{"id":98901503,"date":"2019-08-02T17:36:29","date_gmt":"2019-08-02T21:36:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/?p=98901503"},"modified":"2025-04-15T14:55:59","modified_gmt":"2025-04-15T18:55:59","slug":"top-20-must-know-italian-phrases-if-you-are-traveling-to-italy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/top-20-must-know-italian-phrases-if-you-are-traveling-to-italy\/","title":{"rendered":"Traveling to Italy? Here Are 20 Essential Italian Phrases You’ll Need to Know!"},"content":{"rendered":"

So you’re headed off to Italy<\/a> and you’re relishing the chance to finally see the Colosseum and throw a few coins in the Trevi fountain in Rome, sip on some great coffee and wine in a laid-back caf\u00e9 or bar in Bologna, feast on some authentic pizza in Naples, and be serenaded as you float in a gondola down the canal ways of Venice. Sounds great, but how’s your Italiano<\/em>?<\/p>\n

When traveling to any country, it’s always great to know a few words and phrases that will help you along the way. Plus, locals in any country love the fact that visitors take the trouble to learn a bit of their language, and you’re sure to score some major points with your hosts if you do so.<\/p>\n

If you’re thinking about a trip to experience the best that Italy has to offer, it’s important to learn a few words and phrases in the local lingo so that you can communicate with ease and also make some new friends, without appearing like an awkward tourist. So, get ready to strut around with confidence — here are the top 20 must-know Italian\u00a0phrases if you are traveling to Italy!<\/p>\n

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Greetings and Pleasantries<\/h2>\n

There’s nothing like breaking the ice with some pleasant greetings. Knowing your basic “hello” and “goodbye” is something you can learn quite easily, but there may some other phrases that you’ll need to practice to roll off your tongue effortlessly and naturally.<\/p>\n

Ciao!\u00a0<\/em> \u00a0—\u00a0 Hello or goodbye<\/h4>\n

It does the job of both a greeting and a farewell, BUT it’s important to note that this is reserved for very informal settings, especially with people you’re very familiar with or have spent a lot of time with. It might be considered inappropriate for people you’ve just met.<\/p>\n

Buongiorno!\u00a0 —\u00a0 <\/em>Good morning!<\/span><\/h4>\n

Nothing like starting off the day by walking into\u00a0an Italian\u00a0caf\u00e9 armed with a cheery buongiorno!\u00a0<\/em>The locals will love it, and you’ll make some friends in no time!<\/p>\n

Come va?<\/em>\u00a0 —\u00a0 How are you?<\/h4>\n

Come sta?\u00a0<\/em>can also be used. You’ll be asked this a lot so be ready with an appropriate response like molto bene, grazie<\/em> (I\u2019m fine, thank you).<\/p>\n

Piacere di conoscerti<\/em> \u2014 Nice to meet you<\/h4>\n

You’ll be bumping into a lot of new faces throughout your journey\u00a0in Italy, so be prepared to remember names and follow it up with this friendly line.<\/p>\n

Arrivederci!\u00a0 —\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>Goodbye!<\/h4>\n

This informal farewell is important because you can’t just exit that restaurant or store without a little smile and this parting line.<\/p>\n

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Finding Your Way Around<\/h2>\n

Navigating your way through the labyrinth-like alleyways and narrow streets of some Italian cities can be quite a task, and\u00a0if you don’t have any internet at your fingertips, you’ll have to go old school — and ask for directions! If you find yourself in a confusing spot, don’t hesitate to use one of the following lines to get help\u00a0or directions to where you want to go.<\/p>\n

Ci siamo persi<\/em>\u00a0 —\u00a0 We\u2019re lost<\/h4>\n

A line for the worst case scenario, but a\u00a0clear and concise\u00a0one that will immediately be an SOS signal to the locals.<\/p>\n

Per favore pu\u00f2 darmi alcune indicazioni?<\/em>\u00a0 —\u00a0 Can you give me some directions, please?<\/h4>\n

This formal and polite way to ask for directions will be your go-to in any number of situations. Be sure to work on the right pronunciation!<\/p>\n

Scusi, sa dov\u2019\u00e8 la stazione?\u00a0<\/em> —\u00a0 Excuse me, do you know where the train station is?<\/h4>\n

You’ll be using Italy’s train system at some point of your trip, so it’s always good to pull this line out when needed.<\/p>\n

Dov\u2019\u00e8 la banca pi\u00f9 vicina?<\/em>\u00a0 —\u00a0 Where is the nearest bank?<\/h4>\n

For those moments where you need to get your money matters sorted out, this phrase should come in handy so you can withdraw some cash or attend to any other bank-related tasks.<\/p>\n

Ripeta, per favore<\/em>\u00a0 —\u00a0 Please repeat<\/h4>\n

Italians are notoriously fast talkers, so in case you can’t catch on to the directions they’re giving you, this will indicate that they’ll have to slow\u00a0down a bit so you can understand them.<\/p>\n

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For Eating Out<\/h2>\n

How can we talk about Italy and not include food? Eating and drinking are fine arts in Italy, and to feel comfortable in\u00a0the restaurants and bars you may frequent after your airline flights<\/a> have landed, it’s important to know the right way to order and how to be polite, which will go a long way in making sure you get excellent service and enjoy a great dining experience.<\/p>\n

Dove si mangia bene?<\/em>\u00a0 —\u00a0 Where is a good restaurant?<\/h4>\n

When you’re just looking to start your gastronomic adventure in Italy, this phrase can help you get some good tips from the locals.<\/p>\n

Posso ordinare _____?<\/em>\u00a0 —\u00a0 Can I order the [food\/drink item]?<\/h4>\n

Once you’ve found a good eating spot and you’ve had a look at the menu, this will help you place your order.<\/p>\n

Un altro, per favore<\/em>\u00a0 —\u00a0 Another one, please<\/h4>\n

Another beer or a bottle of vino <\/em>for your table? This will help your server know what you want more of.<\/p>\n

\u00c8 delizioso!\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>—\u00a0 It\u2019s delicious!<\/h4>\n

Compliments to the chef are always welcome! Memorize it, because you’ll be using it a lot while eating your way through Italy.<\/p>\n

Il conto, per favore\u00a0 —\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>The check, please<\/h4>\n

Italian servers are trained to not interrupt your meal, even though they’ve noticed you’re done eating. You’ll have to make it a point to ask for the check (politely) once you’re ready.<\/p>\n

You May Also Enjoy: Fantastico! 11 Must Visit Places in Italy<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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When Shopping<\/h2>\n

Cities like Milan, Rome, and Venice offer visitors the opportunity to\u00a0shop for\u00a0high-end fashion and other Italian-made goods that can’t be found anywhere else. When you’re shopping, it’s important to know how to carry on with shopkeepers so that you can get the best deals, without ruffling any feathers!<\/p>\n

Posso guardare?\u00a0 —\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>May I just look?<\/h4>\n

As you enter a store, you’ll often be asked the usual “cerca qualcosa?”\u00a0<\/em>(what would you like?) or “cosa sta cercando?”<\/em>\u00a0(what are you looking for?), and good etiquette here is to not go poking, prodding, and touching the items on display right away, even if you know what you want. Act cool and polite and ask if you can look around. If there is something of interest, just point at it, and the person at the store will\u00a0give you all the information about it.<\/p>\n

Posso provare questi articoli, per favore?<\/em>\u00a0 —\u00a0 Can I please try these items?<\/h4>\n

Once you’ve done pointing at the items you want, this line is needed to politely ask if you can physically try\u00a0them on.<\/p>\n

Mi pu\u00f2 portare una taglia pi\u00f9 grande\/piccolo, per favore?<\/em>\u00a0 —\u00a0 Can you please bring me a bigger\/smaller size?<\/h4>\n

Not a right fit of clothing? Use this line to\u00a0request for something that will suit you better.<\/p>\n

Quanto mi fa pagare?\u00a0 —\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>How much do you want for this?<\/h4>\n

For items that are open to a bit of haggling, this line will come in handy. Especially useful in markets.<\/p>\n

Mi fa uno sconto?\u00a0 —\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>Can you give me a discount?<\/h4>\n

Once again, be wary of\u00a0where you pull out this question. It won’t be right to do it in a high-end store but at a market or smaller store it will be fine. You might be met with a disapproving look at first, but it’s normal in the whole price negotiation process!<\/p>\n

If you’ve got a Italian adventure ahead of you, make sure to keep these top 20 must-know Italian words and phrases\u00a0in mind, and you’ll be able to smoothly get through your holiday while even impressing some hard-to-impress Italians!<\/p>\n

What Italian phrases have you found helpful? Tell us about them in the comments below!\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So you’re headed off to Italy and you’re relishing the chance to finally see the Colosseum and throw a few coins in the Trevi fountain in Rome, sip on some great coffee and wine in a laid-back caf\u00e9 or bar in Bologna, feast on some authentic pizza in Naples, and be serenaded as you float […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":98923843,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98901503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe","category-travel-tips-intel"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98901503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98901503"}],"version-history":[{"count":32,"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98901503\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":98923844,"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98901503\/revisions\/98923844"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/98923843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98901503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98901503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onetravel.com\/going-places\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98901503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}