Saying Yes, No, and Not in Italian
Welcome to your first steps in Italian! In this lesson, you will learn how to agree, disagree, and make simple negative statements.
1. Yes and No
- Sì – Yes
- No – No
These are easy to remember because they work just like in English. Just remember to include the accent mark on sì!
2. Making things negative with 'non'
To say 'not' in Italian, you simply place the word non right before the verb. For example, to say 'I do not speak', you say non parlo.
Common Mistakes
Learners often forget to put non before the verb when making a negative sentence. Always put non immediately before the action word!
Words
sì
yes
Sì, parlo italiano.Yes, I speak Italian.
no
no
No, grazie.No, thank you.
non
not
Non parlo inglese.I do not speak English.
grazie
thank you
Sì, grazie.Yes, thank you.
ciao
hello / goodbye
Ciao! Sì, parlo italiano.Hi! Yes, I speak Italian.
parlo
I speak
Sì, parlo italiano.Yes, I speak Italian.
italiano
Italian
Parlo italiano.I speak Italian.
inglese
English
Non parlo inglese.I do not speak English.
Lessons are prepared with the help of AI.
Patterns
Sì, ___
Used to say 'Yes,' followed by a statement.
Sì, parlo italiano.Yes, I speak Italian.
Non ___
Used to make a negative statement.
Non parlo inglese.I do not speak English.