You already know a handful of Italian phrases for greeting friends, introducing yourself, and asking basic personal questions. Now you want to use them at work: arriving at a shared office, meeting a new colleague, or chatting during a break. This session helps you practise combining those familiar phrases into short, natural exchanges. You will speak aloud, respond to follow-up turns, and check whether you communicated clearly. The focus is on what you say and how you recover when the conversation moves in an unexpected direction, not on memorising new grammar.
Prepare a short, flexible self-introduction
Before you speak, decide on three pieces of information you are comfortable sharing: your name, where you are from, and one activity you enjoy. The lesson phrases give you ready-made building blocks: Ciao, mi chiamo Alex; Sono di Toronto; Mi piace fare escursioni. Put them in an order that feels natural to you, then say the whole introduction aloud twice. The second time, drop one detail and see whether the remaining sentences still sound complete. This matters at work because you rarely deliver a full script; you often give one or two sentences and then answer a question. Practise saying your name and origin separately, so you can offer just the relevant part when someone asks a narrower question. Also decide in advance which register you will use. With a peer you already address casually, Ciao and Come va? fit naturally. With someone you have just met in a more reserved setting, Buongiorno is the safer opener, and you can keep mi chiamo because it works in both registers. The goal is not to memorise a monologue but to have two or three reliable sentences you can rearrange under mild pressure.
Handling the turn where you are asked something unexpected
The harder moment in a work conversation is usually not your own introduction; it is the question that comes back at you. Someone may ask Che lavoro fai? before you have explained your role, or Di dove sei? when you have already said where you live. A useful strategy is to answer the actual question first, briefly, and then bridge back to something you prepared. If you are asked Quanti anni hai? and you would rather not answer, you can acknowledge the question and redirect: you might say something neutral about the topic and then use the source phrase for asking what someone likes to do in their free time to move the exchange forward. Notice the register switch built into the lesson phrases: hai, fai, and sei are informal, while ha, fa, and è are polite. If a colleague uses the polite forms with you, mirroring that choice shows you are paying attention. When you do not understand a follow-up, it is better to ask for a repeat in simple words than to guess. A short request for clarification keeps the conversation alive and gives you a second chance to respond with a phrase you actually know.
Listen once, then say the phrase yourself. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Checking available voices…
Ciao!
Hi! / Hey!
CHOW (rhymes with 'now')
Ehi!
Hey!
EH-ee (like 'eh' + 'ee' said quickly)
Come va?
How's it going? / What's up?
KOH-meh vah
Che si dice?
What's up? / What's new?
keh see DEE-cheh
Ciao, mi chiamo Alex.
Hi, my name is Alex.
CHOW, mee KYAH-moh AH-leks
Sono di Toronto.
I'm from Toronto.
SOH-noh dee toh-ROHN-toh
Vengo dal Canada.
I come from Canada.
VEN-goh dahl kah-NAH-dah
Mi piace fare escursioni.
I like hiking.
mee PYAH-cheh FAH-reh es-koor-SYOH-nee
Read one side aloud, then answer in your own words. The goal is to make the exchange yours.
Ehi! Come va?
Hey! How's it going?Tutto bene, grazie. E tu?
All good, thanks. And you?Così così. Che si dice di bello?
So-so. What's new?Niente di speciale. Ci vediamo dopo?
Nothing special. See you later?Your turn
Try each prompt out loud. Choose a guided start, the full sequence, or a challenge pass after your first attempt.
First morning at a shared workspace
It is your first morning at a shared office in a city where you have recently arrived. A colleague your age greets you near the kitchen with Ciao! Come va? You have your laptop bag in one hand and a coffee in the other.
Your task: Greet the colleague back, give your name, say which city you are from, and mention one free-time activity you enjoy. Speak the whole turn aloud in Italian without reading from a script, using the lesson phrases as your base.
Meeting a visiting colleague at a team lunch
A colleague from another office is visiting for the day and joins your team lunch. You have not met before, and the setting is friendly but slightly more reserved than your usual peer conversations.
Your task: Open with a polite greeting, introduce yourself with your name, and ask where the visitor is from. Then respond to their answer by asking what they like to do in their free time.
Break-room conversation that turns personal
During an afternoon break, a colleague you have spoken with a few times starts a casual chat. After a few minutes, the colleague asks Quanti anni hai? You are not comfortable giving a number.
Your task: Acknowledge the question without answering it directly, keep your tone friendly, and steer the conversation toward a topic you are happy to discuss, such as free-time activities or where you are from.
Common questions
I only know a few phrases. Is that enough for a work conversation?
Yes, for short exchanges. The lesson phrases cover greeting, introducing yourself, asking about work and origin, and inviting someone to talk about free time. Combining four or five of them in different orders gives you many usable turns. The practice here is about rearranging what you know, not adding new grammar.
What if a colleague uses the polite form and I answer with the informal one?
It can sound too casual. The lesson phrases show the pairs: hai and ha, fai and fa, sei and è. If you hear the polite forms, mirror them where you can. If you are unsure, a short polite greeting and mi chiamo are safe in most first meetings.
Sources and further reading
- italian: greet friends casuallyChecked September 2026
- italian: introduce yourself sociallyChecked September 2026
- italian: ask basic personal questionsChecked September 2026
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