Italian Slang Words || 21 Slang Words And Expressions With Examples

Learn How to Use the Best Italian Slang Words // Talk Like a Native!

Slang words are widely used in everyday conversations, and can be used to add intensity to your speaking.

They make you sound more informal and – more importantly – much more natural.

If you want to spice up your Italian and make it more suitable for informal settings, slang words are a must!

In this article, you’ll learn the top 21 Italian slang words, along with real-life usage examples that will help you understand them.

Italian Slang Words || Che figata

Italian Slang Words || Figurati

Italian Slang Words || Boh

Italian Slang Words || Un botto

Italian Slang Words || ‘Sto/’sta/’sti/’ste

Italian Slang Words || Sfiga

Italian Slang Words || Sottone/Sottona

Italian Slang Words || Tanto

Italian Slang Words || Tirarsela

Italian Slang Words || Provarci

Italian Slang Words || Fare figo

Italian Slang Words || Ammazza!

Italian Slang Words || Morto di figa

Italian Slang Words || ‘Sticazzi

Italian Slang Words || Magari

Italian Slang Words || Ci sta

Italian Slang Words || Che culo

Italian Slang Words || Seh vabbè (ciao)

Italian Slang Words || Morto/morta

Italian Slang Words || Mio padre

Italian Slang Words || Mannaggia

Italian Slang Words || Quick Recap

Italian Slang Words || FAQs

Italian Slang Words || Che figata

This phrase means “how cool!” and you can use it with something that pleasantly amazes you.

“Nooo, davvero andrai in Cina per un anno? Che figata!!” (“No way! Are you really going to China for a year? How cool!!!”)

Notice how the initial “noooo” denotes amazement in a positive way.

It works like the English “no way”.

Another way you can convey this meaning is by starting a sentence by saying “No vabbé!“

Italian Slang Words || Figurati

You can use this sentence as a response to someone saying thank you, meaning helping him/her was a pleasure, not a big deal.

A: “Grazie, non ce l’avrei fatta senza di te.” (“Thank you, I couldn’t have done it without you.”)
B: “Ma figurati!” (“No problem!”)

“Figurati” is also used to mean you didn’t get offended by something, you didn’t make a big deal about it.

Let’s look at an example:

A: “Ti sei offeso?” (“Did you get offended?”)

B: “Ma figurati se mi offendo per una cosa del genere!” (“I could never get offended by such a thing”)

Italian Slang Words || Boh

Italians have a word for when the answer to something is neither yes or no: “boh!“

This word’s meaning is similar to “I don’t know”:

A: Cosa ti va di mangiare? (“What do you want to eat?”)
B: Boh! (“I don’t know!”)

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“Boh” can also be used to express astonishment or disappointment. In this case, it is often preceded by the pronoun “Io”:

“Boh, non so più cosa dire” (“I don’t know, I don’t know what to say anymore.”)

“Io boh, non ho parole” (“I don’t know, I have no words”)

Italian Slang Words || Un botto

“Un botto” is the slang version of “molto”, “un sacco” (“a lot”). You can say:

Ho speso un botto sto weekend. (“I spent a lot this weekend.”)

Mi piace un botto sto posto. (“I like this place a lot.”)

Ha vinto un botto di soldi. (“She won a lot of money.”)

Italian Slang Words || ‘Sto/’sta/’sti/’ste

In colloquial language, these forms are abbreviations of “questo / questa / questi / queste” (“this / those / these”).

Let’s look at a few examples:

“Insomma, quando arriva ‘sto treno?” (“When’s this train coming?”)

“‘Ste scarpe sono scomode”. (“These shoes are uncomfortable.”)

Italian Slang Words || Sfiga

“Sfiga” means bad luck.

If something unlucky happens to you, you can say “Che sfiga!” (“what a bummer!”).

If you say that a person is “sfigato/a” this can have two meanings: “unlucky” or “loser“, “lame”.

“Dove vai con quegli occhiali da sfigato?” (“Where are you going with those lame glasses?”)

“Oggi non me ne va dritta una, sono proprio sfigato.” (“It’s not my day, I’m so unlucky.”)

Italian Slang Words || Sottone/Sottona

“Sottone/sottona” is an adjective used to describe a person who is so into another person that he or she allows this person to do anything, and cannot stand his ground.

A: “Ieri le ho chiesto di uscire, ha visualizzato ma non ha risposto. Le riscrivo?”(“Yesterday I asked her out but she left me on read, shall I write her again?”)

B: “Non fare il sottone!” (“Don’t be such a simp!”)

Please note that “sottone” is used for males and “sottona” for females.

Italian Slang Words || Tanto

“Tanto” has many meanings, but it can be used by itself or at the start of a sentence to express resignation, hopelessness, or a lack of interest.

A: “Non studi?” (“You don’t study?”)

B: “Tanto l’esame è domani, non ce la faccio a finire…” (“The exam is tomorrow, I will not be able to finish anyway…”)

A: “Ma parcheggi qui?” (“Are you parking here?”)

B: “Ma sì, tanto sto giusto 2 minuti.” (“Yes, it will just be for 2 minutes”)

Italian Slang Words || Tirarsela

“Tirarsela” is a verb whose meaning is similar to the English “to show off“.

It’s used to describe someone who plays hard to get, who behaves as if he/she was out of your league, who acts snooty or who shows off too much.

“Tiratela di meno.” (“You should calm down”)

“Quanto se la tira, non mi ha neanche salutato.” (“He think he’s God’s gift, he didn’t even say hello.”)

Italian Slang Words || Provarci

“Provarci” (literally “to try”) is a slang term that means “to hit on someone“:

“Il suo ragazzo ci ha provato con me, dovrei dirglielo?” (“Her boyfriend hit on me, should I tell her?”)

We challenge you to use it in a sentence! 😜

Italian Slang Words || Fare figo

The meaning is something close to “to make someone look cool”, it is usually used in a derogative way, to describe stupid things people do to look cool.

“Ha iniziato a fumare perché pensa che faccia figo.” (“He started smoking because he thinks it makes him look cool”.

Italian Slang Words || Ammazza!

This exclamation expresses wonder or astonishment, either in the negative or positive sense.

For example, if you see someone fall and hit his head, you can say:

“Ammazza che botta che ha preso!” (“Ouch, what a blow!”)

It can also be used to comment positively (and not with much elegance) on someone’s appearance:

“Ammazza!” (“Damn!”)

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Italian Slang Words || Morto di figa

A “morto di figa” is a guy who hits on girls without any shame.

The type of guy who leaves creepy comments under girls’ photos, who reacts to every Instagram story with the fire emoji.

“Figa” is a curse word in Italian, so don’t say this expression unless the occasion is super informal.

Italian Slang Words || ‘Sticazzi

This slang expression has 2 different meanings depending on the Italian region.

It can mean “Who gives a fuck?” or “Damn!” (to mean you’re impressed by something).

The tone here is crucial to convey the right meaning.

“Io ci provo, ‘sticazzi se non ci riesco.” (“I will try, who gives a fuck if I fail.”)

A: “Si è laureato in medicina con 110 e lode.” (“He graduated from medical school with honors.”)
B: “‘Sticazzi!” (“Damn!”)

“Sticazzi” is just one of the many swear words derived from the curse word “Cazzo”. Learn all of them with our article👇🏼

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Italian Slang Words || Magari

“Magari” means that you would really like to do something, but it usually implies you can’t.

“Andiamo al mare domani?” (“Are we going to the beach tomorrow?”)

“Magari! Domani lavoro.” (“I wish! I have work tomorrow”)

However, it can also be a polite way to accept something.

“Vuoi un bicchiere d’acqua?” (“Would you like a glass of water?”)

“Magari!” (“That would be great!”)

Italian Slang Words || Ci sta

The slang expression “ci sta” means: “sounds good” or “makes sense”.

Let’s look at some examples:

“Che ne dici se dopo cena andiamo a prenderci un gelato?” (“How about after dinner we go get some ice cream?”)

“Ci sta.” (“Sounds good”)

“Secondo te va bene spendere 50 euro per il regalo di Marco o è troppo?” (“Do you think it is okay to spend 50 euros for Marco’s gift or is it too much?”)

“Per me ci sta.” (“I think it makes sense.”)

“A quest’ora, una bella birretta ci sta.” (“At this time of the day, a beer sounds good.”)

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Italian Slang Words || Che culo

“Che culo”, literally “what an ass”, means “how lucky!”.

In Italian, “avere culo” means to be very lucky.

“Avere una botta di culo” means “to have a stroke of luck.”

Since “culo” is a curse word, these expressions should also be used in very informal settings.

“Hai trovato cinquanta euro per terra? Ammazza, che culo!” (“You found fifty euros on the ground? Man, how lucky!”)

Italian Slang Words || Seh vabbè (ciao)

“Seh vabbè” or “Seh ciao” or “Seh vabbè ciao” or “Vabbé e poi?” or many other variations are typical replies to someone suggesting impossible things.

A: “Quest’anno voglio andare in Giappone, in America e in Islanda.” (“This year I want to go to Japan, America and Iceland.”)

B: “Seh vabbé e poi?” (“Yeah… anywhere else?”)

A: “Ogni mattina mi alzo alle 6, vado a correre, faccio la doccia e faccio colazione.” (“Every morning I get up at 6 o’clock, go for a run, take a shower and have breakfast.”)

B: “Seh vabbé ciao, la mattina è già tanto se so come mi chiamo.” (“Yeah… I’m lucky if I can remember my name in the morning.”)

Italian Slang Words || Morto/morta

Literally meaning “dead,” this word is used especially by young people when something is very funny.

If you’re on TikTok, you’ll probably find Italian people commenting “morto/morta” to funny videos.

This is then often followed by the skull emoji 💀.

Head over to Tiktok now and see if you can find it!

Italian Slang Words || Mio padre

This is one of the latest Italian slang expressions, and you will definitely find it in TikTok comments.

Literally meaning “my father”, it’s used to comment on someone if you like his ideas, his looks, or appreciate him in general.

There are several variations: “mia madre” (“my mother”), “mio fratello” (“my brother”), “il mio albero genealogico” (“my family tree”) and so on.

As you can see in the following interview, this expression is super popular among young Italians, while it can still appear obscure to other generations.

Zerocalcare, the protagonist of this interview, is the creator of two great Italian shows that you can watch on Netflix: “Strappare lungo i bordi” and “Questo mondo non mi renderà cattivo”.

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Italian Slang Words || Mannaggia

“Mannaggia” is an Italian exclamation used to express mild frustration, annoyance, or disappointment.

It’s similar to saying “darn” or “oh, shoot” in English.

The word is often used to convey a sense of irritation without being overly strong or offensive.

It’s a common expression in everyday conversations among Italians.

“Mannaggia, che peccato!” (“Shoot, it’s such a pity!”)

Italian Slang Words || Quick Recap

Let’s recap all the 21 Italian slang words that we learnt today:

These were 21 of the best and most used Italian slang words and expressions. We hope they can help you improve your spoken Italian!

Do you know anymore? Tell us in the comments below.

Italian Slang Words || FAQs

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