If you’re visiting any large/touristy Italian city like Milan, Rome, Florence, or Venice, it is likely that many of the people you come across will speak at least a little bit of English. While that may be the case, in my opinion it is only polite to try to learn a little bit of their language as well! Many people we encountered seemed to appreciate us at least attempting to speak some Italian before switching to English. So with that in mind, I’ve compiled a list of what I think are some of the most useful Italian travel phrases – along with their phonetic spellings.
I’ve broken down these phrases into two categories: the basics and a bit more complex. I’ll preface the second section by saying that some of the phrases will only really be helpful if you’re confident you’ll understand the response you receive (like if you’re asking a question). My college Italian is very rusty, and while I was able to somewhat understand the responses I got, for the most part I had to respond any further in English. So if you don’t have any experience with Italian already, just stick to the basic travel phrases!
Interested in how we spent our time in Italy? You can find all of my Italy content here!
The Basics
Greetings
Hello (also Goodbye) = Ciao [chow].
Good Morning = Buongiorno [bwon-jor-no].
Good Evening = Buonasera [bwon-ah-sera].
Niceties
Please = Per favore [pair fah-vor-eh].
Thank you = Grazie [graht-see-ay].
You’re welcome = prego [pray-go].
Excuse me = scusi or mi scusi [sku-zee or me sku-zee].
I’m sorry = mi dispiace [me dis-pee-ach-ay].
Look out! = Attenzione! [atten-see-oh-nay].
Language
I don’t speak Italian = Non parlo Italiano [non par-lo ital-e-ano].
Do you speak English? = Parla Inglese? [par-la ing-glay-say].
Miscellaneous
How much is this? = Cuanto costa? [quant-oh coast-ah].
Ticket(s) = biglietto (biglietti) [bill-ee-eto].
Receipt = ricevuta [reech-eh-vu-tah].
A Bit More Complex
Ordering Coffee
A coffee, please = Un caffè, per favore [Un cah-fey, pair fah-vor-eh].
Want something else? Just replace caffè with whatever type of coffee you want! Common coffees:
– Shot of espresso = Espresso.
– Double Shot = Espresso Doppio [doe-pee-oh].
– Cappuccino = Cappuccino.
– More milk than coffee = caffè latte [cah-fey lah-tay].
– Espresso with a small amount of milk = caffè macchiato [cah-fey ma-key-ah-to].
– Espresso shot with liquor = Caffè Corretto [cah-fey core-eh-toe].
– Shaken Iced Espresso = Caffè Shakerato [cah-fey shake-er-ah-toe].
Hot = Caldo [kal-doh].
Cold = Freddo [frey-doh].
Sugar = Zucchero [zoo-ker-oh].
Not all places will have alternative milks, but most we visited had at least one option.
– Do you have milk… = Avete latte…. [ah-vey-tay lah-tay].
– Oat = d’avena [dah-vey-na].
– Soy = di soia [dee soya].
– Almond = di mandorla [dee man-dor-la].
There isn’t really any specifying of sizes. the size you get is based on what type of drink you order.
Asking Directions
Where is…. = Dov’è… [doe – vey].
– …the bathroom = il bagno [bahn-yo].
– …the train station = la stazione dei treni [la stahtz-ee-oh-ney dey trey-knee].
– …the pharmacy = la farmacia [la farma-chi-ah].
– …whichever tourist attraction you may be looking for!
To the left = a sinistra [ah sin-is-strah].
To the right = a destra [ah deh-strah].
Square/Open Public Space = Piazza [pee-aht-sah].
Street = Via [vee-ah].
Dinner/Reservations
I’d like to make a reservation for # at xx:xx. = Vorrei fare una prenotazione per # persone alle xx:xx
[Vor-ray far-ey un-ah pre-no-tah-zee-oh-ney per # per-so-ney ah-ley xx:xx].
Lawless Italian has a great overview of time and numbers, here. Her entire site is an amazing free resource!
We have a reservation under (your name). = Abbiamo una prenotazione per il nome (your name)
[Ah-bee-ahm-oh un-ah pre-no-tah-zee-oh-ney per eel no-may (your name)].
The bill, please. = Il conto, per favore [il con-toe pair fah-vor-eh].
Did I miss any Italian travel phrases that you’ve found useful? Let me know in the comments!
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