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 workers, shopkeepers, and museum attendants will nearly actually converse not less than some English. However enterprise to smaller cities and out-of-the-way locations, and also you’re much less more likely to be understood if you ask a query in English. And wherever you go in Italy, making an attempt to talk not less than some Italian with the individuals you encounter is a standard courtesy and is often very a lot appreciated. 

“Italians will show you how to if you attempt to converse 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 shall be affected person with you if you attempt to converse—and doubtlessly mangle—their language. Listed below are some tips, phrases, and phrases to get you prepared in 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 a substitute we pronounce each letter within the phrase. Meaning, for instance, essentially the most ubiquitous Italian phrase, grazie, just 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 is understanding how letters are pronounced in Italian. Listed below are some common examples:

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

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

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

U is a tough vowel, often 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 lots of meanings for one little phrase. It actually interprets to “good day,” however is an umbrella time period for saying howdy, 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 undecided when the cut-off level is between the 2 phrases, however I often say buonasera from about 3 or 4 p.m. 

When doubtful, you too can say salve (sal-vay), which is a proper howdy good for any time of day. As I shared in my article, unstated guidelines to observe 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. 

Fundamental 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. Observe that prego has a number of connotations—it’s used when answering the cellphone; your restaurant server could 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 converse English, say “parla inglese?” (par-lah een-gleh-zeh?).

To say “I don’t converse Italian” (which they’ve most likely already discovered), 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 you want to interrupt or get somebody’s consideration. Permesso (pehr-mehs-soh) applies if you’re shifting by means of a crowd or must ask somebody to step out of your means. Say scusa (skooz-ah) in the event 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 examine at a restaurant, say: il conto, per favore (eel kon-toh pehr fah-vohr-ey).

Widespread Phrases to Know

• Quando (kwan-doh): When
• Oggi (oh-gee): At present
• 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)