Rick and I have been studying Italian for the past year or so in preparation of our Italian getaway this summer and it’s been a fun challenge. While I’m sure many Italians will just answer us in English, I’m hoping we can at least have one or two full conversations with our camerieri (waiters) or guida locale (tour guide) in Italian only.
Why, yes, I did buy all eight Harry Potter books in Italian to help me learn by reading. Some funny differences in how they got translated include, Dumbledore is Professor Silente, Severus Snape is Professor Piton, the Hogwarts Houses are not Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin but Griffondoro, Tassofrasso, Corvonero, and Serpeverde. Oh, and our personal favorite, poor Nearly Headless Nick is Nick-Quasi-Senza-Testa (Nick Almost Without Head).
If you’re off to explore Italy soon, here are some useful Italian phrases (and their pronunciation) for travelers that’ll at least get you started with some basics.
Italian phrases for travelers
Italian greetings
English Italian (pronunciation)
Hello Ciao/Salve (chou/sahl-veh)
Good morning Buon giorno (bwohn-johr-no)
Good afternoon Buon pomeriggio (bwohn-poh-mehr-ee-joh)
Good evening Buona sera (bwoh-nah-seh-rah)
Good night Buona notte (bwoh-nah-noht-teh)
Goodbye Arrivederci (ahr-ree-veh-dehr-chee)
How are you? Come sta? (koh-meh stah) – Come stai is the informal version or come va?
Fine, thanks Bene, grazie (beh-neh grah-tsee-eh)
Pleased to meet you Piacere (pyah-cheh-reh)
Polite phrases and expressions in Italian
Yes Sì (see)
No No (noh)
Please Per favore (pehr fah-voh-reh)
Thank you Grazie (grah-tsee-eh)
You’re welcome Prego (preh-goh)
I like… Mi piace… (mee pee-yatch-eh – literally it pleases me)
I’m sorry Mi dispiace (mee dees-pyah-cheh)
Excuse me Mi scusi (mee skooh-zee)
Padon me Permesso (pehr-mehs-soh)
I don’t understand Non capisco (nohn cah-pis-co)
I don’t speak Italian Non parlo italiano (nohn pahr-lo eeh-tahl-eeh-ah-noh)
Do you speak English? Parla inglese? (pahr-lah een-gleh-zeh)
Questions and directions in Italian
Who? Chi? (kee)
What? Cosa (koh-sah)
When? Quando? (kwahn-doh)
Why? Perché? (pehr-keh)
Where is…? Dove…? (doh-veh)
The bathroom Il bagno (eel bahn-yoh)
The train station La stazione di treno (la stah-tsyoh-neh dee treh-noh)
The restaurant Il ristorante (eel ree-stohr-ahn-tee)
Airport Aeroporto (air-oh-port-oh)
Hotel Albergo (ahl-behr-goh)
Left Sinistra (sin-ee-strah)
Right Destra (deh-strah)
Straight Dritto (dree-toh)
Dining and shopping
I would like… Vorrei… (vohr-ay)
I want… Voglio… (vohl-yo)
How much? Quanto? (kwahn-toh)
A ticket Un biglietto (oohn beel-yeh-toh)
A table for two Un tavolo per due, per favore (oohn tah-vah-lo pehr doo-eh)
Outside A fuori (ah fwoh-ri)
Breakfast Colazione (cohl-aht-zee-ohn-eh)
Lunch Pranzo (prahn-zoh)
Dinner Cena (cheh-nah)
A glass of… Un bicchiere di… (ooh bee-kyeh-reh dee)
Water Acqua (ahk-wah)
Wine Vino (vee-noh)
Beer Birra (beeh-rah)
An ice cream Un gelato (oohn geh-lah-toh)
The bill, please Il conto, per favore (eel cohn-toh pehr fah-voh-reh)
Cash Contanti (cohn-tahn-tee)
Credit card Carta di credito (car-ta dee cred-ee-toe)
Days, time, and numbers in Italian
Today Oggi (ohj-jee)
Yesterday Ieri (yeh-ree)
Tomorrow Domani (doh-mah-nee)
What time is it? Che ore sono? (keh ohr-eh soh-noh)
One Uno (ooh-noh)
Two Due (due-eh)
Three Tre (treh)
Four Quattro (kwah-troh)
Five Cinque (cheen-kway)
Six Sei (say)
Seven Sette (set-teh)
Eight Otto (oht-toh)
Nine Nove (noh-veh)
Ten Dieci (dee-eh-chee)
If you really want to get the low down on Italian, I recommend this gigantic six-in-one Italian for Dummies! I got it to supplement my Rosetta Stone and Duolingo learning and it’s been a fantastic resource for furthering my Italian language skills. But seriously, it’s a big book – not something you can just toss in your suitcase for the weekend!
Another lighter option is the Italian phrase book by the fantastic Rick Steves. This, you can easily take on your Italian adventures.
I hope these Italian travel phrases come in handy as you roam about Rome or another beautiful Italian city! A presto!
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