As requested by @polyglot-oneday, here goes a list of Italian filler words, together with their meaning, pronunciation (albeit a bit robotic, sorry about that but these were the only ones I could find) and examples of their usage. This is by no means comprehensive and additions are always welcomed, but I tried to include as many as I could. Don’t hesitate to ask if you want to know more and my little explanations weren’t clear!
Might also mean “[back] then”, especially when opposed (directly or implicitly) to “adesso (now)”. Usually employed at the beginning of a sentence, especially when introducing a new subject.
Ex. Allora, com’è andata? – So, how did that go?
2) Appunto – Indeed / Precisely / That’s right [🔊]
Basically an intensifier for both negations and affirmations. Can also be thrown around randomly but I can’t quite think of an example for that, hahaha.
Ex. A: Marco non è ancora qui. – Marco isn’t here yet.
B: Non aveva detto che sarebbe stato a casa per le sei? – Didn’t he say he would be home by six?
A: Sì, appunto. Sono un po’ preoccupato. – Yes, he did. I am a little worried.
Truncation of “bene”. The spelling “beh” is also acceptable.
Ex. Be’, non direi. – Well, I wouldn’t say so.
4) Cioè – That is / Actually [🔊]
Be careful with abusing this one, it can get obnoxious (as most fillers, but this is particularly the case). You might also hear it pronounced as “c’è”.
Ex. Sì… cioè, non so. – Yes… that is, I don’t know.
5) Comunque – However / Anyway [🔊]
I noticed I use this quite a lot, mostly when I want to drive the conversation somewhere else (though the proper use would probably be saying it when bringing it up something that had been previously discussed).
Ex. Comunque, alla fine ci ho parlato. – Anyway, I did speak to him in the end.
6) Dai – Come on / Sure (literally “give”) [🔊]
To be honest, this one has a lot of meanings. You could use it either to encourage someone or to reproach them, to intensify your agreement or your disagreement.
Ex. Va bene, dai. – Alright, sure.
Dai, andiamo. – Come on, let’s go.
7) Diciamo – Let’s say [🔊]
When you don’t want to be too straightforward, or you’re phrasing something in an unconventional way.
Ex. Mi ha preso un po’ alla sprovvista, diciamo. – Let’s say that I was caught a little unawares.
8) Ecco – There/ Here / I mean [🔊]
Let me expand a little on the concept of “there/here”: when you get a sudden realization, you may say “Ecco, ho trovato!” (”Here, I got it!”), or if you want to agree with someone, you could go like “Ecco, esatto!” (”There, that’s right!”).
Ex. Ecco… Non sono sicuro di voler andare alla cena. – I mean… I’m not really sure I want to go to the dinner.
9) Eh – Got it? / Alright / Uh [🔊]
Primarily the Italian “thinking sound” (that one phoneme you emit when you’re thinking of what to say, but please try not to overuse it), but it could mean literally anything depending on the intonation.
Ex. Mi raccomando, eh? – Make sure [you do it], alright?
Eh, non lo so. – Uh, I don’t know.
You are directly addressing someone; usually carries a nuance of either uncertainty or polemic.
Ex. A: Hai per caso visto la mia borsa? – Do you happen to have seen my bag?
B: Guarda, mi pare che sia sulla scrivania, ma non potrei giurarci. – Look, I think it’s on the desk, but I wouldn’t bet on it.
11) Insomma – So / In other words / In short [🔊]
This is usually the meaning when it’s used as a filler. When employed alone, its sense is very similar to that of “so so”.
Ex. A: Insomma, ti è piaciuto il film? – So, did you like the movie?
12) In teoria/teoricamente – Theoretically [🔊]
…But the thing you’re talking about doesn’t really need to be theoretical. It’s mostly a way to attenuate a concept.
Ex. Dovrebbero essere già qui, teoricamente. – They’re supposed to be here already.
No real opposition needed here, though; usually used to emphasize. Not to be confused with “mah”.
Ex. Ma no, ma cosa fai! – [But] no, what are you doing?
14) Mah – Who knows / Well / *shrugging* / * expression of disapproval/skepticism* [🔊]
Exactly what it says on the tin. Usually an expression of doubt or disapproval.
Ex. Mah, mi sembra strano. – Well, it seems odd to me.
E così alla fine ha cambiato idea. Mah, chi lo capisce è bravo! – So he changed his mind in the end. Work that one out if you can!
15) Nel senso [che] – I mean [🔊] [🔊] [🔊]
I tend to say it without ‘che’ a lot and completely at random but it might be just me.
Ex. Mi sono trovata molto bene, nel senso… Sono stati davvero gentili. – I really felt at ease, I mean… They’ve been very nice.
16) Niente – Nothing / Well [🔊]
Doesn’t really add much meaning-wise. You might say it when you don’t know what to say, or to end a conversation.
Ex. E niente, è finita così. – Well, it was what it was.
Ex. Ora, ti sembra l’ora di rientrare? – Now, what time is this to come back home?
18) Praticamente – Essentially / Pretty much / More or less [🔊]
Pretty similar in usage to “teoricamente”, but meaning “in practice”.
Ex. L’acqua era finita, praticamente. – There was almost no water left.
Ex. E quindi, ho imparato una nuova parola. – And so, I learned a new word.
Usage is pretty much the same as in English.
Ex. Sai, non sempre si può fare quello che si vuole. – You can’t always do what you want, you know.
Doesn’t have to be polemical (and depends highly on intonation), but there’s a chance it could be.
Ex. Senti, non mi fare arrabbiare. – Listen, don’t mess with me.
One of the most overused (if not the most overused) terms in the Italian vocabulary. An extensive use is frowned upon in formal settings (and can get a little annoying in real life), so really, it works almost like “like”.
Ex. Era alto così, tipo, e aveva i capelli scuri. – He was, like, this tall, and had dark hair.
23) Vabbe’ – No big deal / That’s okay [🔊]
Contraction of “va” and “bene”. The spellings “va beh” and “va be’ “ are also accepted (you’ll probably see it written down as “vabbè”, although it’s actually incorrect). It can hint a little dissatisfaction with the actual situation (in a shrugging, “suit yourself” kind of way).
Ex. Oggi non ti va di andare al cinema? Vabbe’, andremo domani. – So you don’t want to go to the movies today? That’s okay, we’ll go tomorrow.
24) Vediamo [un po’] – Let’s see [🔊]
Ex. Vediamo, chi vuole cominciare? – Let’s see… who wants to go first?
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