The Neapolitan language (not a dialect), with its rich history and varied expression, stands as an invaluable cultural heritage deserving preservation and appreciation. Originating from the city of Naples and the surrounding regions of Campania, this language has deep roots that trace back to ancient Greece and subsequent Latin and Arabic influences. Throughout the centuries, the Neapolitan language has continued to evolve, shaped by the experiences of generations and becoming a central element of the region's cultural identity.

The Neapolitan language has ancient roots dating back to Magna Graecia, when Greek colonies settled in the region. The Greek influence still resonates today in the vocabulary and structure of the Neapolitan language. Subsequently, the arrival of the Romans further contributed to its evolution, introducing Latin elements that merged with the preexisting Greek roots. Over the centuries, Naples has been a crossroads of cultures and civilizations, including the Arab influence during the medieval period, leaving an indelible mark on the local language.
Neapolitan is characterized by a rich variety of dialects and accents, reflecting the diverse regional traditions within Campania. One of its most distinctive features is the use of apocope, a linguistic phenomenon in which words are shortened or truncated at the end. This aspect contributes to the musicality and fluidity of the language, giving it a unique charm. Additionally, the Neapolitan language is known for its extensive use of idioms, proverbs, and colloquial expressions that enrich its linguistic fabric.

The Neapolitan language is much more than a mere means of communication; it is a vehicle for transmitting the history, traditions, and identity of the Campanian people. It represents a tangible link to the region's past and a symbol of pride for its rich cultural heritage. Through poetry, music, theater, and literature, the Neapolitan language has permeated many forms of art, contributing to shaping the collective imagination of Neapolitan society.

Despite its cultural significance, the Neapolitan language faces various challenges in its preservation and promotion. The increasing dominance of Italian as the official language and the spread of mass media have exerted significant pressure on the survival of the Neapolitan language. Furthermore, socio-economic changes and urbanization have led to a decline in the daily use of the language, especially among younger generations.
Let's explore a brief excerpt of the meaning of some Neapolitan words together.

Let's save the Neapolitan language!

A
'a	the
accattà	buy
accirenno	killing
accorte	careful
accummence	start
accummience	begin
accumminciato	started
accuntentà	please
accussì	like that
accuvato	hidden
accuve	hide
addà	must
addesidera	want
addimmannà	name
addiverte	enjoy
addò	where
addore	smell
addubbate	decorated
addurmì	sleep
aesceno	come out
affacce	show up
affrontanno	confronting
aggio	have/had/am
aizà	raise
ajutà	help
allarmà	alert
alluccà/alluccava/alluccavane/allucche	shout/yelled
Americane	Americans
ammà	we must
ammalaje	fell ill
ammore	love
anema	soul
angulo	angle
animale	animals
annà	they must
annammure	fall in love
annanzo	ahead
appennere	hang
araprì	open
aroppe	after
arrènnere	give up
arricordo	memory
arricurdà	remember
arricurdatece	remember us
arrispettà	respect
arrivaje	arrived
arrivanno	arriving
arrivate	arrived
ascette	came out
ascì	go out
aspiette	wait
assaje	very
ati	others
aucielle	birds
ausà	use
avè	have/has
avessa	should
avessema	we should
avessemo	we would have
avimmo	we had
avite	you have
avvicinà	approach

B
Bambeniello	Little child
bbatte	beats
bbene	well
bbigletto	ticket
bbona	good
bbuono/e	well/good
bloccà	to block

C
ca	that
caciuttella	caciottina
cagnà	to change
campa	lives
campà	to live
campusanto	cemetery
canusceva	knew
capa	head
capacità	to capacitate
capenno	understanding
capette	understood
capì	to understand
capisce	understands
capità	to happen
caruto/a	fallen
cattive	bad
cazzimma	malice
ccà	here
cchiù	more
ccose	things
ccredeva	believed
cerche	seeks
cercheno	seek
chella/o/e	that
chello/chillo	that
chesta/e/o	this
chiamanno	call
chiammà	to call
chiamma	calls
chiammaje	called
chianto	tears
chilli	those
chistat	this other
chisto/u	this
chiureno	they close
comm'/comme	like
core	heart
credene	believe
crediveve	believed
criaturo	child
criscenno	growing
cu	with
cultivà	to cultivate
cummannà	to command
cummanne	commands
cumpà	friend
cumpagno	friend
cumporta	behaves
cunosce	knows
cuntrullà	to control
cuntruolle	controls
curaggio	courage
currea	belt
currevene	were running

D
dà	to give
da'	from/the
ddice	says
ddicette	said
ddiceva	said
Ddijo	God
ddimane/dimane	tomorrow
dduje	two
delinquente	delinquents
denare	money
dice	you say
dicene	they say
dicenno	saying
dicere/dì	to say
dicette	said
dicette	I said
diciarrà	will say
dicimmo	we say
dint	inside
disgrazzia	misfortune
ditto	said
diuno	fasting
divertì	to entertain
do'	from the
doce/ddoce	sweet/s
doje/duje	two
doppe	after
dumanda	question
dummane	remains
durmenno	sleeping
duttore	doctor

E
'e	of/the
essa	she

F
fa'/ffà	to do
facenno	doing
facennose	doing oneself
facesse	I would do
facette	did
facite	do
faje	you do
famme	let me
fanne	they do
fasule	beans
faticà	to work
faticanno	working
fatte	made
femmene	women
fenesta	window
fermà	to stop
fernì	to finish
festeggià	to celebrate
ffurtunato	lucky
firano	feel sick
fora/e	outside
friarillo	broccoli
friddo	cold
fruttaiulo	greengrocer
furastiero/e	foreigner/s
furtunate	lucky

G
gire	turns
giudicà	to judge
giurnale	newspaper
grattanno	scratching
guaiglune	boys
guardà	to watch
guardanno	watching
guardatace	watch us

I
ije	I
impedì	to satisfy
indrasatto	suddenly
ìnnammurato/e	in love
isso	he/him

J
jamme	let's go
jì	to go
jucanno	playing
juornata	day
juorno/e	day/s
juto/a	gone

L
lascianno	leaving
lloco	there
lloro	they
luciarelle	little lights
luntano	far away

M
'Maculata	Feast of the Immaculate Conception (December 8th)
'mbendata	blindfolded
'mbiancale	sparklers
'mbruglià	to deceive
'mbruglione	deceiver
'mbrusata	deception
'mpacchettate	packaged
'mpietto	within oneself
'mpruvvisata	improvised
'mpurtava	it mattered
maje	never
malamente	badly
malatia	illness
mancà	to miss
marenare	sailors
marijuole	thieves
martiello	hammer
maruzze	snails
matina	morning
mettetteno	poor
miette	put
mieza/'mmiezo	in the middle
minà	to throw away
miraculo	miracle
mme	me
mo/mmò	now
morta	dead
mozzeca	bites
mumento	moment
munno	world
muntagna	mountain
muntagna	mountain
muorto/e	dead
muorzo	bite
murì	to die
muschilli	gnats
mutivo	reason
muzzecato	bitten

N
'na	a
'nata	another
'ncammino	on the way
'ncape	on top
'ncatenata	chained
'nchiova	nails
'ncoppa	above
'ncuntraje	met
'ncuolla/o	on
'ncuorpe	in the body
'nfame	infamous
'nfamità	infamy
'nfamune	infamous
'ngannà	to deceive
'nganna	deceives
'ngnurante	ignorant
'ngoppa/e	above
'nguaianno	trouble
'nguaiate	troubled
'nnanzo	in front of
'nquieta	restless
'ntempesta	in the storm
'nterra	on the ground
'nventà	to invent
Napule	Naples
napulitano	Neapolitan
nascette	was born
nennillo/i	child/children
nieghi	denies
nisciuno/a	no one
nnata	another
nnato	born
nocelle	hazelnuts
notte	nights
nuje	we
numen	to name
nun	not
nuosto/nuostro	our
nustalgia	nostalgia
nutizia/e	news
nuvembre	November

O
odi	to hate
ohi lloco	here
omme	man
otte	eight
overo	true

P
pacienza	patience
paparacchiella	Christmas pickles
parià	to digest/to amuse
parlà	to speak
parleno	they speak
paro	pair
parte	parts
passà	to pass
Pataterno	Father God
pazzi	to play/to joke
pe'	for
pecchè	because
penzà	to think
penza	thinks
penzanno	thinking
penzano	they think
penzano/penzeno	they think
penzata	thought
penzieri	thoughts
penzo	I think
perdenno	losing
perse	lost
piere	feet
pietto	chest
pigle	takes
pigli/piglià	to take
pigliaje	took
pigliammo	we take
pirciò	therefore
po'	can
ponno	they can
pòzzo	I can
ppure	however
preoccupà	to worry
primma	before
priparato	prepared
pronte	ready
prucundria	hypochondria
prufessore	professor
pruggette	projects
prutiggitece	protect us
pruvà	to try
pruvasse	I would try
pruvate	you try
pruvedenno	providing
pulezzà	to clean
pullastri	chickens
può	you can
purtà	to bring
purtaje	brought
purtato	brought
purzione	portion
putè	power
puteva	could
putimmo	we can
putite	you can
puverielli	poor things

Q
quaccosa	something
quaccuno/quaccheduno	someone
quanno	when
quante	how many
quase	almost

R
rallegranno	cheering
realizzà	to achieve
recuperà	to recover
regalà	to give
ricuorde	remembers
ringrazi	to thank
rischiammo	we risk
rispongo	I answer
rracconto	tale
rraggia	anger
rragione	reasons
rrecchie	ears
rreto	behind
rritto	said

S
'sta/'sti/'stu	this/these
sacca	bag/pocket
saccio	I know
saje	you know
salvà	to save
sape	he/she knows
sapè	to know
sapimmo	we know
sbaglià	to make a mistake
sbareano	they imagine
sbarià	to waste time
scalfaino	they warmed up
scarfato	warmed up
scattà	to shoot/to take a photo
scenne	he/she goes down
sceta/o	awake/woke
scetate	wake up
schifà	to disgust
sciatà	to breathe
sciato	breath
scimità	nonsense
scimunnenno	fading
sciore	flower
sciorta	luck
sciuvoto	loose
scuntenti	displeased
scurdà	to forget
scurdammo	we forget
scurdate	forget
semmana	week
sentenno	sensing
sentesse	I would feel
sentì	to hear
servenno	serving
sfasteriato/a	fed up
si	if
sì	yes
siensi	senses
Signure	Gentlemen
simmo	we are
sinò	otherwise
sisala	lottery win
so'/songo	I am
soja/e	his/her
sonano	they play
sonno	dream
sosere	to get up
sparà	to shoot
sparate	shot
spere	he/she hopes
speriammo	we hope
spettà	to wait
spettaculo	show
spiegà	to explain
spilà	to unclog
spisso	often
sporta	crate
spuzzechià	to tease
sta	to stay
stammo	we stay
stanche	tired
stateve	stay
statte	you stay
stelletella	little star
steva/e	was
stevene	were
stongo	I am
strillanno	shouting
succedarrà	will happen
succedenno	happening
succedetto	happened
succies	success
sudà	to sweat
suddite	subjects
sude	he/she sweats
sufferto	suffered
suffrì	to suffer
sulo/e	alone
summente	crumbs
sunnà	to dream
suojo	his/her
suonno/e	dreams
supporte	supports
suppurtà	to support
suriciello	little mouse

T
tanno	then
tarde	late
tenarrà	will have
tene	you have
tenè	to have
teneno	they have
tenesse	I would have
tenevene	they had
tentanno	trying
testa	head
tiatro	theater
tiempo	time
tiene	hold
trasane	they enter
trase	he/she enters
trasuta	entrance
trattà	to treat
tremme	he/she shakes
triemme	you shake
truvà	to find
truvaino	they found
truvanno	finding/looking for
truvato	found
tturnato	returned
tuccà	to touch
tumbuliata	raffle
tuojo/toja	your
turmenta	storm
turmienti	torments
turnanno	returning
tutte	all

U
uocchie	eyes

V
vabbuò	alright
vaje	go
vasà	to kiss
vasano	they kiss
vatte	beating
vedè	to see
vène	he/she comes
venì	to come
venneve	he/she used to sell
vere	he/she sees
viaggià	to travel
vicchiariello	old man
vide/vì	see
viene	come
viento	wind
vierno	winter
vinticinque	twenty-five
vo	wants
vota/e	time/s
vuje	you
vulà	to fly
vulè	to want
vulesse	would like/would want
vulessene	they would like/would want
vulette	he/she wanted
vuleva	he/she wanted
vulimmo	we want
vuluntà	wish/will
vuò	you want
vvenuto/a	come/arrived

Z
zoccola	sewer rat/bitch
zuzzus	dirt