Here are a few common ones:

• To wake up: svegliarsi 😴
• To eat breakfast: fare colazione 🍳
• To go to work: andare al lavoro 🚗
• To have lunch: pranzare 🍽️
• To take a nap: fare un pisolino 😴💤
• To have dinner: cenare 🍽️
• To go to bed: andare a letto 🛌

🌞 Let’s put these verbs into action! For example, “Mi sveglio alle sette.” (I wake up at seven.) or “Vado a letto tardi perché mi piace guardare film.” (I go to bed late because I enjoy watching movies.)

Putting It All Together: Your Daily Schedule in Italian

Now let’s combine numbers, time, and daily routines into full sentences. Here’s an example dialogue:

Marco: A che ora ti svegli? (What time do you wake up?)

Sara: Mi sveglio alle sette e faccio colazione. (I wake up at seven and have breakfast.)

Marco: E a che ora vai al lavoro? (And what time do you go to work?)

Sara: Vado al lavoro alle nove. Pranzo all’una. (I go to work at nine. I have lunch at one.)

Marco: Perfetto! Io invece ceno alle otto e vado a letto alle undici. (Perfect! I, on the other hand, have dinner at eight and go to bed at eleven.)

🎉 Bravo! You’ve completed Lesson 2 of your Italian course. Let’s recap what you’ve learned:

• ✅ Counting from 0 to 100 in Italian
• ✅ Days of the week, months, and seasons
• ✅ Telling time like a native
• ✅ Daily routine vocabulary and verbs
• ✅ Describing your daily schedule in Italian

Keep practicing these skills, and you’ll become a pro in no time! A presto! 👋

Continue building your Italian with the next lessons:

• Lesson 1: Basic Phrases for Beginners ← — Start with greetings, pronunciation, and essential travel phrases.
• Lesson 3: Basic Vocabulary & Nouns → — Colors, family members, animals, and how noun gender works.
• Lesson 4: Verbs & Present Tense → — Conjugate regular and irregular verbs to form complete sentences.