Learn to introduce yourself completely in Italian — your name, where you're from, your nationality and your age. Plus your first taste of Italian pronunciation and a cultural insight.
Bentornati a Spoken! welcome back You made it to Episode 2 — and that means you already know 8 Italian greetings. That is no small thing. Today we're going one step further. By the end of this episode you'll be able to introduce yourself completely in Italian — your name, where you're from, and how old you are. Pronti? ready?
Let's start with the most important sentence you'll ever say in Italian: Mi chiamo Marco.
Mi chiamo — my name is (literally: I call myself)
You can also say Mi presento — let me introduce myself — before giving your name. It's a lovely, warm way to open an introduction, especially in a formal or professional setting.
Mi presento — let me introduce myself
Say it out loud: Mi chiamo — mee kYAH-moh. The CH in Italian always makes a hard K sound — never a soft CH like "cheese." Try it three times out loud — mi chiamo, mi chiamo, mi chiamo.
Mi chiamo Sofia! That feels so natural already.
Perfetto Sofia! And now — where are you from? This is beautifully simple in Italian. You just say: Sono di Londra — I'm from London. Sono means I am, di means from, and then your city.
Sono di Milano. Sono di Roma. Sono di New York.
Sono di… — I am from…
If you want to say your nationality rather than your city, Italian has a beautiful system — the word changes slightly depending on whether you are male or female. Listen carefully.
Sono italiano — I am Italian (male)
Sono italiana — I am Italian (female)
Sono inglese — I am English (same for male and female)
Sono francese — I am French
Sono spagnolo / spagnola — I am Spanish
So I would say sono inglese? Because inglese doesn't change?
Esattamente! exactly Nationalities ending in E stay the same for both male and female. Nationalities ending in O change to A for women. This is your first taste of Italian gender agreement — don't worry, it becomes completely natural with time.
Practice: Sono di… — SOH-noh dee. The double O in sono is long and round. Then add your city or country. Say your full introduction out loud now: Mi chiamo [your name]. Sono di [your city].
Now — how old are you? In Italian, instead of saying "I am 30 years old" you say Ho trent'anni — I have 30 years. Italians use the verb avere — to have — for age. It sounds unusual in English but in Italian it is completely natural.
Ho… anni — I am … years old (literally: I have … years)
Quanti anni hai? — How old are you? (informal)
In Italy it is considered quite normal to ask someone's age during a first introduction — far more so than in English-speaking cultures. Italians are generally open and warm about personal questions. If someone asks quanti anni hai? it's a sign of genuine interest, not rudeness. Embrace it!
So if someone asks quanti anni hai, I just say ho… and my age and then anni?
Precisamente! precisely Ho venticinque anni. Ho quarant'anni. Ho sessant'anni. Simple, elegant, Italian. And if you want to put it all together — here is a complete introduction:
My name is Marco. I'm from Rome. I'm Italian. I'm 32 years old.
Bravissimi — you can now introduce yourself completely in Italian. Head to the Phrasebook to mark each phrase, then take the Quiz to earn your XP. And remember — say your full introduction out loud at least once. That moment of speaking it yourself is where the real learning happens. Dai! go for it
Tap each card to mark it as learned and earn 5 XP. Say each one out loud as you tap — that's where it sticks.
10 questions — one per phrase. Correct answers earn XP, streaks of 3 earn bonus XP.