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BASIC ITALIAN PHRASES FOR TRAVEL YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR YOUR TRIP TO ITALY
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BASIC ITALIAN PHRASES FOR TRAVEL YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR YOUR TRIP TO ITALY
If you’re planning on visiting Italy then it’s a good idea to learn some key Italian phrases, words and sentences. In this guide to basic Italian phrases for travel, we step you through the most useful ways to communicate on your trip to Italy. After all, language is a big part of Italian culture and you want to experience it all, am I right?
Making an effort to understand and speak Italian on your trip is not simply a matter of respect – although we think this is very important too. When you talk to people in their language they appreciate it and experiences open up to you that would not have been possible if you had been speaking English.
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Yes – Si – See
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No – No – Noh
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Please – Per favore – Pehr fah-voh-reh
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Thank you – Grazie – Grah-tsee-eh
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You’re welcome – Prego – Preh-goh
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Cheers! (To your health) – Salute! – Sah-loo-tay
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Excuse me (for attention) – Scusi – Skooh–zee
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Excuse me (to pass by) – Permesso – Pehr-mehs-soh
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Do you speak English? – Parla Inglese? – Parh-la een-glay-zeh
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I don’t understand – Non capisco – Non kah-pee-skoh
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I’m sorry – Mi dispiace – Mee dees-pyah-cheh
Common greetings in Italian
One thing we really love about visiting Italy is the cultural differences and norms. In Italy, saying “good morning” is not simply a throwaway line. You should always greet people wherever you go – when entering a shop or restaurant, to hotel staff, on the bus or at a cultural sight. It’s the expected thing to do.
A friendly “buon giorno!” with a smile will go a long way. So here are the most common Italian greetings and their context so you get it right! Generally you use the formal with people you don’t know, especially older people. The informal is used between friends.
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Good morning (formal) – Buon giorno – Bwohn-johr-noh
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Good afternoon (formal) – Buona sera – Bwoh-nah-seh-rah
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Good night (formal) – Buona notte – Bwoh–nah–noh–teh
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Hi / Bye (informal) – Ciao! – Chow
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Good bye (formal) – Arrivederci – Ahr-ree-veh-dehr-chee
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My name is … – Mi chiamo – Mee kyah-moh
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What is your name? – Come si chiama? – Koh-meh see kyah-mah?
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Pleased to meet you – Piacere – Pyah-cheh-reh
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How are you? (formal) – Come sta? – Koh-meh stah?
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Good thank you – Bene grazie – Beh-neh grah-tsee-eh
How to say numbers in Italian
While you don’t need to be able to count to 100, a good grasp of numbers up to 12 at least (for the hours of the day) will stand you in good stead. After all, you need numbers when you’re at a restaurant – una pizza per favore! (a pizza please!)
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One – Uno – Oo-noh
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Two – Due – Doo-eh
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Three – Tre – Treh
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Four – Quattro – Kwah-troh
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Five – Cinque – Cheen-kweh
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Six – Sei – Say
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Seven – Sette – Seht-tey
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Eight – Otto – Oh-toh
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Nine – Nove – Noh-veh
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Ten – Dieci – Dee-EH-chee
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Eleven – Undici – Oon–dee-chee
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Twelve – Dodici – Doh-dee-chee
Telling the time and days of the week
Here are the basics of telling time in Italian, plus days of the week and other useful sentences for making reservations and plans. Italians generally use a 24 hour clock but also understand the 12 hour clock if you specify morning and afternoon.
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In the morning – Di Mattina – Dee mah-teen-ah
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In the afternoon – Di pomeriggio – Dee poh-meh-reed-joh
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In the evening – Di Sera – Dee seh–rah
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Noon – Mezzogiorno – Mehd-dzoh-johr-noh
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At what time? – A che ora? – Ah kay oar-ah?
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Nine o’clock in the morning – Le nove – Le noh-vay
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Eight o’clock in the evening – Le otto di sera / – Le ot-to dee seh-rah
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Monday – Lunedì – Loo-neh-dee
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Tuesday – Martedì – Mahr-teh-dee
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Wednesday – Mercoledì – Mehr-koh-leh-dee
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Thursday – Giovedì – Joh-veh-dee
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Friday – Venerdì – Veh-nehr-dee
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Saturday – Sabato – Sah-bah-toh
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Sunday – Domenica – Doh-meh-nee-kah
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Today – Oggi – Ohd-jee
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Yesterday – Ieri – Yeh-ree
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Tomorrow – Domani – Doh-mah-nee
Useful phrases at restaurants
No doubt your Italy trip includes a plan to enjoy a few meals at restaurants. And we’re sure ordering a gelato or two is also high on your list. Let’s get you ready with these essential Italian phrases you need for ordering food or at restaurants. These may be the times that you interact with Italians the most so practice your greetings too!
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Can I see the menu please? – Il menu, per favore – Eel men-oo, pehr fah-voh-reh
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What do you recommend? – Che cosa ci consiglia? – Kay koh-za chee kon-seel-ya?
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I’m allergic to… – Sono allergica/o a... – Son-oh ah-ler-gee-koh / kah ah
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Gluten / Dairy / Fish – Glutine / Lattecini / Pesce – Gloo-teen-ay / Lah-tay-cheen-ee / Pesh-ay
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House wine – Vino della casa – Vee-noh del-lah car-sah
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Red / white wine – Vino rosso / bianco – Vee–noh ross-oh / bee-ahn-koh
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A glass / bottle – Una bicchiere / una bottiglia – OO-nah beek-kyeh-reh / boht-tee-lyah
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Appetizer – Antipasto – Ahn-tee-pah-stoh
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First course – Primo – Pree-moh
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Second course – Secondo – Sek-kon-doh
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Dessert – Dolci – Doll-chee
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Two flavors please – Due gusti, per favore – Doo-eh goo-stee, pehr fah-voh-reh
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Where’s the bathroom? – Dov’è il bagno? – Doh-veh eel bahn-yoh?
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The check (bill) please – Il conto, per favore – Eel kon-toh, pehr fah-voh-reh
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Can I pay by card? – Posso pagare con la carta? – Pohs-soh pah-gah-reh kon la cahr-tah?
Words to know when you are visiting museums
Visiting museums and attractions is a big part of many Italian itineraries. In this section, we’ve given you some useful phrases in Italian to help you buy tickets and ask common questions.
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When does it open / close? – Quando si apri / chiude? – Kwahn-doh see ah-pree / chee-oo-deh?
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Two adults / one child – Due adulti / un bambino – Doo-eh ah-dool-tee / oon bahm-bee-noh
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One / two ticket/s – Un / due biglietto/i – Oon beel-yet-toh / tee
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One senior – Un pensionato – Oon pen-seyoh-nah-toh
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One student – Uno studente – Ooh-noh stoo-den-teh
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Where is the bag store / cloak room? – Dov’è la guardaroba? – Doh-veh lah gard-ah-robe-ah?
Asking for directions in Italian
If you get lost or need help with directions, these helpful words in Italian will come in handy.
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Where is… ? – Dov’è…? – Doh-veh … ?
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Entrance – Entrata – En-trah-tah
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Exit – Uscita – Ooh-shee-tah
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Left – Sinistra – See–nee-stra
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Right – Destra – Deh-stra
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Straight ahead – Dritto – Dree-toh
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Forward – Avanti – Ah-vahn-tee
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Back – Dietro – Dee-et-roh
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Always – Sempre – Sem-pre
Useful words for transport and getting around
Most visitors to Italy will need to take a train or bus, or ride in a taxi. These phrases will be useful in these situations when it is likely you may need to ask for help to reach the right platform or bus stop.
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Where is the train station? – Dov’è la stazione? – Doh-veh lah stah-tzee-oh-neh?
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Where is the bus stop? – Dov’è la fermata – Doh-veh lah fur-mah-tah?
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One / two ticket/s – Un / due biglietto/i – Oon beel-yet-toh / tee
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One way – Andata – Ahn–dah-tah
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Return – Ritorno – Ree-torn-oh
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What platform for Rome? – Da quale binario per Roma? – Dah kwah-lay bin-ah-rio pehr Roh-mah?
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Newstand (for bus tickets) – Tabacchi – Tah-back-kee
Shopping words in Italian
Time to go shopping! Make sure you’re ready with these key phrases.
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I would like… – Vorrei… – Vor-ray…
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How much is this? – Quanto costa questo? – Kwahn-toh kohs-tah kwehs-toh??
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OK I’ll take it – Va bene, lo prendo – Vah beh-neh, loh prehn-doh
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I don’t want it – Non lo voglio – Nohn loh voh-lyoh
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Can you ship to…? – Puoi spedire a? – Pwoy sped-ear-eh ah?
What to say if you need help in Italian
We hope you never need to use these phrases but it’s a good idea to know them “just in case”.
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Help! – Aiuto! – Ay-oo-toh!
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I need a doctor – Ho bisogno di un dottore – Ho biz-ohn-nyo dee oon dot-tor-reh
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Call the police – Chiami la polizia – Kee-ya-mee la po-lee-zee-ah
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Look out! – Attento! – At–ten-toh
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Go away! – Vai via! – Vy vee-ah!
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