Italian Phrases and Words That Every Traveler Must Know Before A Visit

Most hotel and restaurant staff in Italy’s big cities, as well as shopkeepers and museum attendants, will speak some English. In smaller towns and less-visited areas, it’s more difficult to understand you when you speak English. You will be appreciated if you try to communicate in Italian wherever you are. 

One professor in Rome told me that “Italians are willing to help when you attempt to speak Italian” because they’re grateful to anyone who attempts to learn this crazy language.

As my professor said, Italians will be patient with you when you try to speak—and potentially mangle—their language. These words and phrases will help you get ready for your trip to Italy.

Pronunciation Basics 

A key difference between Italian and French—and Italian and English for that matter—is that in Italian, there are almost no silent letters—instead we pronounce every letter in the word. This means that, for example the most common Italian word is, grazieIt is not spoken grat-zeeBut graht-tzee-yey—with three syllables, with the i and the e distinct from one another.  

Knowing how to pronounce the letters in Italian is also important. Here are a few examples.

A is pronounced with a short “A”, so ah. Example: You can find out more about this by clicking here. The word is pronounced ah-reh-ah.

E is pronounced with a long “A”, so ayAnd it is never silent. Example: (meat is) car-nay.

I is pronounced like a long E. ee. Example: The earliest possible date for the occurrence of this event is today. Yesterday is ee-yehr-ree.

It is hard to pronounce the vowel “U”. oo. Example: uva Grapes are a variety of grapes. oo-vah.

Another important fact: CH is pronounced as a “K” sound when it’s used in my two favorite words. Chianti (key-ahn-tee) You can also find out more about the following: bruschetta (broo-skeh-tuh).

The closest you can get to a combination of silent letters is GN. nyee There’s no English equivalent to the sound. The word “So” is a sound for which there’s no real equivalent in English. Bologna You can learn more about it here. buh-lon-yah, Gnocchi You can learn more about it here. nyo-key, You can also find out more about the following: BagnoThe word bathroom or bath is. bah-nyoh.

Hellos and Goodbyes

Buongiorno (bwohn-jor-noh) It’s a little word that has many different meanings. This word is a general way of saying hello. buonasera (bwohn-ah sayr-ah) Good evening. Even after all these years of living here, I still don’t know when to use the term. buonasera Around 3 to 4 p.m. 

If in doubt, it is also possible to say Salve (salvay)It is an appropriate formal greeting for any time. In my article I explained how to say hello in a formal way. unspoken rules to follow when you visit Italy, ciao (chow) Use this salutation only when you know the person well.

You can use this phrase at the end an evening when you are leaving a particular restaurant. Buonanotte This is how you say goodnight or goodbye. Arrivederci (ah-ree-vah-dehr-chee) literally means “until we meet again” and is a more formal goodbye—a good one to use when you check out of your hotel, for example. 

Basic Italian Phrases and Words for Travelers

Si (see) Yes, that is what it means no (no) means no. Please: Per favore (pehr-fah-vohr) Thank you grazie (graht-tzee-yey), You’re welcome! prego (prey-go), Note that you will have covered some important bases. You should note that prego has several connotations—it’s used when answering the phone; your restaurant server may use the term after serving your food, and someone holding open a door for you may say it as a polite gesture.

Ask someone if they understand English by saying “parla inglese?” (par-lah een-gleh-zeh?).

If you want to say “I’m not Italian” (which is something they have probably already figured it out), then say “non parlo italiano” (nohn par-low ee-tah-lyah-noh).

There are different ways of saying “excuse-me.” Mi scusi (mee skoo-zee) Use this when you want to interrupt or draw someone’s attention. Permesso (pehr-mehs-soh) When you want to get through a crowd, or ask someone to move aside for you. Say scusa (skooz-ah) If you step on or bump their foot.

Asking where something is begins with: dov’è (doh-vey)…? 

• la stazione (lah stat-tzee-oh-neh): The station
• It is a bagno. The bathroom
• una farmacia (oo-nuh far-mah-chee-ah)?: Pharmacy 

Asking how much something costs is: What is the cost of a car?

Asking for the check in a restaurant is as simple as saying: il conto, Per favore

Common Words You Should Know

• Quando (kwan-doh): The following is a list of the most recent and relevant articles.
• Oggi (oh-gee): Today
• Ieri (ee-yehr-ree): Yesterday
• Domani: 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 (nohvay)
• 10 dieci (dee-ay-chee)