Streetwise Italian: Key Expressions for the Savvy Traveler

Oh, Italy! The land of Romeo and Juliet, the land of incredible museums, breathtaking coastal cities, of yummy pasta and pizza, the land you must visit at least once in your life. Yep, that is Italy! A dream of love. And to enjoy it to the fullest, you must explore at least a tiny bit of its beautiful language –la lingua Italiana (“the Italian language”). Because nothing is as genuine as a traveling experience where you’re talking to the locals in their mother tongue. Therefore, let’s help you get ready for your Italian trip with these 100+Italian phrases every traveler needs to know. And we are not talking about any phrases, but Italian phrases with the English translation.

1. Italian greetings and courtesy phrases
2. Basic Italian phrases for travelers that need help
3. Italian phrases for food lovers
4. Basic Italian for tourists that need a place to spend the night
5. Italian for tourists that want to have fun
6. Italian phrases about love
7. Days of the week and numbers in Italian

1. Italian greetings and courtesy phrases

Italian greetings should always be on top of your list of priorities when packing your bags for a trip to Italy. The Italian culture places a big emphasis on greetings, introductions, and respect towards the elders. Do you remember Il Padrino (“The Godfather”)? Well, that scenario wasn’t entirely fictitious. In many cultures around the world,gli anziani della famiglia (“the elders of the family”) are regarded as wise heads of the family responsible for taking the most important decisions. So here are the most importantItalian greetings you should know as a traveler:

• Good morning! –Buongiorno!
• Good afternoon! –Buon pomeriggio!
• Good evening! –Buonasera!
• Good night! –Buonanotte!
• Hello! –Salve!
• How are you? –Come stai?
• Very good, thank you. –Molto bene, grazie.
• What is your name? –Come ti chiami?
• My name is Mondly. –Mi chiamo Mondly.
• Nice to meet you. –Piacere.
• Please. –Per piacere.
• Thank you. –Grazie.
• Thank you very much. –Grazie mille.
• I’m sorry. –Mi dispiace.
• You’re welcome. –Prego.
• Excuse me. –Mi scusi.
• No problem. –Non c’è problema.
• Do you speak _____? –Parla _____?
• Do you have _____? –Ha _____?
• I have –Io ho
• Speak slowly. –Parli lentamente.
• I don’t understand. Please repeat. –Non ho capito. Ripeti per favore.
• Where are you from? –Da dove vieni?
• Have a good day. –Buona giornata.
• Yes. –Sì.
• No. –No.

“Manarola, Italy” by Marc Zimmer©

2. Basic Italian phrases for travelers that need help

Emergencies are not necessarily something we expect to happen when traveling. We always associate visiting new places with pleasant feelings. However, emergencies do happen sometimes whether we like it or not. So knowing how to ask for help in Italian may come in handy while traveling. Especially if you decide to travel to remote areas where the locals don’t really speak English. Make sure you learn these keyItalian phases by heart because you know what they say: it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

• Help! –Aiuto!
• I feel very sick. –Mi sento molto male.
• I need a doctor. –Ho bisogno di un medico.
• Where is the hospital? –Dov’è l’ospedale?
• Can you help me? –Può aiutarmi?
• Where can I find a taxi? –Dove posso trovare un taxi?
• Where is the toilet? –Dov’è la toilette?
• Where is the bus station, please? –Dov’è la stazione degli autobus, per favore?
• Where can I buy tickets? –Dove posso comprare i biglietti?
• Where is a pharmacy? –Dov’è una farmacia?
• Where is a supermarket? –Dov’è un supermercato?
• Where is a good restaurant? –Dov’è un buon ristorante?
• Drive me to this address. –Mi porti a questo indirizzo.
• Please stop here. –Si fermi qui, per favore.
• Please wait a moment. –Aspetti un momento, per favore.
• I’ll be back immediately. –Ritorno subito.

3. Italian phrases for food lovers

Food is a crucial part of a trip to Italy. No one – and I mean not even a single soul, not even Arya Stark – leaves Italy without indulging on mountains of pizza, pasta and gelato . So here’show to order drinks or food in Italian restaurants:

“Gelato” by Anita Austvika©

• I have a reservation. My name is _____. –Ho una prenotazione. Mi chiamo _____.
• We would like pizza and spaghetti. –Vorremmo pizza e spaghetti.
• What would you like to drink? –Cosa desidera da bere?
• What would you recommend? –Che cosa mi consiglia?
• We would like two glasses of wine. –Vorremmo due bicchieri di vino.
• I’d like something without meat. –Vorrei qualcosa senza carne.
• I would like a tea with lemon. –Vorrei un tè al limone.
• Would you like that with pasta? –Lo vuole con la pasta?
• No sugar. –Senza zucchero.
• I’d like a mineral water. –Vorrei un’acqua minerale.
• I’d like an orange juice. –Vorrei un succo d’arancia.
• I would like a coffee. –Vorrei un caffè.
• Can I have some ice cream? –Posso prendere il gelato?

4. Basic Italian for tourists who need a place to spend the night

Looking for the perfect accommodation can be a real headache sometimes. Well, imagine you did find it, but the hosts only speak Italian. How will you deal with that? Somebasic Italian would surely be useful in this situation.

• I have booked a room. –Ho prenotato una camera.
• The key for room _____, please. –La chiave della camera _____, per favore.
• This room is too noisy. –Questa camera è troppo rumorosa.
• When is check-out time? –A che ora si deve lasciare la camera?
• Thank you for your help. –Grazie dell’aiuto.
• How was your stay with us? –Come è stato il suo soggiorno con noi?
• Very pleasant, thank you. –Molto piacevole, grazie.
• Here is your bill, please look it over. –Ecco il suo conto, per favore lo controlli.

5. Italian for tourists who want to have fun

Going out is probably one of the best ways to explore and get to know new cultures. The same places you visited during the day may reveal themselves differently during the night. Take_Fontana di Trevi_ for example. Nothing is as majestic as this world-famous Baroque fountain at night.

“Fontana di Trevi” by Ivan Bertona©

• Is there a pub here? –C’è un pub qui vicino?
• Would you like to dance? –Vorresti ballare?
• Are tickets for the theatre still available? –Ci sono ancora biglietti per il teatro?
• Are tickets for the football game still available? –Ci sono ancora biglietti per la partita di calcio?
• Can you get me a ticket? –Può procurarmi un biglietto?
• How much does a ticket cost? –Quanto costa un biglietto?
• One ticket, please. –Un biglietto, per favore.
• Are there seats available? –Ci sono posti disponibili?

6. Italian phrases about love

Italy is all about belleza (“beauty”) and amore (“love”). Everything good is bello (“beautiful”) in Italy. Even the Italian language is considered passionate . Italians don’t just speak Italian. They almost sing it. Thus it’s hard not to fall in love in Italy. Are you traveling alone? All the better! Here are theItalian phrases about love that will make your ears rejoice:

• Let’s go dancing. –Andiamo a ballare.
• I’d like to see you again. –Mi piacerebbe rivederti.
• I’d like that very much. –Piacerebbe molto anche a me.
• You are very beautiful. –Sei molto bella.
• You are very handsome. –Sei molto bello.
• May I kiss you? –Posso baciarti?
• May I hold your hand? –Posso tenerti la mano?
• I like you a lot. –Mi piaci molto.
• Are you single? –Sei single?
• I’m married. –Sono sposato.
• I’m not interested. –Non sono interessato.
• Would you like to go out this evening? –Vorresti uscire questa sera?
• Would you like to have dinner with me? –Vorresti venire a cena con me?
• I love you. –Ti amo.

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“Vernazza, Italy” by Daniil Vnoutchkov

7. Days of the week and numbers in Italian

Wherever you go in the world, the days of the week and the numbers always fall into the category ofabsolutely essential expressions. It’s only a matter of time until you’ll make use of them. So seize the opportunity and memorize them now.

Days of the week in Italian

• Monday –lunedì
• Tuesday –martedì
• Wednesday –mercoledì
• Thursday –giovedì
• Friday –venerdì
• Saturday –sabato
• Sunday –domenica

P.S.: Don’t forget that thedays of the week in Italian are not written with a capital letter.

Numbers in Italian

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And… this is it! These are the 100+ essential Italian phrases every traveler needs to know. Bookmark this article and make sure you get your Italian travel phrases straight while in Italy.Goditi la tua vacanza! (“Enjoy your holiday!”)

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