Italian Phrases and Phrases Each Traveler Ought to Know Earlier than a Go to

In most large cities and closely touristed areas in Italy, resort and restaurant employees, shopkeepers, and museum attendants will nearly actually communicate at the least some English. However enterprise to smaller cities and out-of-the-way locations, and also you’re much less prone to be understood if you ask a query in English. And wherever you go in Italy, making an attempt to talk at the least some Italian with the folks you encounter is a typical courtesy and is normally very a lot appreciated. 

“Italians will allow you to if you attempt to communicate Italian,” a professor in Rome as soon as advised me, “as a result of they’re so grateful when anybody tries to study their loopy language.”

As my professor mentioned, Italians might be affected person with you if you attempt to communicate—and probably mangle—their language. Listed below are some tips, phrases, and phrases to get you prepared on your subsequent journey to Italy.

Pronunciation Fundamentals 

A key distinction between Italian and French—and Italian and English for that matter—is that in Italian, there are nearly no silent letters—as an alternative we pronounce each letter within the phrase. Which means, for instance, essentially the most ubiquitous Italian phrase, grazie, isn’t pronounced grat-zee, however graht-tzee-yey—with three syllables, with the i and the e distinct from each other.  

One other secret’s figuring out how letters are pronounced in Italian. Listed below are some basic examples:

A is pronounced as a brief A, so ah. Instance: space is pronounced ah-reh-ah.

E is pronounced as an extended A, so ay, and it’s by no means silent. Instance: carne (meat) is car-nay.

I is pronounced as an extended E, so ee. Instance: ieri (yesterday) is ee-yehr-ree.

U is a tough vowel, normally pronounced oo. Instance: uva (grape) is oo-vah.

Right here’s one other vital one: CH creates a Ok sound, as when utilized in two of my favourite phrases, chianti (key-ahn-tee) and bruschetta (broo-skeh-tuh).

The one factor near a silent letter mixture is GN, which is a type of nyee sound for which there’s no actual equal in English. So Bologna is buh-lon-yah, gnocchi is nyo-key, and bagno, which implies tub or lavatory, is bah-nyoh.

Greetings and Goodbyes

Buongiorno (bwohn-jor-noh) has a variety of meanings for one little phrase. It actually interprets to “good day,” however is an umbrella time period for saying hey, particularly earlier than the afternoon, if you’d say buonasera (bwohn-ah sayr-ah) which implies good night. After all of the years I’ve lived right here, I’m nonetheless unsure when the cut-off level is between the 2 phrases, however I normally say buonasera from about 3 or 4 p.m. 

When doubtful, it’s also possible to say salve (sal-vay), which is a proper hey good for any time of day. As I shared in my article, unstated guidelines to comply with if you go to Italy, ciao (chow) ought to solely be used as a salutation if you’re already on acquainted phrases with the individual.

On the finish of a night, say, if you’re leaving a restaurant, buonanotte (bwohn-ah noh-tay) is the way you say goodbye or good night time. Arrivederci (ah-ree-vah-dehr-chee) actually means “till we meet once more” and is a extra formal goodbye—a very good one to make use of if you take a look at of your resort, for instance. 

Primary Italian Phrases and Phrases for Vacationers

Si (see) means sure, and no (no) means no. Add a please: per favore (pehr fah-vohr-ey), thanks: grazie (graht-tzee-yey), and also you’re welcome: prego (prey-go), and also you’ll have some vital bases coated. Word that prego has a number of connotations—it’s used when answering the telephone; your restaurant server might use the time period after serving your meals, and somebody holding open a door for chances are you’ll say it as a well mannered gesture.

To ask somebody in the event that they communicate English, say “parla inglese?” (par-lah een-gleh-zeh?).

To say “I don’t communicate Italian” (which they’ve in all probability already found out), say “non parlo italiano” (nohn par-low ee-tah-lyah-noh).

There are a number of types of “excuse me.” Mi scusi (mee skoo-zee) is used when that you must interrupt or get somebody’s consideration. Permesso (pehr-mehs-soh) applies if you’re transferring by means of a crowd or have to ask somebody to step out of your approach. Say scusa (skooz-ah) when you bump them or step on their foot whereas doing so.

To ask the place one thing is, begin with: dov’è (doh-vey)…? 

• la stazione (lah stat-tzee-oh-neh): the station
• il bagno (eel bah-nyoh): the toilet
• una farmacia (oo-nuh far-mah-chee-ah)?: a pharmacy 

To ask how a lot one thing prices, say: quanto costa (kwan-toh coh-sta)?

To ask for the test at a restaurant, say: il conto, per favore (eel kon-toh pehr fah-vohr-ey).

Frequent Phrases to Know

• Quando (kwan-doh): When
• Oggi (oh-gee): As we speak
• Ieri (ee-yehr-ree): Yesterday
• Domani (doh-mah-nee): Tomorrow
• Colazione (coh-laht-tzee-ohn-ay): Breakfast
• Pranzo (prahn-zoh): Lunch
• Cena (chay-nah): Dinner
• Dolce (dohl-chay): Dessert

Numbers 1-10

• 1  uno (oo-noh)
• 2 due (doo-ay)
• 3  tre (tray)  
• 4 quattro (kwah-troh)
• 5 cinque (cheen-kway)
• 6  sei (say)
• 7 sette (set-tay)
• 8 otto (ott-oh)
• 9 nove (noh-vay)
• 10 dieci (dee-ay-chee)