A0 Unit 1 Review: Greetings, Goodbyes, Polite Words and Alphabet + Self-Test
A0 · Unit 1 · Review
Five lessons, one page. Look back, then prove it to yourself.
Quick answer
This Italian Unit 1 review covers the five survival topics of A0: greetings (ciao, buongiorno, buonasera, salve), goodbyes and wishes (arrivederci, a presto, buona serata), polite words (grazie, prego, per favore, scusi), what to say when you don’t understand (non capisco, può ripetere?) and the alphabet (A come Ancona). Nothing new here: just revision and a self-test.
Italian Unit 1 review: everything on one page
One box per lesson. Read it out loud. Anything feels shaky? Open the lesson again.
Lesson 01
Greetings
- Ciao! CHOW · Hi! (friends, family)
- Buongiorno! bwohn-JOR-noh · Good morning! (polite)
- Buonasera! bwoh-nah-SEH-rah · Good evening! (polite)
- Salve! SAHL-veh · Hello! (neutral)
Hug test: hug = ciao, handshake = buongiorno / buonasera.
Open the lesson →Lesson 02
Goodbyes & wishes
- Arrivederci! ah-ree-veh-DEHR-chee · Goodbye! (polite)
- A presto! · A domani! · Ci vediamo! See you soon / tomorrow / See you!
- Buona giornata! · Buona serata! Have a nice day / evening!
- Buonanotte! bwoh-nah-NOHT-teh · Good night!
A wish is said when you leave, never when you arrive.
Open the lesson →Lesson 03
Polite words
- Grazie! · Grazie mille! GRAH-tsee-eh · Thanks! Thanks a lot!
- Prego! PREH-goh · You’re welcome!
- Per favore pehr fah-VOH-reh · Please
- Scusa! / Scusi! Sorry! (friend / polite)
- Sì · No Yes · No
Lesson 04
When you don’t understand
- Non capisco. nohn kah-PEES-koh · I don’t understand.
- Può ripetere, per favore? Can you repeat, please?
- Più piano, per favore. Slower, please.
- Come si dice … in italiano? How do you say … in Italian?
- Cosa significa …? · Come si scrive? What does … mean? · How do you spell it?
Lesson 05
The alphabet
- 21 letters + J (i lunga), K (cappa), W (doppia vu), X (ics), Y (ipsilon)
- H = acca, always silent: hotel = oh-TEL
- Every other letter is read: pane = PAH-neh
- A come Ancona, B come Bologna… to spell your name
All of Unit 1 in one scene
9:30 pm, a small B&B in Bologna. You have a room booked. Follow the scene from the front door to bed.
you
Buonasera!
Good evening! (You walk in at 9:30 pm.)
Paolo
B&B host
Buonasera!
Good evening!
you
Brown.
Brown. (Your booking is under that name.)
Paolo
B&B host
Come, scusi? Può ripetere, per favore?
Sorry? Can you repeat, please?
you
Brown!
Brown! (A little louder.)
Paolo
B&B host
Scusi, non capisco. Come si scrive?
Sorry, I don’t understand. How do you spell it?
you
B come Bologna, R come Roma, O come Otranto, W doppia vu, N come Napoli.
B as in Bologna, R as in Roma, O as in Otranto, W, N as in Napoli.
Paolo
B&B host
Più piano, per favore!
Slower, please! (He is writing it down.)
you
B come Bologna… R come Roma… O come Otranto… W, doppia vu… N come Napoli.
B as in Bologna… R as in Roma… O as in Otranto… W… N as in Napoli.
Paolo
B&B host
Ah, Brown! Perfetto, grazie! Ecco la chiave.
Ah, Brown! Perfect, thank you! Here is the key.
you
Grazie mille!
Thanks a lot!
Paolo
B&B host
Prego!
You’re welcome!
you
Buonanotte!
Good night! (You go up to your room to sleep.)
Paolo
B&B host
Buonanotte!
Good night!
Spot the Unit 1 moves
Buonasera to arrive (lesson 01) · Come, scusi? Può ripetere? Non capisco. Come si scrive? Più piano to get unstuck (lesson 04) · B come Bologna to spell (lesson 05) · per favore, grazie mille, prego (lesson 03) · Buonanotte because you are going to sleep (lesson 02).
Why not buona serata? You are not going out for the evening: you are going to bed. That is exactly when Italians say buonanotte.
I sat still for five whole lessons. A butterfly moved in. I said buongiorno. It said nothing. Rude, or just very formal?
Step 3 · Self-test
🍕 Do you really know it, or did you just understand it?
Optional and untimed. All new sentences, one exercise per lesson. Start with the warm-up, then open the full test. Mistakes show you what to review. No pressure.
Warm-up · 5 questions
One question from each lesson. Choose.
1. You walk into a pharmacy at 7 pm.
2. You leave the pharmacy at 10 am.
3. “Grazie mille!” – You answer…
4. I don’t understand.
5. The Italian name of K
See the full self-test · 38 questions ▾Hide the self-test ▴
1 · Greetings (lesson 01)
You are arriving. Choose the greeting.
1. Your cousin at a family lunch
2. The doctor at 9 am
3. A sommelier at a wine tasting at 8 pm
4. A shop assistant your age, and you’re not sure how formal to be
5. The ticket inspector on the train at 11 am
6. Your Italian teacher’s dog (you are best friends now)
2 · Goodbyes & wishes (lesson 02)
Arriving or leaving? Is it right?
1. “Buona serata!” as you walk into a restaurant
2. “Arrivederci!” to the hairdresser as you leave
3. “Ciao, a domani!” to a colleague you see every day
4. “Buonanotte!” to the barista at 8 am
5. “Ci vediamo!” to a friend after the gym
6. “Ci vediamo!” to a judge as you leave court
3 · Polite words (lesson 03)
Choose the best word.
1. You need to get past a stranger on a crowded tram.
2. You forgot your best friend’s birthday.
3. Un tiramisù, ___!
4. “Un caffè?” (A coffee?) It is 11 pm and you want to sleep.
5. A stranger runs after you with your forgotten phone.
6. You hold the door. The lady says “Grazie!”
4 · When you don’t understand (lesson 04)
Which rescue phrase do you need?
1. The menu says “pane” and you don’t know the word.
2. You want a straw for your drink.
3. The tour guide speaks like a racing car.
4. A train announcement was too noisy to hear. You ask the man next to you.
5. Your new Italian friend says her surname: “Ghiglione”. You want to write it.
6. You didn’t hear. You want a short, polite “Pardon?”
5 · The alphabet (lesson 05)
Someone spells a name. Choose it.
1. elle, u, ci, a
2. gi, i, u, elle, i, a
3. cappa, a, ti, e
4. doppia vu, e, enne, di, ipsilon
5. G come…
6. U come…
6 · Write it in Italian (all lessons)
Type it. Capital letters and punctuation don’t matter. An apostrophe counts as an accent (puo’ = può).
1. Good evening, madam!
2. Bye, see you soon! (to a friend)
3. Goodbye, have a nice evening! (leaving a shop at 7 pm)
4. A cappuccino, please! (un cappuccino)
5. Excuse me, can you repeat, please? (to a stranger)
6. What does “prego” mean?
7. R as in Roma (spelling)
8. No, thank you!
What next?
Ready for Unit 2? Start with Italian subject pronouns →
Review these first if the self-test felt hard: greetings · goodbyes · polite words · when you don’t understand · the alphabet
New here? Try a 25-minute lesson for $25: book a trial. Not sure about your level? Take the free level test.
Ci vediamo la prossima settimana! – Sì, alla prossima lezione! Ciao!
See you next week! – Yes, see you at the next lesson! Bye!
Written by Luciana
Native Italian teacher, CEDILS certified, 10,000+ lessons since 2020.
