Essential Italian Words and Phrases Every Traveler Should Learn Before Visiting

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In Italy, particularly in major cities and popular tourist destinations, you’ll find that hotel and restaurant personnel, shopkeepers, and museum staff often have a basic command of English. However, in smaller towns and off-the-beaten-path locations, communicating in English may be more challenging. Regardless of where you are, making an effort to speak some Italian is regarded as a sign of respect and is typically appreciated by the locals.

“Italians appreciate it when visitors attempt to speak their language,” shared a professor from Rome. “They are always grateful for anyone trying to learn their intriguing language.”

As my professor noted, Italians display remarkable patience when you endeavor to speak, even if you make mistakes. Below are some helpful tips, words, and phrases that can enhance your experience on your next journey to Italy.

Essentials of Italian Pronunciation

A notable distinction of the Italian language compared to French, and even English, is the absence of silent letters. In Italian, every letter is pronounced. For instance, the commonly used word grazie is articulated as graht-tzee-yey, encompassing three syllables where both the ‘i’ and ‘e’ are pronounced distinctly.

Understanding how to pronounce different letters is crucial. Here are some general rules:

A is pronounced as a short “A,” like ah. For example: area is pronounced ah-reh-ah.

E sounds like a long “A,” pronounced ay, and is consistently articulated. For instance, carne (meaning meat) is pronounced car-nay.

I is enunciated as a long “E,” resembling ee. For example: ieri (yesterday) becomes ee-yehr-ree.

U usually carries a hard sound, pronounced like oo. For instance, uva (grape) sounds like oo-vah.

Additionally, CH produces a hard “K” sound, evident in words like chianti (key-ahn-tee) and bruschetta (broo-skeh-tuh).

The closest to a silent letter pairing is GN, which produces a unique nyee sound without a direct English counterpart. For example, Bologna is pronounced buh-lon-yah, gnocchi is nyo-key, and bagno (meaning bath or restroom) is pronounced bah-nyoh.

Greetings and Farewells

The term Buongiorno (bwohn-jor-noh) carries several meanings. Literally translating to “good day,” it serves as a general greeting, particularly before noon. After this time, buonasera (bwohn-ah sayr-ah) is appropriate for saying good evening. I find myself unsure of the exact cut-off for switching between these greetings, but I tend to use buonasera around 3 or 4 p.m.

If in doubt, you can opt for salve (sal-vay), which is a formal greeting suitable at any time. As noted in my previous insights about visiting Italy, ciao (chow) should be reserved for occasions when you have a familiar relationship with someone.

At the conclusion of an evening, such as when departing from a restaurant, you would say buonanotte (bwohn-ah noh-tay) for goodbye or goodnight. The term Arrivederci (ah-ree-vah-dehr-chee) literally means “until we see each other again” and is typically used as a more formal farewell, suitable for checking out of accommodations, for instance.

Essential Italian Phrases for Travelers

The word Si (see) translates to yes, while No (no) confirms no. You can add politeness with per favore (pehr fah-vohr-ey) for please, grazie (graht-tzee-yey) for thank you, and prego (prey-go) for you’re welcome. Note that prego has various uses; it can signal attention on the phone, be stated by servers after serving a meal, or used as a courteous gesture when someone holds a door open for you.

To inquire whether someone speaks English, ask: parla inglese? (par-lah een-gleh-zeh?)

If you need to express that you do not speak Italian, say: non parlo italiano (nohn par-low ee-tah-lyah-noh).

To ask for someone’s attention, use Mi scusi (mee skoo-zee). Meanwhile, Permesso (pehr-mehs-soh) is suitable when navigating through crowded spaces, and scusa (skooz-ah) is appropriate if you accidentally bump into someone.

To ask for directions, begin with: dov’è (doh-vey)…?

la stazione (lah stat-tzee-oh-neh): the station il bagno (eel bah-nyoh): the restroom una farmacia (oo-nuh far-mah-chee-ah): a pharmacy

To inquire about the price of an item, you can ask: quanto costa (kwan-toh coh-sta)?

If you need to ask for the bill at a restaurant, say: il conto, per favore (eel kon-toh pehr fah-vohr-ey).

Helpful Vocabulary

Quando (kwan-doh): When
Oggi (oh-gee): Today
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

Counting from 1 to 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)

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www.travelandleisure.com