When you go to Italy, what do you like to bring back with you?
Leather, shoes, wine, pasta, espresso cups… there are loads of ways to fill your suitcase.
But how do you buy them in the first place? If you hate feeling like an awkward tourist, relying on English and gesticulating, this post is for you!
Here you’ll learn essential phrases for shopping in Italian, so you can buy and pay for things confidently. You’ll also pick up insider cultural tips and key vocabulary to impress your friends, family and Italian shop keepers.
Let’s start with the most important question…
Isn’t it annoying when they don’t put the prices on things?
Asking how much something costs can be awkward when shopping – even when you’re not trying to do it in Italian.
Of course, you can always just go to pay and read the number on the cash register… but you might get a nasty surprise that way!
To find out the price of something you can ask a “how much” question. They all start with:
Quanto…? – How much…?
If you just learn one word to ask for the price, then it’s quanto. This word looks a bit like “quantity” in English, if it helps you remember. You can always just look at the shop keeper whilst holding or pointing to what you want and ask quanto? – “how much?”
Now, let’s make it a bit more sophisticated. Here’s how you can use quanto in a full sentence:
Quanto costa? – How much does it cost?
If you’re trying to buy more than one thing though, like two t-shirts, you’ll need to use the plural forms:
Quanto costano? – How much do they cost?
Not sure whether it counts as plural? You can also just ask this:
Qual è il prezzo? – What is the price?
Il prezzo means “the price”, and you should pronounce the double Z like pizza.
Sometimes asking for the price can feel a bit scary, because the answer involves numbers! Do you know them in Italian?
If you want to revise that, have a listen to our podcast episodes on Italian numbers. Try starting with how to count to 20 in Italian, and once you’ve mastered them, you can learn how to count to 100 in Italian.
When buying things though, it’s worth knowing that Italians say the numbers of prices in a slightly different way.
€1.10
How would an Italian say this amount? It’s the typical cost of a coffee in an Italian bar.
Here’s the simplest and most natural way:
Uno e dieci – One and ten
You might also hear:
Un euro e dieci – One euro and ten
Watch out for the pronunciation of euro in Italian. You have to pronounce all the vowels. EH-YUR-O. If it feels like your mouth is working overtime – you’re saying it right!
Occasionally, you might hear the long version of the price, which would be:
Un euro e dieci centesimi – One euro and ten cents
Got it? Great. Let’s do a quick test. What would €2.50 be in Italian?
You could say one of these short versions:
Due e cinquanta – Two fifty
Due euro e cinquanta – Two euros fifty
Or the long version:
Due euro e cinquanta centesimi – Two euros and fifty cents.
Now you know how to talk about prices, it’s time to really start shopping around…
So imagine you’re looking around a cute gift or clothes shop. The shop assistant might ask you:
Le piace? – Do you like it? (formal)
As the seller gently nudges you towards making a purchase, you’ll have to give your opinion about it. If you like it, can say:
Mi piace – I like it
È bello – It’s nice
Lo prendo – I’ll take it
If you think the price is especially good you can say:
È economico – It’s cheap/good value
But, if you need some more time to think about it, or you want to politely move on, you can say:
Grazie, ci penso – Thanks, I’ll think about it
That’s:
Grazie – thanks
ci – about it
penso – I’ll think
This is a great way of getting out of buying something without having to explain exactly why you don’t want something. Italians use it all the time.
Or, perhaps you do want to explain what the problem is:
Mi piace ma… – I like it but…
è un po’ costoso – it’s a bit expensive
è troppo piccolo / grande – it’s too small / big
If you can say what’s wrong with it, the seller might be able to find something else you really do want.
Or perhaps you’re buying clothes and you need to try something on. In Italy it’s important to know you’ve got the right size as very few shops offer refunds.
Posso provarlo? – Can I try it on?
Dove sono i camerini? – Where are the fitting rooms?
Once you’re happy with what you want to get, it’s time to actually buy it.
Time to head to la cassa (cash register) and pagare (pay).
Sometimes it’s not so obvious you’ve finished shopping, and you have to ask to pay. To do that, try this:
Posso pagare? – Can I pay?
The question now is how you want to pay. Is that in cash?
In contanti? – In cash?
Or by card?
Con la carta? – By card?
So putting those together, how would you ask if you can pay by card?
Posso pagare con la carta? – Can I pay by card?
Or in cash?
Posso pagare in contanti?
Keep in mind that if you’re in a small town or village, you might find that some local shops don’t accept card payments, especially for low amounts.
This can be a real problem for travellers. To explain that you don’t have cash, you can say:
Non ho contanti – I don’t have cash
Or maybe you have some, but not enough:
Scusi, non ho abbastanza contanti – Sorry, I don’t have enough cash
Assuming you are able to buy it, there’s one last question you might hear…
Once you’ve made your purchase, Italian shop keepers are likely to offer you a bag. But watch out – the word for “a bag” is different in different parts of Italy.
In all regions, the question will begin with “do you want”:
Vuole…? – Do you want…? (formal)
Followed by the word for a bag. The most common word in the north is sacchetto:
Vuole un sacchetto? – Do you want a bag?
In some areas, you might hear sporta or sportina:
Vuole una sportina? – Do you want a bag?
In the centre and south, they use busta:
Vuole una busta? – Do you want a bag?
That’s a lot of details to take in! If in doubt, use sacchetto and everyone should know what you mean!
Finally, how do you know how to say “shopping” in Italian?
Shopping in Italian – what are we actually talking about?
Grabbing a carton of milk from the local supermarket? Going on a clothes shopping spree?
In Italian, there’s a different word for each kind of shopping.
If you’re buying clothes, electronics, presents – anything which isn’t a food shop – Italians use a word that’s especially tricky to remember…
Shopping!
That’s right, Italians use the English word.
Just remember to give shopping a bit more of an Italian sound to it. And Italians don’t “go shopping”, they “do shopping” – fare shopping. Use this expression when you need a new pair of jeans. Or perhaps you’re getting a gift for your family back home.
What’s the other kind of shopping?
Anything to do with supermarkets and groceries is: fare la spesa
Fare – To do
La spesa – The grocery shopping
Italians like to fare la spesa at least once a week. That could be in a supermarket or a typical open-air market.
Now you’re ready to hit the shops in Italian. Below, you’ll find a quiz to test your knowledge, but first, here’s a quick review of everything you’ve learned.
You started by learning some phrases to find out the price of something:
Quanto costa / costano? – How much does it cost / do they cost?
Qual è il prezzo? – What’s the price?
There are two short and simple ways to say the price:
Un euro e dieci – One euro and ten
Uno e dieci – One ten
Written out fully, that’s:
Un euro e dieci centesimi – One euro and ten cents
Then to say what you think about something, you can use these phrases:
Le piace? – Do you like it? (formal)
Mi piace – I like it
È bello! – It’s nice!
È economico – It’s cheap
Grazie, ci penso – Thanks, I’ll think about it
Mi piace ma… – I like it but…
È un po’ costoso – It’s a bit expensive
È troppo piccolo / grande – It’s too small / big
And to try something on, these phrases are useful:
Posso provarlo? – Can I try it on?
Dove sono i camerini? – Where are the fitting rooms?
Here’s how to pay for things:
La cassa – The till / cash register
Posso pagare? – Can I pay?
…in contanti – In cash
…con la carta – By card
Non ho contanti – I don’t have cash
Non ho abbastanza contanti – I don’t have enough cash
Then just remember if they ask you if you’d like a bag, the word for bag changes depending on where you are:
Vuole un sacchetto? – Do you want a bag? (North, standard)
Vuole una sportina? – Do you want a bag? (Some areas of North)
Vuole una busta? – Do you want a bag? (South, centre)
Finally, do you remember the difference between the two kinds of shopping in Italian?
Fare la spesa – Do the shopping (supermarkets, the grocery shop)
Fare shopping – Go shopping (clothes, gifts and everything else)
All clear? One last thing to do – our quiz! Check out the questions below to see how much you can remember.
Learn to speak and understand Italian faster by joining the Joy of Languages Italian club! When you sign up, you’ll get:
If you’d like to join us, click here to become a member of our Italian club.
fare la spesa = do the shopping (supermarkets, the grocery shop)
fare shopping = go shopping (clothes, gifts and everything non-food related)
quanto costa? = how much does it cost?
quanto costano? = how much do they cost?
le piace? = do you like it? (formal)
è bello! = it’s nice!
è economico = it’s cheap
grazie, ci penso = thanks, I’ll think about it
mi piace ma… = I like it but…
è un po’ costoso = it’s a bit expensive
è troppo piccolo / grande = it’s too small / big
posso provarlo? = can I try it on?
dove sono i camerini? = where are the fitting rooms?
posso pagare? = can I pay?
…in contanti = …in cash
…con la carta = …by card
un sacchetto / una busta / una sportina = a bag
How much did you learn? Find out in the quiz!
Click here to take the quiz for this episode: How to go shopping in Italian
Remember the vocabulary from this lesson by downloading the digital flashcards
Not sure how it works? Click here to watch the tutorial
Please note, this is not a word for word transcript.
M: Let’s go shopping!
K: Matteo I’ve never seen you so excited to go shopping…
M: What do you mean? I love shopping! I saldi…
K: The sales? When’s the last time you went shopping? Anyway, whether you love to go shopping when travelling or not, almost everyone needs to buy things at some point… so if you want to know the price of something, you can ask: how much is it?
…
M: Quanto costa? (x3)
K: Then they’ll tell you how much it is. Now, if you don’t know your numbers in Italian, quanto costa can feel like you’re going into dangerous territory: what if you don’t understand the answer?
M: We’ve got a couple of episodes about numbers, including tips on how to remember them. Start with episode 14, how to count to 20 in Italian, then once you’re confident with those numbers, you can move onto episode 15 and learn how to count to 100. You’ll find the links in the description.
K: Let’s look at how to say prices in Italian now. As you’re listening at home, if you already know these words, try to say them in the pause, and if you don’t, no worries! Say them with Matteo, trying to get your pronunciation as close to his as possible.
M: Italian prices follow a slightly different structure compared to English.
K: What’s a typical price of say… un caffè, an espresso, in Italian, Matteo?
M: Hmmm, dipende… nowadays in Milan, maybe un euro e dieci centesimi
K: Quanto costa?
M: Un euro e dieci centesimi
K: Ah OK – got it. One euro and ten cents.
M:
Un euro – one euro
E – and
Dieci – ten
Centesimi – cents
M: But Italians usually use the short version.
K: Yeah, no need to say centesimi. We just say:
…
M: Un euro e dieci (x3)
K: Literally “one euro and ten”. Now, the pronunciation of euro is a bit tricky, it took me ages to get it somewhere decently similar to how Italians say it! The secret is to separate out the E and the U at the beginning.
M: E – U – RO (x3). Euro.
K: It takes a lot of practice, so I’d recommend saying it a lot, maybe whilst in the shower, that’s always a good place to practice pronunciation!
M: E – U – RO (x3). Euro.
K: Now, what if it were two fifty? Literally “two euro and fifty”.
…
M: Due euro e cinquanta (x3)
K: Or how about… nine seventy?
M: That would be a really expensive caffè… nove euro e settanta (x3)
K: Yes, if the price of a coffee were nine seventy I think it would be very normal to ask them to repeat it several times!
When you go to pay, they’ll send you to the till, or cash register:
…
M: La cassa (x3)
K: Where you might ask: can I pay by card?
…
M: Posso pagare con la carta? (x3)
K: That’s
M:
Posso – Can I
pagare – pay
con – with
la carta – the card
Posso pagare con la carta?
K: Now Italy is a little behind the times when it comes to digital payments – especially outside of the big cities. It’s best to bring cash with you at all times, just in case. “Only in cash”, in Italian is:
M: Solo in contanti (x3)
Solo – only
in – in
contanti – cash
Solo in contanti
K: Putting those together, let’s say you only had cash – how would you say: Can I pay in cash?
…
M: Posso pagare in contanti? (x3)
K: So that’s the bare bones of buying things. Let’s go into a little bit more depth now and hit the shops…
M: Sì!
K: Earlier, we mentioned how to say “how much is it”
…
M: Quanto costa? (x3)
K: And if you’re buying more than one thing, you change costa to costano. How much are they:
…
M: Quanto costano? (x3)
K: You can also say: “What’s the price?”
…
M: Qual è il prezzo (x3)
K: The sales person might ask you: “Do you like it?”
…
M: Le piace? (x3)
K: To say it’s nice, you say:
…
M: È bello! (x 3)
K: Then again you might have some misgivings… I like it, but..
…
M: Mi piace ma…. (x 3)
K: Maybe it’s a bit expensive
…
M: È un po’ costoso (x3)
K: Or conversely it could be cheap
…
M: È economico (x3)
K: Or it’s a bargain, or a deal!
…
M: È un affare!
K: Finally you decide to go for it – do you remember how to ask if you can pay by card?
…
M: Posso pagare con la carta?
K: Unfortunately not! Cash only. Only in cash
…
M: Solo in contanti
K: But there’s a problem – I don’t have cash
…
M: Non ho contanti (x3)
K: Or rather, I have a bit, but not enough. I don’t have enough. Enough is:
M: Abbastanza (x3)
…
K: I don’t have enough cash
M: Non ho abbastanza contanti (x3)
K: Finally though it all works out! To tell your friends what you’ve bought you can say “I bought”:
M: Ho comprato… (x3)
K: What’s something you’ve bought recently, Matteo?
M: Ho comprato il giornale.
K: Il giornale! The newspaper. See, this is how enthusiastic Matteo really is about shopping.
M: And what will you buy next time you’re in Italy? Whatever it is, you can now have a go at buying it in Italian.
K: The numbers do take some getting used to, but even if you aren’t super confident with them, don’t be afraid to try in Italian. Especially once you get to the till, you can always look at the number on the screen.
M: So you can cheat a little bit and still get away with doing everything smoothly!
K: Remember, if you want to see everything written down from this episode, and get bonus materials, like vocabulary cards and a quiz, head over to our website, joyoflanguages.com/italianpodcast and search for episode 99.
M – See you next time.
K – Or as we say in Italian.
Alla prossima!
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So, you’re enjoying your trip out in Italy when suddenly your phone dies… or you can’t connect to the internet.
How frustrating!
In these situations, wouldn’t it be great to know a few Italian phrases to find your way, and connect with Italians on the streets?
And speaking of connecting with Italians, you can do that in your hotel, too! It’s true that the receptionist usually speaks English, but…
Why not try using a few Italian phrases?
When Italians see you making the effort to speak their language, they’ll appreciate it. You don’t need to say it perfectly – just giving it a go will help you stand out from the typical tourists.
So here, you’ll learn useful phrases for transport and accommodation. Like how to get from A to B and the most important thing of all… finding out what time breakfast is served!
But… do tourists still need Italian to get around?
Think back (if you remember) to the year 2005…
The internet was still mostly confined to your “personal computer” and finding your way around meant using a paper map.
Back then, learning how to ask your way was essential for any guide to Italian for tourists – but is it still necessary today?
Yes! (Sort of).
Even if your phone is functioning perfectly on holiday (and let’s be honest, between wifi and battery problems, they often aren’t!) just asking someone can help you find your way more efficiently.
The key phrase to learn is “where is…?” followed by the thing you’re looking for:
Dov’è…?
This expression is made up of two words:
Dove – Where
è – is
Italians smush these two words together, so we end up with:
Dove + è → dov’è
When you say this word aloud, remember to put the emphasis on the last bit: dov’È.
Let’s use it to find our way. To ask for the centre, say:
Dov’è il centro? – Where’s the centre?
For the market, which is il mercato, it’s:
Dov’è il mercato? – Where’s the market?
And for Garibaldi Square?
Dov’è piazza Garibaldi? – Where’s Garibaldi Square?
On Italian city maps you’ll see words like piazza (square) and via (street) all the time.
Dov’è via Roma? – Where’s Rome street?
And finally, if you’re stopping someone on the street, you can always add “scusi” to sound a bit more polite:
Scusi, dov’è la stazione? – Excuse me, where is the station?
Psst: If the word scusi is new to you, don’t miss our in depth guide on how to be polite in Italian!
If you want to ask for help in general from Italians, you can explain that you are lost:
Mi sono persa/o – I’m lost
Persa or perso? Well, Katie would say persa, as she’s female, while Matteo would say perso, as he’s male.
Italians are sure to help you out once you let them know you’re stuck. But you might be worried about not understanding exactly what they tell you afterwards…
It’s true it can be tough! Don’t worry though – Italians are also famous for their amazing gestures. Even if you can’t grasp their exact directions, they’ll at least point you in the right direction.
While they’re pointing, they might also be using these phrases:
Dritto – Straight on
A sinistra – To the left
A destra – To the right
Di là – Over there
So far so good – if you’re on foot. But what about public transport in Italy?
When you arrive in an Italian city, the public transport system can seem bewildering.
To make sense of it all when you’re getting around, it’s essential to know the names of the main forms of public transport:
La metro – The metro
L’autobus – The bus
Il treno – The train
Il tram – The tram
Un taxi – A taxi
Seem familiar right? Luckily, most of them are quite similar to their English versions.
Here are a few more useful words that we commonly use with them:
La fermata – The stop
La fermata della metro – The subway stop
La fermata dell’autobus – The bus stop
La stazione – The station
La stazione dei treni – The train station
La stazione degli autobus – The bus station
So, how would you ask someone where the train station is?
Scusi, dov’è la stazione dei treni? – Excuse me, where’s the train station?
Now, just imagine, you’ve found your train and are just about to board. But wait a minute… you’ve forgotten to buy a ticket!
Biglietti per favore! – Tickets please!
To take most forms of public transport you need un biglietto – “a ticket”, of course!
A lot of people make the mistake of saying biglietto with the English word “big”. The GLI in Italian is a bit like a cross between an L and a Y sound. Think of it like: BI-YL-EH-TO. Biglietto.
To learn more about how to pronounce this sound, check out this episode on how to pronounce GLI in Italian.
You can buy tickets from:
la biglietteria – the ticket office
la biglietteria automatica – the ticket machine
il tabaccaio – the newsagents
How would you ask someone where to buy a ticket?
Dov’è la biglietteria? – Where’s the ticket office?
Dov’è la biglietteria automatica? – Where’s the ticket machine?
Dov’è il tabaccaio? – Where’s the newsagents?
To explain that you want to buy a ticket, you can say:
Vorrei comprare un biglietto. – I’d like to buy a ticket.
Once you’re buying your ticket, you’ll need to know what kind of ticket you want.
Is it a one way ticket or a return?
Andata – One way (ticket)
Sola andata – Just one way
Andata e ritorno – Return (ticket)
And where was it you were going?
Un biglietto per… – A ticket for…
Un biglietto per Roma – A ticket for Rome
Un biglietto per il centro – A ticket for the centre
So how would you ask for a one-way ticket to the city centre?
Vorrei un biglietto, sola andata, per il centro
Putting together the vocabulary slowly, you’ll quickly make impressive phrases!
Now you’ve found your way to your hotel, it’s time to check in. Or, as they say in Italian…
That’s right! To say “check-in” or “check-out” in Italian it’s exactly the same phrase. Just remember to make it sound a bit more “Italian” when you say it.
That’s not to say that you should speak English all the time.
It’s true that hotel staff usually speak great English. But because they see so many tourists who don’t bother with the language, your interest will stand out. It comes across really well if you make an effort to use some Italian.
So, what will the concierge or receptionist probably say to you when you arrive?
Benvenuti! – Welcome!
Benvenuti ends in –i if they’re addressing more than one person. If you’re alone they’ll say benvenuta/o, depending on whether you’re female or male.
Then you usually have to sign something. That’s:
Firmi qui – Sign here
Finally, and most importantly, they’ll tell you when breakfast is:
La colazione – Breakfast
La colazione è dalle sette alle undici – Breakfast is from seven to eleven.
If you need to brush up on your Italian time telling skills, make sure you “check out” this post on how to tell the time in Italian.
After that, they’ll probably talk about your room:
La camera – The room
Which might be ready or not:
La camera è pronta – The room is ready
La camera non è pronta – The room isn’t ready
If it’s ready, they’ll give you the key:
La sua chiave – Your key
Which you can leave at reception when you check out:
Lasci la chiave alla reception – Leave the key at reception
And what time was the check out again?
A che ora è il checkout? – What time is the check-out?
Alle dieci – At 10:00am
So far, so good. But there’s one thing they might have forgotten…
A funny thing about travelling in the modern era is how dependent we are on internet access. Knowing how to ask for the wifi in your hotel is therefore a must in Italian.
To simply ask if they have wifi say:
C’è il wifi? – Is there wifi?
And the key phrase, quite literally, that you’ll need next:
Qual è la password? – What’s the password?
You might notice that Italians are rather fond of borrowing English words. This is great news for Italian learners. You can add wifi and la password to il check in, to boost your hotel vocab instantly. Just remember to say them with an Italian accent.
If you have a problem connecting to the internet, you can say this:
Non si connette… – It doesn’t connect…
If that’s tricky to remember, there’s always the more direct:
Non funziona… – It doesn’t work…
This is a really useful way to explain if something’s not working in your hotel room, and in other travel situations:
Il wifi non funziona – The wifi doesn’t work
La macchinetta non funziona – The machine doesn’t work
Il mio telefono non funziona – My telephone doesn’t work
Now how many of these phrases for travel and accommodation do you think you can remember? Before attempting our mini quiz, here is a lightning fast review.
When you can’t find your way, you need to ask “where” something is:
Dov’è…? – Where is…?
Dov’è il centro? – Where’s the centre?
Dov’è il mercato? – Where’s the market?
Dov’è piazza Garibaldi? – Where’s Garibaldi Square?
Scusi, dov’è la stazione? – Excuse me, where’s the station?
And to say you’re lost it’s:
Mi sono persa/o – I’m lost (f/m)
But don’t worry, here are the words for some basic directions:
Dritto – Straight on
A sinistra – To the left
A destra – To the right
Di là – Over there
The main forms of public transport you’ll use are:
La metro – The metro
L’autobus – The bus
Il treno – The train
Il tram – The tram
Un taxi – A taxi
And remember these key places where you might find some of them:
La fermata della metro – The metro stop
La stazione degli autobus – The bus station
La stazione dei treni – The train station
Then, to buy tickets you’ll need these words:
Il biglietto – The ticket
La biglietteria – The ticket office
La biglietteria automatica – the ticket machine
Il tabaccaio – The newsagents (where you can also buy tickets)
Un biglietto per… – A ticket for…
Andata / Sola andata – One way (ticket)
Andata e ritorno – Return (ticket)
When you check in to your hotel you might hear these things:
Benvenuti – Welcome!
Firmi qui – Sign here
La colazione – Breakfast
La colazione è dalle sette alle undici – Breakfast is from 7 to 11
La camera – The room
Non è pronta – It’s not ready
La sua chiave – Your key
Lasci la chiave alla reception – Leave the key at reception
And finally to ask for the internet, you can use these phrases:
C’è il wi-fi? – Is there wifi?
Qual è la password? – What’s the password?
Non si connette… – It doesn’t connect…
Non funziona – It doesn’t work
All set? Now it’s time to head over to our quiz to test your knowledge!
Learn to speak and understand Italian faster by joining the Joy of Languages Italian club! When you sign up, you’ll get:
If you’d like to join us, click here to become a member of our Italian club.
Dov’è…? = where is…?
Il centro = the centre
La stazione = the station
Il treno = the train
L’autobus = the bus
La metro = the metro
La fermata = the stop
Il biglietto = the ticket
La biglietteria = the ticket office
Il tabaccaio = the newsagents
Andata/sola andata = one way (ticket)
Andata e ritorno = return (ticket)
Benvenuti! = welcome!
Firmi qui = sign here
La colazione = the breakfast
La camera = the room
La sua chiave = your key
C’è il wifi? = is there wifi?
Qual è la password? = what’s the password?
Non si connette = it doesn’t connect
Non funziona = it doesn’t work
How much did you learn? Find out in the quiz!
Click here to take the quiz for this episode: 31 Phrases for Travel and Accommodation
Remember the vocabulary from this lesson by downloading the digital flashcards
Not sure how it works? Click here to watch the tutorial
Please note, this is not a word for word transcript.
K: When I first went to Rome back in 2009, there were no smartphones. So I used an actual paper map to find my way around the city.
M: Yes, it’s very weird to think back to those times now!
K: I think in some ways, it was better for learning Italian, because you couldn’t just look stuff up online. If you got stuck you had to try and talk to the people around you.
M: But even now with google maps, you still have to ask sometimes. We live in Milan and tourists stop us sometimes with their smartphone in their hand, asking us for directions.
K: Yeah, that’s true actually. What questions do they ask?
M: Well they always start with the most important phrase: Dov’è…?
K: Where is…? Dove means “where” and è means “is”. Then we smush them together: dove plus è becomes dov’è. Remember to put the stress on the last bit. dov’È.
…
M: Dov’è (x3)
K: Let’s learn some more words. As you’re listening at home, if you already know these words, try to say them in the pause, and if you don’t, no worries! Say them with Matteo, trying to get your pronunciation as close to his as possible.
M: So you know how to say “where is”. Dov’è.
K: Then you can add whatever you want to find. For example, the centre, il centro. How would you ask “where’s the centre?”
…
M: Dov’è il centro? (x3)
K: You might be looking for the market, il mercato.
…
M: Dov’è il mercato? (x3)
K: Or a square, which we call piazza, for example Piazza Garibaldi is a common name for a square, named after Garibaldi, the general who unified Italy. Where’s Garibaldi square?
…
M: Dov’è Piazza Garibaldi?
K: Or you might be looking for a street. Streets are often called Via, so you might have Via Roma, literally “Rome Street”.
…
M: Dov’è via Roma?
K: Those words are particularly useful if you’re one to get lost. How would you say “I’m lost”?
…
M: Mi sono perso
K: That’s perso because Matteo is male, but I would say mi sono persa – as I’m female.
M: Mi sono perso
K: Mi sono persa
When you’re travelling in Italy you might take the metro:
…
M: La metro (x3)
K: Or the bus:
…
M: L’autobus (x3)
K: The train:
…
M: Il treno (x3)
K: The tram:
…
M: Il tram (x3)
K: Or a taxi:
…
M: Un taxi (x3)
K: Before you get a bus, train or take the metro, remember to buy your ticket!
…
M: Il biglietto (x3)
K: A lot of people make the mistake of saying biglietto with the English word “big”. The GL in Italian is a bit like a cross between Y and L. YL, YL. Think of it like: BI-YLEH-TO. BI – GLEH – TO. BI-YLEH-TO.
M: Biglietto
K: If you want to learn more about how to pronounce this sound, check out episode 5, how to pronounce gli, like in famiglia.
M: But for now, let’s keep talking about our biglietto.
K: On a train for example you might hear the conductor calling “tickets please”. That sounds like this:
…
M: Biglietti, per favore! (x3)
K: A quick cultural point to bear in mind here is that travelling in Italy can be quite different compared to other places, so here are a couple of tips to make sure everything goes smoothly.
M: In most places, you can’t buy bus or tram tickets onboard. You’ll need to buy them in a little shop called: il tabaccaio (x3)
K: These shops are often closed on Sundays, so it’s good to plan ahead! And if you’re taking a train, remember to stamp your ticket before you get onboard. You’ll usually see little machines for this in the main station, and close to the platform.
M: So then hopefully, you’ll find your way to the place where you’re staying.
K: Yes! There are a couple of useful phrases that are great to have to hand when you’re checking into a hotel or airbnb for example. Not only that, but trying to use some Italian will make the staff warm to you.
In a hotel they’ll often start by welcoming you.
M: Benvenuti (x3)
K: If they were welcoming Matteo, alone, they’d say
…
M: Benvenuto
K: If they were welcoming me, a female, they’d say
…
M: Benvenuta
K: They might then say: sign here
…
M: Firmi qui (x3)
K: Breakfast is:
…
M: La colazione (x3)
K: Breakfast is from 7 to 11 would be:
…
M: La colazione è dalle sette alle undici (x3)
K: And if you need to brush up on your Italian time telling skills, make sure you check out episode 31 on how to tell the time in Italian.
Next, the question we all need to ask these days: is there wifi?
…
M: C’è il wifi? (x3)
K: What’s the password?
…
M: Qual è la password? (x3)
K: For the room, we say:
…
M: La camera (x3)
K: That could be confusing because it sounds like something you’d take photos with… it’s related to the English word “chamber” – if that helps you remember!
M: La camera
K: Remember to put the stress on the first part CAmera
M: La camera
K: But if la camera isn’t ready, the concierge might say:
M: Non è pronta…
K: With luck though, they should have a room pronta, and then you’ll get your key:
…
M: La chiave (x3)
K: And if you heard this phrase, what do you think it could mean?
M: Lasci la chiave alla reception (x3)
K: Leave the key at the reception. That’s
M: Lasci – leave
la chiave – the key
alla – at the
reception – reception
K: So, now you know the Italian essentials of getting around and checking into your accommodation. Stay tuned for the next part of this series about Italian phrases for travel, where you’ll learn how to buy stuff in Italy.
Remember, if you want to see everything written down from this episode, and get bonus materials, like vocabulary cards and a quiz, head over to our website, italian.joyoflanguages.com/podcast and search for episode 98.
M – See you next time.
K – Or as we say in Italian.
Alla prossima!
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If you’re thinking about a trip to Italy, you’ve surely pictured yourself walking into a beautiful Italian café and ordering your first drink, or going out for an authentic Italian meal…
But how to do this in Italian?
Here you’ll learn the key phrases you need to order in Italian. You’ll also pick up important cultural information to help you navigate restaurants and bars like a true italiano.
In the first section, you’ll learn phrases for Italian restaurants, and in the second part, phrases for bars and cafés in Italy.
So… feeling hungry? How about a trip to a restaurant – in Italian!
You’ve arrived in Italy and cannot wait to try your first Italian restaurant. But there’s something worth doing before you enjoy your first meal out…
Siamo al completo!
What does that mean? We’re full.
Just imagine it… Your friend recommended the most fantastic restaurant in Bologna. You simply must try the tagliatelle al ragù – or “bolognese” as they say in English. But as you arrive at 1:30pm, you see all the tables are full: a good restaurant doesn’t stay secret for long in Italy.
To avoid being disappointed, it helps to book ahead. Here’s how to do that:
Posso prenotare…? – Can I book…?
Un tavolo – A table
Per uno / per due / per tre – For one / for two / for three
All together that’s:
Posso prenotare un tavolo per due? – Can I book a table for two?
The word prenotare means “to book” or “make a reservation”. You might also hear this when you first arrive at a busy restaurant:
Avete prenotato? – Have you booked?
Sì, abbiamo prenotato. – Yes, we’ve booked.
Sì, ho prenotato – Yes, I’ve booked.
If you haven’t booked a table, you can of course simply ask if they have one:
Avete un tavolo per uno / due / tre – Do you have a table for one / two / three?
To get the pronunciation of tavolo just right, be careful to put the emphasis on the first syllable: TAvolo.
One last cultural point to note is when to dine out. Italians, and therefore Italian restaurants, tend to have fairly set meal times. Lunch is from 1 to 2pm (perhaps a bit later on weekends). And dinner normally starts between 8 and 9:30pm, although if you go South, it might even be a little later!
So you’ve got to the restaurant and secured a table. What are you going to have?
Once you’ve sat down, the first thing the waiter might do is show you il menù (“menoo”) and ask you:
Qualcosa da bere? – Something to drink?
If you need to buy yourself some time, you can say:
Un minuto per favore! – One minute please!
Or if you know what you want you can place your order. The best way to do this is to use the word vorrei which means “I would like”, followed by what you want. Here are some things you might order to drink:
Vorrei… – I’d like…
Una birra – A beer
Un vino rosso – A red wine
Un vino bianco – A white wine
You could order a bottle:
Una bottiglia (di…) – A bottle (of…)
Una bottiglia di vino bianco – A bottle of white wine
Or just a glass:
Un bicchiere (di…) – A glass (of…)
Un bicchiere di vino rosso – A glass of red wine
The pronunciation bicchiere can be a bit tricky. Just imagine the word “yeah” in the middle. BIK – YEAH – REH.
What about food?
Once you’ve got your drinks the waiter might disappear. How can you get their attention to order in a polite way?
You can say: scusi! – “excuse me!”
That’s pronounced “sc-ooo-zi”, not with a “you” sound like in the English “excuse me”.
The waiter could also just come straight over and ask if you’re ready to order. They might say:
Pronti per ordinare? – Ready to order?
To which you reply:
Sì, siamo pronti! – Yes, we’re ready.
If you’re dining solo, those phrases will sound slightly different:
Pronta/o per ordinare? – Ready to order?
Sì, sono pronta/o! – Yes, I’m ready.
Pronta for Katie, as she’s female, and pronto for Matteo, as he’s male.
So, what are you having?
Now, on an Italian menu you’ll see different sections:
Antipasti – Starters
Primi piatti – First dishes
Secondi piatti – Second dishes
Contorni – Side dishes
Dolci – Desserts
Time for some quick culture tips! Italians have antipasti which are like starters. Typical examples are bruschettas or charcuterie boards to share.
Then we have primi and secondi piatti, often known as just primi and secondi. These can be a bit confusing – do Italians always have two meals? Not necessarily! I primi (first dishes) typically refer to dishes based on carbohydrates, for example pasta dishes, or risottos. I secondi (second dishes) are more for meat and fish. You can order either a first or a second – or both if you’re going in for a real feast.
To say what you want, you can use vorrei (I’d like) as you learned earlier with drinks. There’s an even simpler way to order though: just say per me… (for me…) followed by what you want:
Vorrei le tagliatelle – I’d like the tagliatelle
Per me, la zuppa – For me, the soup
Or you can use prendere. Literally it means “to take”, but when talking about food and drink, it means “to have”:
Prendo i tortellini – I’ll have the tortellini
Prendo il pesce – I’ll have the fish
And if you’re looking at the menu thinking: how on earth am I going to pronounce that? Italians love to give their dishes long fancy titles that describe everything that’s in it. Don’t sweat it! You can just point at what you want on the menu and say:
Prendo questo! – I’ll have this!
After enjoying your meal, it’s time to settle up.
When everyone has finished eating, the waiter will come to clear away and ask how everything was. Or they might ask while you’re having your meal. If everything’s fine you can say:
Tutto perfetto! – Everything is/was perfect!
You can then ask for the check / bill:
Il conto, per favore. – The check, please.
Time for another culture tip. And speaking of tips… what about tipping? Do Italians leave a tip?
Tipping isn’t expected in Italy, and Italians don’t normally do it. That being said, if you do want to leave la mancia (the tip), it’s a sign that you really enjoyed the meal and the service – the staff will certainly appreciate it!
There’s one extra charge that appears on the check in Italy: pane e coperto. What does it mean?
Literally it’s “bread and cover”. It’s a small charge, usually a euro or two, and is added whenever you sit down to eat rather than having something at the bar or to go. All Italians pay it without thinking too much about it. Actually, since tipping isn’t the norm, it’s a bargain! You typically pay a couple of euros rather than 10 – 20% of the check.
So, now you know how to order in an Italian restaurant. But what about when it comes to bars and cafés? How do you even say “bar” or “café” in Italian? The difference can be confusing…
Picture yourself on holiday in Italy. A friend who lives locally has suggested to meet at the bar:
Ci vediamo al bar! – See you at the “bar”!
But at 10am?! It might seem a little early for a drink…
Well, confusingly, il bar is actually a “café” in Italian!
Ci vediamo al bar! – See you at the café!
And what about a “bar” then? For evening drinks? Italians would call a place that’s more for nightlife: il locale.
Ci vediamo al locale! – See you at the bar!
So:
il bar – the café (coffee and daytime drinks)
il locale – the bar (evening drinks and nightlife)
Once you’ve overcome this highly confusing fact, you can head over to il bar for a morning coffee.
But… how do you order a coffee in Italian?
At il bar you have the choice between going directly to the bar and ordering there, or finding a table and waiting to be served. It’s very typical to see Italians stopping by at the counter for their morning espresso.
To order a coffee, you can use the same phrases you learned to order in restaurants:
Vorrei… – I’d like…
Per me… – For me…
Prendo… – I’ll have…
So, how would you ask for a coffee?
Vorrei un caffè
Per me, un caffè
Prendo un caffè
But attenzione! If you ask for un caffè, you’ll get an “espresso” in Italy. That’s actually how most Italians normally drink it. If you wanted a long, black coffee you’d need un caffè americano.
Here’s a list of the most typical things people order in a café.
Un caffè – An espresso
Un caffè americano – A long coffee
Un latte macchiato – A hot milk with a shot of coffee
Un macchiato – An espresso with a dash of milk
Latte di soia – Soy milk
Un’acqua naturale – A still water
Un’acqua gassata – A fizzy water / water with gas
Solo acqua – Just water
Apart from il caffè, the other word that confuses foreigners a lot is latte. If you order a “latte” in a New York Starbucks, you’ll get a large white coffee. But actually in Italian, latte just means “milk”! There’s no coffee in it.
If you want a “latte” coffee, you should ask for un latte macchiato. Macchiato literally means “stained”. It’s milk “stained” with coffee.
Wondering how to pronounce macchiato? It sounds like this: MAK – YA – TO
To learn more about different types of Italian coffee and how to pronounce them, check out this post on how to order coffee in Italy.
So how might you ask for a latte coffee?
Vorrei un latte macchiato – I’d like a latte coffee
Per me, un latte macchiato – For me, a latte coffee
Prendo un latte macchiato – I’ll have a latte coffee
Or a cappuccino with soy milk?
Vorrei un cappuccino con latte di soia – I’d like a cappuccino with soy milk
Per me, un cappuccino con latte di soia – For me, a cappuccino with soy milk
Prendo un cappuccino con latte di soia – I’ll have a cappuccino with soy milk
And a still water?
E un’acqua naturale – And a still water
As the evening draws on however, it’s common to see Italians heading to il locale.
Salute! – Cheers!
Cin cin! – Cheers!
In the evening, before dinner, Italians love to enjoy l’aperitivo. This means “evening drinks and nibbles”. Not to be confused with the orange liquor: “aperol”.
If an Italian invites you for an aperitivo, they mean some casual drinks in general, and probably a bite to eat as well.
Once again, at il locale you can use the same phrases you learned for the café or restaurant to place your order.
Do you remember how to ask for a beer?
Vorrei una birra – I’d like a beer
Per me, una birra – For me, a beer
Prendo una birra – I’ll have a beer
What about a glass of red wine?
Vorrei un bicchiere di vino rosso – I’d like a glass of red wine
Per me, un bicchiere di vino rosso – For me, a glass of red wine
Prendo un bicchiere di vino rosso – I’ll have a glass of red wine
How about a bottle of white wine?
Prendiamo una bottiglia di vino bianco – We’ll have a bottle of white wine
You can use prendo (I’ll have) if you’re ordering just for yourself, or prendiamo (we’ll have) if you’re ordering for a friend or two as well. Here are a couple more examples:
Prendiamo due birre – We’ll have two beers
Prendiamo una bottiglia d’acqua – We’ll have a bottle of water
And, if you’re ordering with a friend, don’t forget the most important Italian phrase you’ll learn:
Paga il mio amico – My friend will pay
Just make sure you’re with a good friend before using that one…
Congratulazioni! You now know how to order in Italian. Before testing how much you can remember in our quiz, here’s a quick review of what you’ve learned.
Before going to a restaurant in Italy, consider booking a table:
Posso prenotare…? – Can I book…?
Avete…? – Do you have…?
Un tavolo per uno, per due, per tre – A table for one, for two, for three…
Avete prenotato? – Have you booked?
Abbiamo prenotato – We’ve booked
Ho prenotato – I’ve booked
If not you could risk them being al completo:
Siamo al completo – We’re full
Once you’ve sat down, you can order drinks:
Qualcosa da bere? – Something to drink?
Vorrei… – I’d like…
Prendo… – I’ll have…
Prendiamo… – We’ll have…
Per me… – For me…
Una birra – A beer
Un vino rosso – A red wine
Un vino bianco – A white wine
Una bottiglia (di…) – A bottle (of…)
Un bicchiere (di…) – A glass (of…)
Remember to get the waiter’s attention it’s: scusi!
Pronti per ordinare? – Ready to order? (Singular: Pronta/o per ordinare?)
Siamo pronti! – We’re ready (I’m ready: Sono pronta/o)
Once you’ve had your food, it’s time to settle up:
Tutto perfetto! – Everything is/was perfect!
Il conto, per favore. – The check, please.
What about bars and cafés? Remember the difference:
il bar – the café (coffee and daytime drinks)
il locale – the bar (evening drinks and nightlife)
To order, at the table or counter, use the same words as in the restaurant (vorrei, prendo, per me…). Here are some things you might more typically order in a café:
Un caffè – An espresso
Un caffè americano – A long coffee
Un latte macchiato – A hot milk with a shot of coffee
Un macchiato – An espresso with a dash of milk
Latte di soia – Soy milk
Un’acqua naturale – Still water
Un’acqua gassata – A fizzy water / water with gas
Solo acqua – Just water
Now you’re all set for the Italian aperitivo! Salute!
Before hitting the bars though, remember to take our quiz to test what you know…
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avete prenotato? = do you have a reservation? (lit. have you booked?)
posso prenotare un tavolo per due? = can I book a table for two?
siamo pronti = we’re ready
vorrei una birra = I’d like a beer
vorrei un vino bianco = I’d like a white wine
un bicchiere di vino rosso = a glass of red wine
una bottiglia d’acqua gasata = a bottle of sparkling water
il conto, per favore = the bill, please
tutto perfetto! = everything’s perfect!
il locale = the bar, the place where we go for drinks in the evening
How much did you learn? Find out in the quiz!
Click here to take the quiz for this episode: How to order in Italian: Restaurant and Bar Phrases
Remember the vocabulary from this lesson by downloading the digital flashcards
Not sure how it works? Click here to watch the tutorial
Please note, this is not a word for word transcript.
K: So, Matteo, we’re on holiday in Italy, what’s the first thing you want to do?
M: Maybe… find a nice ristorante and try some local dishes?
K: Sì! We have the same priorities in life. The restaurant is:
…
M: il ristorante
K: As you’re listening at home, if you already know these words, try to say them in the pause, and if you don’t, no worries! Say them with Matteo, trying to get your pronunciation as close to his as possible. Speaking of pronunciation, did you notice how Matteo pronounced ristorante? In Italian, it’s not “rest”, it’s “rist”. Ristorante.
…
M: Ristorante (x 3)
K: In Italy, lunch usually starts around one, perhaps a little later on the weekends. And dinner normally starts between 8 and 9:30, although if you go South, it might even be a little later!
How would you say “a table for two”?
…
M: Un tavolo per due (x3)
K: And you can ask “do you have…”? Let’s use the plural “you”, when speaking to more than one persone, because there’s normally more than one person working there.
…
M: Avete…
K: Do you have a table for two?
…
M: Avete un tavolo per due? (x 3)
K: They might ask “do you have a reservation?” Literally “have you booked”?
…
M: Avete prenotato? (x3)
K: As we know, avete is the plural “you have”, when speaking to two or more people. If you’re alone, they’ll use the singular formal ha:
…
M: Ha prenotato? (x3)
K: If you haven’t reserved, they might say “we’re full”
…
M: Siamo al completo (x3)
K: If in doubt in Italy, it’s advisable to book ahead, especially at the weekend. Italians love to dine out, so good restaurants are always busy. Recently I made this mistake in Bologna. I went with a couple of friends and we’d been recommended some nice restaurants, but we didn’t think to book and they were always full! But we did manage to find some other nice places just walking around.
M: You can always find something good to eat in Italy!
K: How would you say “can I book”? “Can I” is:
…
M: Posso
K: To book
…
M: Prenotare
K: Can I book a table
…
M: Posso prenotare un tavolo? (x3)
K: Can I book a table for two?
…
M: Posso prenotare un tavolo per due?
K: This time, luckily, we’ve got our table. And the waiter asks if we’d like something to drink:
M: Qualcosa da bere? (x3)
K: There are a few different phrases the waiter might use for this, but basically, when you hear the word bere, you know the waiter is asking you what you’d like to drink! I’d like is..
…
M: Vorrei… (x3)
K: Followed by your drink order. You could order a beer una birra. How would you say “I’d like a beer”?
…
M: Vorrei una birra (x3)
K: Or a wine? A red wine is:
…
M: Un vino rosso (x3)
K: And a white wine:
…
M: Un vino bianco (x3)
K: You can say “I’d like a red wine”
…
M: Vorrei un vino rosso
K: Or “I’d like a white wine”
…
M: Vorrei un vino bianco
K: If you need to specify, you can say “a bottle”
…
M:
Una bottiglia (x 3)
K: A bottle of red wine
…
Una bottiglia di vino rosso
K: A bottle of white wine:
M: Una bottiglia di vino bianco
K: Or a glass.
…
M: Un bicchiere (x 3)
K: This word bicchiere can be quite tricky to pronounce! But if you break it into 3 syllables, it’s easy. BIK – YEAH – REH. The middle one is like “yeah”, the slang word for “yes” in English. BIK – YEAH – REH. BIK – YEAH – REH.
M: Bicchiere
K: A glass of red wine:
…
M: Un bicchiere di vino rosso
K: A glass of white wine:
…
M: Un bicchiere di vino bianco
K: How about just water? How do you say “water” in Italian?
…
M: Acqua (x3)
K: A bottle of?
…
M: Una bottiglia di
K: A bottle of water?
…
M: Una bottiglia d’acqua
K: In this case, the “di” and “acqua” get squished together, so instead of saying “di acqua”, we say di acqua. Una bottiglia d’acqua.
K: In Italy, we normally specify whether we want still or sparkling:
K: Still water is:
…
M: Acqua naturale (x3)
K: Sparkling water, “water with gas”:
…
M: Acqua gassata (x3)
K: If it’s very busy, you might have to attract the waiter’s attention. To do this, just say “excuse me”.
M: Scusi (x3)
K: As the waiter comes back, they could ask if you’re ready to order:
M: Pronti per ordinare? (x3)
K: You can say “we’re ready”:
M: Siamo pronti (x3)
K: If you’re dining alone, the word “pronto” will change. For me, it would end in an -a.
M: Pronta.
K: For Matteo, it ends in an -o.
M: Pronto.
K: You know how waiters come over and ask you if everything’s ok with your meal? They do that in Italy, too! The waiter might come over and ask “is everything ok”? Literally “all ok”?
M: Tutto bene? (x3)
K: If it’s all good, you can say “everything perfect!”
…
M: Tutto perfetto. (x3)
K: At the end of your meal, how would you say “the bill, please”?
…
M: Il conto, per favore. (x3)
K: If we were dining out for lunch, next we might go and see some sights, then, where do you want to go next Matteo?
M: Hmm… the bar?
K: Ah, but do you mean il bar or il locale?
M: Ohh, yes it’s different in English. I want a coffee, so I meant Il bar.
K. Which is actually a café in Italy, just to confuse matters! So, for coffee and drinks during the day, we’re going to
M: il bar
K: Let’s order a coffee. To say “I’d like a coffee”, we say:
…
M: Vorrei un caffè (x3)
K: Attenzione! Careful here, because Italians usually drink espresso, that’s the standard coffee. So if you ask for un caffè, you’ll get an espresso, a teeny tiny shot of coffee. If you want a bigger coffee, like the ones people drink in America and outside of Italy, you should ask for:
M: Un caffè americano (x3)
K: And you can ask for it “with milk”
…
M: Con latte (x3)
K: Or without milk
…
M: Senza latte (x3)
K: Coming back to our latte, you might have noticed that the word latte just means “milk” in Italian!
M: So if you order a “latte” in Italy, you’ll just get a cup of milk!
K: If you want a “latte” coffee, a cup of warm milk with a shot of coffee in it, then ask for:
…
M: Un latte macchiato (x 3)
K: Macchiato literally means “stained”, so Italians literally call it “stained milk”. As in, milk stained with coffee. The pronunciation of macchiato can be a bit tricky at first. It’s MAK – YA – TO. MAK – YA – TO. MAK – YA – TO.
M: Macchiato. Un latte macchiato.
K: Then, you can of course ask for a cappuccino, too. Listen carefully to Matteo’s pronunciation, making the “p” and the “ch” nice and long:
…
M: Cappuccino (x3)
K: I’d like a cappuccino
…
M: Vorrei un cappuccino
K: And what about drinks in the evening?
M: We go to il locale (x 3)
K: The bar, confusingly. Italians head to il locale for drinks and nibbles. Italians have a special name for the drinks and nibbles they have after work. Do you know it?
…
M: L’aperitivo (x3)
K: At the locale you could order a beer. Remember how to say “I’d like a beer”?
…
M: Vorrei una birra (x3)
K: Or a wine? Remember how to say “I’d like a red wine?”
…
M: Vorrei un vino rosso (x3)
K: And “I’d like a white wine”:
…
M: Vorrei un vino bianco (x3)
K: Remember how to order the water? A bottle of water?
M: Una bottiglia d’acqua
K: A bottle of still water? Literally “natural”
M: Una bottiglia d’acqua naturale
K: A bottle of sparkling water? With gas?
M: Una bottiglia d’acqua gasata
K: Often you can get rid of the bottle part and just say “A still water”
…
M: Un’acqua naturale
K: Or a sparkling water?
…
M: Un’acqua gasata
K: All this talk of food and drink is making me hungry and thirsty! Do you want to go out tonight, Matteo?
M: Sì! Però… abbiamo prenotato?
K: Have we booked… hmm no. But I’m sure we’ll find something. First, let’s do a quick review of the most common phrases from today’s episode. The restaurant is:
…
M: Il ristorante
K: A table for two
…
M: Un tavolo per due
K: Can I book?
…
M: Posso prenotare?
K: Can I book a table for two?
…
M: Posso prenotare un tavolo per due?
K: Do you have a reservation?” Literally “have you booked”?
…
M: Avete prenotato?
K: Something to drink:
…
M: Qualcosa da bere?
K: Ready to order?
…
M: Pronti per ordinare?
K: We’re ready
…
M: Siamo pronti
K: Is everything ok? All ok?
…
M: Tutto bene?
K: Everything’s perfect!
…
M: Tutto perfetto!
K: The bill, please
…
M: Il conto, per favore
K: How do we say “the café?” Remember it sounds like something different in Italian!
…
M: Il bar
K: I’d like a coffee?
…
M: Vorrei un caffè
K: Un caffè, is usually an espresso. What if we want a larger coffee?
…
M: Vorrei un americano
K: What do we call the place where we go for drinks in the evening?
…
M: Il locale
K: Drinks and nibbles
…
M: L’aperitivo
K: I’d like a beer
…
M: Vorrei una birra
K: A glass of red wine is:
…
M: Un bicchiere di vino rosso
K: I’d like a glass of red wine?
…
M: Vorrei un bicchiere di vino rosso
K: A glass of white wine is:
…
M: Un bicchiere di vino bianco
K: I’d like a glass of white wine?
…
M: Vorrei un bicchiere di vino bianco
K: I’d like a still water, sounds like natural:
…
M: Vorrei un’acqua naturale
K: I’d like a sparkling water, or “water with gas”:
…
M: Vorrei un’acqua gassata
So, you now know how to order drinks and dine out in Italian! In our next episode, we’ll talk about the essential Italian phrases for organising transport and accommodation in Italy.
Remember, if you want to see everything written down from this episode, and get bonus materials, like vocabulary cards and a quiz, head over to our website, italian.joyoflanguages.com/podcast and search for episode 97.
M – See you next time.
K – Or as we say in Italian.
Alla prossima!
To get mini lessons delivered to your inbox, access to the private Facebook group and invites to speaking workshops, click here to become a member.
What’s the first thing you should learn in Italian? Maybe how to…
Say hello?
Ask someone their name?
Here’s our suggestion:
Grazie!
That’s Italian for “thank you”. It’s a word you’ll use every day that’s essential for being polite in Italian.
Even if you already know the basics, it can be tricky to use them exactly like Italians do. And knowing how to use these words confidently is essential to making a good first impression.
So in this post, you’ll learn how to use grazie like a native, together with a few other phrases to avoid sounding rude in Italy. You’ll also learn how to navigate the delicate art of meeting and greeting in Italian.
Ready to become an incredibly well-mannered Italian speaker?
Let’s get started with those words at the heart of Italian language etiquette.
Think of a waiter bringing you your first course.
A hotel clerk showing you to your room.
A kind stranger holding a door open.
What’s the word you would need to be polite in these situations? Indeed, it’s “thank you”, or as we say in Italian:
Grazie!
We think this word is so important, we’ve done a whole post where you’ll learn how to use it and in particular how to pronounce grazie.
By way of lightning fast summary, think of the pronunciation like this:
Grats-yeah
One mistake many Italian learners make is to pronounce the ending as grazi. Don’t fall into that trap! The ie ending of grazie actually sounds a lot like the English “yeah”: grats-yeah.
Now what to say in response to grazie?
Say you’re the one holding the door open, or giving something to someone, it’s now your job to respond to grazie in a well-mannered way. What can you say?
The most typical response, and one that you can use in pretty much every situation, is:
Prego – “you’re welcome”.
If you learn just one response to grazie, then this is one to go for. For a quick pronunciation tip, watch out for the “R” sound. It actually sounds more like p-dego, said fast. Give it a try!
P-dego, p-dego, p-dego, p-dego… prego!
There are a few other good options, too. Don’t miss this post if you want to deep dive into how to respond to grazie.
There are two more words which are absolutely crucial to being polite in Italian.
Imagine you’re sitting in a restaurant – what word could you use to get the waiter’s attention?
Or if you bumped into someone – how could you quickly apologise?
In both cases, the word you’d need is:
Scusi!
Which means “excuse me” in Italian.
One word for getting people’s attention, and apologising! Fantastically useful.
In addition the pronunciation is relatively straightforward. Just be careful to avoid making the “you” sound that we find in the English “exc-you-se me”. Scusi isn’t quite like that. In fact it’s more like:
Sc-ooo-si.
The “u” of scusi makes an “ooo” sound. There’s no “you”.
Before we examine the art of meeting and greeting in Italian, there’s one more word you’ll need to be polite.
You might already know this one! In Italian, we say:
Per favore – “please”
Just remember not to mix it up with the Spanish por favor, because the spelling and pronunciation are a bit different! In Italian, we say per favore:
per – sounds a bit like the per in performance.
favore – there’s an “EH” sound at the end (fav-or-reh)
Keep in mind that per favore is not quite as common as “please” in English. You’ll often hear Italians ordering things without it, for example:
Per me, una birra – I’ll have a beer
Un caffè, grazie – A coffee, thanks
To sound really native, try to listen to Italians ordering things and follow their lead. That being said, a little extra politeness doesn’t hurt so if you do use per favore, Italians will appreciate it.
Now you’ve learned these four words to sound polite, it’s time to delve into the world of meeting and greeting in Italian.
Turns out, there are quite a few different ways to say “hello” in Italian!
Buongiorno! – Good morning! / Good day!
Buonasera! – Good evening!
If you look at these words carefully, you can see they are actually made up of two words:
buon – “good”
giorno – “day”
and:
buona – “good”
sera – “evening”
Just like in English! Good day: buon-giorno. Good evening: buona-sera. What is not exactly like English is when you should be using them.
Everyone agrees that before noon, you should say buongiorno. After lunch-time however, some Italians will start to use buonasera, while others will go on using buongiorno until around 5pm or later.
Do Italians not have a word for “good afternoon?” How uncivilised!
The phrase “good afternoon” does exist, it’s buon pomeriggio, but almost nobody uses it. Instead, they switch from buongiorno straight to buonasera – with a certain amount of flexibility as to when.
Learning tip: If you’d rather not worry about choosing between buongiorno and buonasera, here’s a really useful word you might not find in textbooks:
Salve! – Hello!
Unlike the other phrases, you can use it at any time of day.
Finally, what about ciao?
This is another term for saying “hi” or “bye”, which perhaps you’ve already heard before.
What a lot of tourists don’t realise though is that you only use it among friends, family, and in other informal situations. It’s best avoided in situations where you don’t know the person you’re talking to, for example, when checking into a hotel, or greeting an elderly shopkeeper. In these cases, it’s best to stick with buongiorno, buonasera or salve.
Of course, once you’re friendly with someone it’s certainly common to hear ciao both when someone is arriving or leaving.
So, you’ve greeted someone in Italian. Fantastic! Now it’s time to meet them.
Buongiorno!
Salve!
Hmm… now what?
Once you’ve said hello to someone for the first time, you can introduce yourself.
Salve! Sono Katie. – “Hello! I’m Katie”
At that point, the person you’re talking to will probably tell you their name, but just in case they don’t, you can ask:
Come si chiama? – What’s your name?
If this phrase feels a bit complex, you can also use a sneaky trick to get someone else to tell you their name.
Rather than asking them directly, just say who you are, and ask them “and you”?:
Sono Katie… e Lei? – “I’m Katie… and you?” (formal)
Sono Katie… e tu? – “I’m Katie… and you?” (informal)
Once you’ve got their name, you can say “nice to meet you”. In Italian that’s:
Piacere.
This is actually short for a slightly longer phrase that means “pleased to meet you”:
Piacere di conoscerla – “Pleased to meet you” (formal)
Piacere di conoscerti – “Pleased to meet you” (informal)
But no need to worry about all those details, because you can just use one word: piacere. It’s also the one Italians use the most, so you’ll sound most native that way!
So, here’s how to greet someone in Italian in a natural sounding way:
-Salve! – “Hello!”
-Salve! Sono Katie. E tu? – “Hello! I’m Katie. And you?”
-Sono Matteo. – “I’m Matteo”.
-Piacere! – “Nice to meet you!”
-Piacere! – “Nice to meet you!”
After you’ve met someone and enjoyed a wonderful conversation in perfect Italian *ahem*, it’s time to say goodbye. But how do you do that in Italian?
Saying goodbye. Bidding farewell. See ya!
It’s funny there are so many ways to say goodbye, some ways more or less informal than others. And Italian is no different.
The standard way, especially for more formal contexts is:
Arrivederci.
Which means “goodbye”. The literal meaning is: “until we see each other again”. Rather nice!
To really pull this phrase off, you can practise your double Italian Rs. A-rri-vederci. This can be rather difficult for English speakers though. Don’t worry if you’re not able to do that yet, with time and practice you’ll get there. If you’re interested you can find more information in this article all about how to roll your Rs like an Italian.
As well as arrivederci, there’s the more informal word ciao which we mentioned earlier. This means both “hi” and “bye”.
Ciao!
And finally, Italians can also say goodbye by wishing each other a good rest of the day.
If it’s during the morning or midday, Italians might say:
Buona giornata! – “Have a good day!”
And if it’s more afternoon or evening:
Buona serata! – “Have a good evening!”
So you’ve now learned not only how to be polite in Italian, but also how to meet and greet someone. Before you take on our quiz to test your knowledge, here’s a quick review of all the most important bits.
We started with being polite. There are four key words to learn:
Grazie – “Thank you” (remember to pronounce it: grats-yeah)
Prego – “You’re welcome” (the standard response to grazie)
Scusi – “Sorry” / “Excuse me” (good for getting someone’s attention and apologising)
Per favore – “Please” (used a little less frequently in Italian)
Then, you learned how to say hello. Here you had:
Buongiorno – “Good day” (use it until the early afternoon)
Buonasera – “Good evening” (to use from early afternoon onwards)
Salve – “Hello” (any time of day)
Ciao – “Hi / Bye” (good for informal situations)
Once you’ve said hello, you can introduce yourself.
Sono… – “I am…”. (followed by your name)
Come si chiama? – “What’s your name?” (in formal contexts)
E tu / E Lei? – “And you?” (E tu – informal, E Lei – formal)
Piacere. – “Nice to meet you” (Literally “to please” or “pleasure”)
And what about saying goodbye? There are a few options again:
Arrivederci – “Good bye” (the standard, usually formal)
Ciao – “Bye” (for informal situations)
Buona giornata – “Have a nice day” (similar to buongiorno plus –ata)
Buona serata – “Have a nice evening” (similar to buonasera plus –ata)
And there you go! Now you know how to meet and greet in Italian, and do so in an incredibly polite way.
To help all these phrases sink in, why not try our mini quiz to test your knowledge?
Learn to speak and understand Italian faster by joining the Joy of Languages Italian club! When you sign up, you’ll get:
If you’d like to join us, click here to become a member of our Italian club.
un caffè, per favore = a coffee, please
grazie = thank you
prego = you’re welcome
scusi = excuse me/ sorry
buongiorno = hello (during the day)
buonasera = hello (during the evening)
salve = hello (any time of day)
ciao = hi (informal)
sono Katie = I’m Katie
come si chiama? = what’s your name? (formal)
piacere = pleased to meet you
buona giornata = have a good day
buona serata = have a good evening
arrivederci = goodbye
How much did you learn? Find out in the quiz!
Click here to take the quiz for this episode: How to Meet, Greet and Be Polite in Italian
Remember the vocabulary from this lesson by downloading the digital flashcards
Not sure how it works? Click here to watch the tutorial
Please note, this is not a word for word transcript.
K: Welcome back to our mini series on Italian phrases for travel! Knowing just a few words and expressions will make a big difference to your trip, because locals are almost always happy to engage with people who make the effort.
A key part of winning the locals over is of course being polite in Italian – so in this episode, you’ll learn how to do just that: meeting, greeting and being polite in Italian.
———— (Theme music)
K: Ciao a tutti e benvenuti! Hi everyone and welcome to “Learn Italian with Joy of Languages”. Matteo, what do you think is the most important word to make sure you’re polite when speaking Italian?
M: Hmm, difficile…
K: Difficult?
M: No! I mean, it’s difficult to choose just one word.
K: Well let’s go through a few. I’ll say the English and you can translate to Italian. As you’re listening at home, if you already know them, try to say them in the pause, and if you don’t, no worries! Say them with Matteo, trying to get your pronunciation as close to his as possible. One very important word to know is “please”.
M: Per favore (x3)
K: Although you might like to know that Italians don’t tend to use this word as frequently as we do in English! While you can certainly say “A coffee, please”
M: Un caffè, per favore.
K: It’s also quite common to use grazie, thank you.
M: Un caffè, grazie.
K: In fact, grazie, thank you, is probably the most useful word of all when being polite.
M: Grazie (x3)
K: Grazie can be quite tricky to pronounce, so don’t miss episode 93 where you’ll learn how to say it correctly.
M: Grazie!
K: And if someone says grazie to you, you can respond with “you’re welcome”
…
M: Prego (x3)
K: There’s also a useful word if you want to call a waiter’s attention, for example, Italians say “excuse me”. Do you know how to say it?
…
M: scusi (x3)
K: Which you can also use like “sorry”, if you bump into someone for example.
I think those are the absolute essentials. Let’s hear them one more time. We had “please”
…
M: Per favore
K: And thank you:
M: Grazie.
K: You’re welcome:
M: Prego
K: Excuse me
…
M: Scusi
K: And what about when you’re meeting and greeting people? There are few different phrases you can use in Italian to say “hello”. To say “hello” in the day, we literally say “good day”:
…
M: buongiorno (x3)
K: Hello, during the evening is “good evening”:
…
M: buonasera (x3)
M: And there’s another way we can say “hello”, that you might not find in textbooks, which is salve
K. This is a very handy word that can be used at any time of day.
M: And it’s a common greeting among native speakers, so it will help you blend in with the locals! Salve (x3)
K: Then there’s “hi”, which is:
…
M: Ciao (x 3)
K: Time for a common mistake alert! Most tourists say ciao all the time, because it’s the most famous Italian greeting. But did you know that ciao is only used in the informal? That means it’s actually best avoided in common travel situations, like shops, bars and restaurants, where we don’t usually know the person we’re greeting.
M: To sound really Italian, stick to salve, or buongiorno/buonasera when arriving and arrivederci when leaving.
K: Next, how about introducing yourself? How do you say “I am”?
…
M: Sono (x 3)
K: This is the most common way to tell someone your name. I’m Matteo:
M: Sono Matteo
K: I’m Katie
M: Sono Katie
K: Pro tip – to keep things really simple, you can just introduce yourself, for example sono Katie, and the other person will tell you their name!
M: Sono Matteo
K: This is the easiest, and most natural way to do it. But you can also ask what’s your name? In the formal:
M: Come si chiama? (x3)
K: Katie
M: Piacere!
K: To say “pleased to meet you”, we have this nice short word in Italian:
M: Piacere
K: It’s part of a longer phrase piacere di conoscerla, “pleased to meet you”, but Italians normally shorten it, so piacere is a bit like saying “pleased”. Luckily, the one word version is the easiest, most common and native-sounding way to say it:
M: Piacere (x3)
K: Finally, when you’re leaving, you can say “have a good day”
…
M: Buona giornata (x3)
K: Or a good evening
…
M: Buona serata (x3)
K: There is also of course “good bye”:
…
M: Arrivederci (x3)
K: Grazie, Matteo!
M: Prego!
K: Let’s review our phrases for meeting and greeting one more time. “Hello”, literally “good day”…
…
M: Buongiorno
K: Good evening
…
M: Buonasera
K: Can you remember that handy, native-sounding word you can use any time of day?
M: Salve
K: Then we had “hi”
…
M: Ciao
K: Remember, that’s an informal word that’s best avoided most of the time when going into shops, bars and restaurants. Instead, stick to buongiorno, buonasera or salve.
K: Then we had “I am”
…
M: Sono
K: Use this with your name to introduce yourself, for example:
M: Sono Matteo
K: To ask someone their name, in the formal address, say:
…
M: Come si chiama?
K: Pleased to meet you
…
M: Piacere
K: And as you’re leaving, you can say “have a nice day”
…
M: Buona giornata
K: Have a nice evening
…
M: Buona serata
K: Goodbye
…
M: Arrivederci
K: Perfetto! So, you now have the essential vocabulary you need to sound polite and greet people in Italian.
M: In our next episode you’ll learn phrases to help you navigate Italian bars and restaurants.
K: If you want to see everything written down and get bonus materials, like vocabulary cards and a quiz, head over to our website, joyoflanguages.com/italianpodcast and search for episode 96.
M – See you next time.
K – Or as we say in Italian.
Alla prossima!
To get mini lessons delivered to your inbox, access to the private Facebook group and invites to speaking workshops, click here to become a member.
When you first arrive in Italy, speaking to locals in Italian might feel intimidating.
What if you don’t understand what someone says? What if you can’t remember how to say… well: “how do you say?”
The good news is, to communicate in Italian you don’t need thousands of words.
With surprisingly limited vocabulary, you can get your message across. It doesn’t have to be worthy of Dante. It just has to be effective.
Here you’ll first learn a few basic Italian phrases that will help you get unstuck and keep the conversation flowing. No more having to reply in English straight away!
In the second part, you’ll learn some powerful phrases that will help you really start communicating in Italian in real life situations.
But… what should you do if you don’t understand Italian?
We all know that feeling. Someone’s just said something to you in Italian and you have absolutely no idea what they meant. Mind blank. Did they want something? Were they telling you something you need to know?
If you’re worried you might miss something important, you can politely ask:
Parla inglese? – Do you speak English?
Or you could even explain that you don’t speak Italian:
Non parlo italiano. Parla inglese? – I don’t speak Italian. Do you speak English?
You’ll notice the key word in these phrases is “parlare” – to speak. In Italian, the verb endings change depending on who speaks. In those phrases there was:
Parlo – “I speak”
Parla – “You speak” (Formal)
When you don’t know someone in Italian, generally it’s best to use the you “formal” version, parla. We do have the informal “you” version: parli – but that’s best for if you’re speaking to a friend, or someone much younger.
Parla inglese? – Do you speak English (talking to a stranger)
Parli inglese? – Do you speak English? (talking to a friend)
In answering this question, Italians might say:
Sì – “Yes”
Un po’ – “A little”
No, mi dispiace – “No, sorry”
So, what if they don’t speak English? Or if you want to keep the conversation going in Italian? After all, that’s what we’re here to do: learn Italian!
Imagine you’re just beginning a conversation and you didn’t quite understand what someone said. You almost understood though.
It would seem a shame to try to switch straight to English, right? And what if they don’t understand English?
With these basic phrases you’ll be able to get Italians to help you to communicate.
If you don’t understand something in Italian, you can always say:
Scusi, non ho capito – “Sorry, I don’t understand.”
Literally that would be:
Scusi – excuse me
Non ho – I haven’t
Capito – understood
Keep in mind that saying non ho capito might lead well-meaning Italians to switch to English. If you want to encourage them to reply in Italian, try specifying exactly how you’d like them to help, for example:
Può ripetere? – “Can you repeat?”
Più piano, per favore. – “More slowly, please.”
But what if you still don’t understand them? It quickly becomes awkward if you’re asking someone to repeat or speak slower several times.
A handy way to keep the conversation going in Italian is to repeat the word you don’t know in a slow, questioning sort of way. Let’s look at an example:
Italian: Viene spesso in Italia? – “Do you come spesso to Italy?”
You: Hmm… spesso….?
Italian: Spesso, come, frequentemente. – “Spesso, as in, frequently”.
You:
Ah! Spesso. Ho capito. – “Ah! Often. I understand.”
Sì, vengo spesso. – “Yes, I come often.”
By repeating a word you don’t understand, you give the person you’re speaking to a chance to rephrase their sentence. That means they’ll probably explain what they mean, or give a similar word that you’re more likely to understand.
In this case, if you didn’t know that spesso means “often”, the word frequentemente, which sounds much more like the English word “frequently” would give you a helpful clue!
Once you understand what someone says, you’ll have to respond. But… what was that word again? Suddenly it’s like all the Italian has disappeared from your head and you’re struggling to find even basic phrases.
A great way to ask for help from Italians, rather than switching straight to English, is to ask “how to say” something:
Come si dice….? – “How do you say…?”
As in:
Come si dice “tomorrow” in Italiano? – How do you say “tomorrow” in Italian?
How do you say “tomorrow” in Italian? Do you remember?
“Tomorrow”, è domani – “Tomorrow” is domani
In this way, not only will you keep the conversation going, you’ll also learn a new word in a natural way – something Italians are usually happy to help with.
Once you feel like you’ve mastered your basic phrases in Italian, you’re ready to practise. But as you know, it’s not always easy to keep the conversation in Italian!
Inglese?
NO! I mean… yes, but… please let’s speak in Italian!
When you want to practise your Italian in Italy it can sometimes feel like the world is against you. Every time you use your Italian on a trip, the waiter… the concierge… even the taxi driver replies in English. It’s un incubo! A nightmare.
But the secret to getting Italians to speak in Italian is easier than you think.
Just ask!
Here’s how to do that in Italian:
Possiamo parlare in italiano, per favore? – “Can we speak in Italian, please?”
It’s polite and straight to the point. Most Italians will be happy to switch to their native language if you ask them directly. You can also explain:
Vorrei imparare – “I’d like to learn”
Everyone knows that if you don’t practise, you’ll never learn. As soon as they realise you’re trying to improve your Italian skills, people will often go out of their way to help you. It’s that simple!
Of course, every so often you’ll meet Italians who want to practise their English… well, there’s always a bit of give and take. And a waiter rushed off their feet might be less willing to help compared to a pensioner in the park enjoying the sunshine. But as long as you pick your moments, this phrase should give you plenty of opportunities to practise your Italian.
One more phrase you might find really useful is how to answer if someone asks you:
Parla italiano? – “Do you speak Italian?”
If you want to practise, but aren’t super confident, you could say something like this:
Non parlo bene… ma ci provo! – “I don’t speak well… but I’ll try!”
Again, once Italians know you’re keen to learn they’re sure to speak more slowly and give you a few tips.
Now you’ve learned how to deal with some tricky situations in Italian. But what about actually doing what you need to do in Italy, like paying for stuff or finding your way to a toilet?
There’s no shortcut here – learning a language takes time after all, but these 5 powerful phrases are the closest thing there is…
Want a coffee? To pay? To get to the subway?
There are a few phrases in Italian that allow you to do a lot of things. You might call these words “power phrases”, because you can use them in so many different situations. You’ve already met the first one in this blog!
Remember this phrase from earlier?
Vorrei imparare – “I’d like to learn”
Vorrei means “I would like”.
You can combine vorrei with other words to make a complete sentence, without having to learn much grammar at all. It’s so easy to use! Try it out when you want to order something:
Vorrei un caffè – “I’d like a coffee”
Or when you’re ready to pay:
Vorrei pagare – “I’d like to pay”
All you need to do is look up the word for whatever you want and combine it with vorrei – just like that, you’re communicating in Italian. Here are a few more typical examples:
Vorrei una birra – “I’d like a beer”
Vorrei un tavolo – “I’d like a table”
Vorrei una camera – “I’d like a room”
Because vorrei is such an important and useful word, it’s good to know how to pronounce it right! Here are a couple of tips:
Time for our next useful word…
In Italian, “I can” is:
Posso
To pose the question “can I”, Italians use the exact same word, but with a tone of voice that sounds like a question:
Posso…? – “Can I…?”
This word is similar to vorrei, because you can use it with any verb. Let’s say you want to pay for something. Just add the word pagare (to pay):
Posso pagare? – “Can I pay?”
Using posso is especially helpful when you want to ask permission to do something.
Here are a few more examples:
Posso prendere questo? – “Can I take this?”
Posso ordinare? – “Can I order?”
Posso aiutare? – “Can I help?”
When it comes to the pronunciation, remember to say make the double ss nice and long. Posssssssso.
What if you’re a bit lost? To know “where is…?” is incredibly useful when you’re travelling in Italy and need to navigate in Italian.
Dov’è…? – “Where is…?”
You can use this one just like in English. Just add the thing you’re looking for and Italians will point you in the right direction.
Dov’è la metro? – “Where’s the subway?”
Dov’è il bagno? – “Where’s the bathroom?”
That little accent on the è means we need to add a lot of emphasis to that part, so be sure to really push onto the last part of the phrase: dov’È.
Imagine you’ve just arrived in a new town in Italy. If you want to know what’s in the area, this phrase will come in very handy.
C’è…? – “Is there…?”
You can use this basic phrase to say things like:
C’è un ristorante? – “Is there a restaurant?”
C’è una pizzeria? – “Is there a pizzeria?”
C’è una farmacia? – “Is there a pharmacy?”
And a classic question you might need in lots of different situations…
C’è un bagno? – “Is there a bathroom?”
How do you pronounce this funny little word? It sounds a lot like the beginning of the English “chess”. Cut off the “ss” and just say “che”. That’s it!
Finally, let’s imagine you want to ask for something, like a menu. To find out if someone has what you need, you can say:
Avete…? – “Do you have…?”
This phrase comes in especially handy in restaurants:
Avete un tavolo per due? – “Do you have a table for two?”
Avete un menu? – “Do you have a menu?”
Avete un’opzione vegetariana? – “Do you have a vegetarian option?”
Avete is in fact the plural form, as in: “do you (guys) have…?” It’s quite natural to ask someone who works in a restaurant: avete un menu? because there’s usually a group of people working there.
What if you were in a small local shop with just one person working there? In this case, you’d use the singular form: ha
Ha un’altra taglia? – “Do you have another size?”
Ben fatto! Well done! Now you know these five power phrases, you can combine them with what you need or are looking for to “get by” in loads of different situations.
Before testing your knowledge of what you’ve learned in our quiz, here’s a quick review!
In this lesson, you learned some handy phrases for managing a conversation in Italian:
Parla inglese? – “Do you speak English?”
Possiamo parlare in italiano, per favore? – “Can we speak in Italian, please?”
Vorrei imparare – “I’d like to learn”
If you don’t understand you can say:
Scusi, non ho capito – “Sorry, I don’t understand”
Può ripetere? – Can you repeat?
Più piano, per favore. – “Slower, please”
Può parlare più piano, per favore? – “Can you talk more slowly, please?”
Or repeat the word you didn’t quite get in a slow, questioning tone of voice!
And finally, to ask “how you say” something, use this phrase:
Come si dice…? – “How do you say…?”
In the last section, you learned the “power phrases” – basic phrases to get you through the most common situations you might find yourself in when visiting Italy. They were:
Posso…? – “Can I…?”
Posso pagare? – “Can I pay?”
Vorrei… – “I’d like…”
Vorrei un caffè. – “I’d like a coffee”
Dov’è…? – “Where is…?”
Dov’è il bagno? – “Where’s the bathroom?”
C’è…? – “Is there…?”
C’è un ristorante? – “Is there a restaurant?”
Avete…? – “Do you have…?”
Avete un menu? – “Do you have a menu?”
All set? Now head over to our quiz to test what you’ve learned!
Learn to speak and understand Italian faster by joining the Joy of Languages Italian club! When you sign up, you’ll get:
If you’d like to join us, click here to become a member of our Italian club.
Un po’ = a little
No, mi dispiace = no, sorry
Più piano, per favore = more slowly, please.
Come si dice…? = how do you say…?
Non parlo bene… ma ci provo! = I don’t speak well… but I’ll try!
Posso ordinare? = can I order?
Dov’è il bagno? = where’s the bathroom?
Parla inglese? = do you speak English?
Possiamo parlare in italiano? = can we speak in Italian?
Vorrei imparare = I’d like to learn
Scusi, non ho capito = sorry, I didn’t understand
Può ripetere, per favore? = can you repeat, please?
How much did you learn? Find out in the quiz!
Click here to take the quiz for this episode: 8 Basic Phrases to Get Unstuck in Italian
Remember the vocabulary from this lesson by downloading the digital flashcards
Not sure how it works? Click here to watch the tutorial
Please note, this is not a word for word transcript.
K: Ciao a tutti e benvenuti! Hi everyone and welcome to “Learn Italian with Joy of Languages”. Matteo, today we’re going in vacanza. On holiday, or vacation.
M: Amazing. I love le vacanze! Where are we going?
K: To Italy!
M: But Katie… we’re in Italy already!
K: Not a real vacanza for us… If you’re listening at home, we know you might be planning on visiting Italy soon or in future. So in the next few episodes, we’ll take you on a tour of some common Italian phrases for travel.
K: What’s the most important phrase that every Italian learner should know when they go to Italy on holiday?
M: Oh that’s easy. Paga la mia ragazza.
K: No, that means “my girlfriend is paying…”.
M: Esatto, exactly.
K: Let’s move onto some more useful phrases. I’ll say the English and Matteo will translate them to Italian. As you’re listening, if you already know them, try to say them in the pause, and if you don’t, no worries! Say them with Matteo, trying to get your pronunciation as close to his as possible.
M: Cominciamo!
K: Let’s start.
K: Yes
…
M: Sì (x 3)
K: No
…
M: No (x 3)
K: Do you speak English?
…
M: Parla inglese?
K: I feel like this is the mark of a polite and respectful tourist. If you know you’ll need to do most of the communication in English, it’s nice to ask first, rather than assuming.
M: Parla inglese? (x 3)
K: Parla means “you speak” in the formal address. It’s the form we use when speaking to people we don’t know, for example, staff in shops and restaurants. As this series is all about travel phrases for these kinds of situations, we’ll be using the formal address throughout.
M: But maybe you want to practise your Italian!
K: In this case, you could say: Can we speak in Italian?
…
M: Possiamo parlare in italiano? (x 3)
K: I’d like to learn
…
M: Vorrei imparare (x 3)
K: A lot of learners complain that Italians switch to English as soon as they say anything, cutting their chance to practice short. It can feel frustrating when that happens. The best thing is be direct and explain that you want to practise. This also takes the pressure off, because you’re the first one to say “I’m learning”, so no one is expecting you to be perfect. It’s ok to make mistakes.
Let’s try that whole phrase together. Can we speak in Italian? I’d like to learn.
M: Possiamo parlare in italiano? Vorrei imparare.
Most Italians will be really pleased that you’re learning their language, and happy to help! All you need to do is say: Possiamo parlare in italiano? Vorrei imparare.
K: Once you’ve won Italians over, you might find that you don’t quite understand everything. So, a good way to keep the conversation going is to just repeat what you heard in a questioning tone of voice.
K: Let’s give an example of that. Someone might ask you:
M: Vieni spesso in Italia?
K: Hmm… Spesso?
M: Ah, spesso, come “frequentemente”
K: OK, spesso – to help me understand the word spesso, Matteo said a similar word frequentemente, which sounds a lot like “frequently”. That means “often”, got it. Sì, vengo spesso!
This technique lets Italians know which part of their sentence they need to repeat, or if necessary translate to English.
If you really didn’t understand anything, you can just say “sorry, I didn’t understand”:
…
M: scusi, non ho capito (x 3)
K: But be careful when saying that phrase alone, because it might encourage Italians to switch to English, thinking that they’re being helpful. If you want to keep the conversation going in Italian, you can ask: Can you repeat, please?
…
M: Può ripetere, per favore? (x 3)
K: Sorry, Matteo, can you repeat that?
M: Certo! Può ripetere, per favore?
K: Fantastic, grazie Matteo. We’ll continue next time with how to meet, greet and be polite in Italian.
If you want to see everything written down, and get bonus materials, like vocabulary cards and a quiz, head over to our website joyoflanguages.com/italianpodcast and search for episode 95.
M – See you next time.
K – Or as we say in Italian.
Alla prossima!
To get mini lessons delivered to your inbox, access to the private Facebook group and invites to speaking workshops, click here to become a member.
Grazie!
Hmm… now what?
You might have the feeling that Italians use a lot of different phrases to answer grazie. You’re right!
The best response to grazie could depend on who you’re speaking to. Is it a formal or informal situation? Or the feeling you want to convey to the other person. A casual “no problem” sounds different to a curt “you’re welcome” in English.
There are a surprising number of ways to acknowledge thanks in Italian. In this article, you’ll learn 7 of the most typical.
Once you’ve mastered them, you’ll know exactly what to say when Italians thank you, and impress with your subtle command of Italian etiquette.
Our first phrase works in any kind of situation. It’s the go-to response to grazie if you’re ever in doubt.
Psst! Doors are currently open for our Online Italian School. We’d love to see you there.
Ask an Italian what the best response to grazie is, they’ll probably say: prego. It’s the equivalent of “you’re welcome” and you can use it in any situation.
Imagine you walk into a restaurant and the waiter shows you to your table. You say grazie and they reply: prego.
As you leave the restaurant, you hold the door for your companion. Grazie! – Prego!
It’s a catch-all word which works in the formal, with people you don’t know, and informally, with friends.
But what does prego actually mean? The literal translation is “I pray”, but Italians don’t really think about this when they use it. In everyday communication, it just means “you’re welcome”: the simplest and most common response to grazie.
To really impress when using this phrase, try to pronounce the flicked Italian R. It can be tricky for English speakers, so here’s a little tip to get it right: swap the R for a D and say p-dego. It might sound odd at first, but the “d” sound of p-dego is remarkably close to the Italian flicked R in prego.
Have a go! If you say it fast, you’ll hear the D sound gradually becoming more like the Italian R.
p-dego, p-dego, p-dego, pdego, pdego, pdego, prego, prego, prego!
Now you’re comfortable with prego, perhaps you’re wondering about other ways to answer grazie? Here are five more that native speakers use all the time!
If you’ve spent any time in Italy, you’ve surely heard this one! Di niente is a really common, slightly less formal response to grazie.
Imagine you’ve driven out to pick your friend up from the airport as a favour. They jump in the car and say “Grazie!” You could well answer: di niente!
It can be used in more formal situations too, though.
You’ve just given a hotel concierge a generous tip. They say: Grazie! And you reply: Di niente!
Or if the waiter in a restaurant brings you the bill. Grazie! – Di niente!
The only time you won’t hear di niente is in extremely formal situations. For example, a police officer returning your driving license after inspection would be unlikely to reply with di niente. In these cases, it’s best to stick with prego.
Literally this phrase means “of” (di) “nothing” (niente). It’s a bit like saying “it was nothing”, and you can use it to downplay whatever you did that made someone thank you.
To get the pronunciation right, try saying “yeah” between the two Ns of niente.
N – yeah – n – te…. N-yeahn-te… N-yente… niente!
Just like the “i” at the end of grazie – grats-yeah. You can find out more about this by checking our post on the pronunciation of grazie.
As well as di niente, you can say di nulla. This means the same thing: nulla is a synonym of niente, they both mean “nothing”.
So if someone tells you grazie, you could answer di nulla or di niente. They both work in pretty much any context.
Our next phrase however is a little more informal.
If you want something slightly more informal than di niente or prego, try e di che. It’s a bit like saying no worries or no problem in response to grazie.
You might use this if you saw a friend struggling under the weight of three bags of shopping. You offer to take one or two for them. They gasp: Grazie!
You reply: E di che!
Or you thank a friend for having you over for dinner:
Grazie di tutto! – Thanks for everything!
E di che! – No problem!
It literally means:
E – and
Di – of
Che – what
You can also say the same expression with ma (but): ma di che!
Keep in mind that your tone is really important here. You want to say it quite forcefully, with a bit of surprise. It has a kind of “oh come on!” kind of feel to it, as in “oh come on, we both know you don’t need to thank me for this!”
E di che!
Ma di che!
You might also like to know that this phrase is an abbreviated version of non c’è di che. If we break this down word for word, we get:
Non – not
C’è – there is
Di – of
Che – what
“There isn’t of what…” Hmm, not so helpful perhaps. It sounds like someone just didn’t finish their sentence!
Think of it instead as “there isn’t any need”. Like di niente, you’re emphasising how it was really not a problem to help.
Grazie per l’aiuto di oggi. – Thanks for helping out today!
Non c’è di che! – No problem! (There’s no need)
If the full version feels like too much of a mouthful, just focus on learning e di che. It’s the one Italians use most often anyway!
Our next one is very popular. Our Italian teachers at Joy of Languages say it’s their favourite.
So, you’ve just bought another round of drinks at the bar. Your friend thanks you heartily: grazie mille! You could well respond with: figurati!
Figurati is a bit like saying “no problem” or “it was no bother”. Like di niente and e di che, it’s a way of showing that you were happy to help.
The challenge with mastering this phrase comes with the pronunciation. The emphasis is on the second syllable, figuuuuuuurati, and not on the A as you might expect. Be careful not to say figuraaaaaati, with an “arty” sound at the end. It’s: figuuuuuuurati.
To use this expression in the formal address, say si figuri instead.
Grazie per la sua gentile lettera. – Thank you for your kind letter.
Si figuri! – It was no bother at all!
The origins of this expression are mysterious. It literally means something like “imagine!” If anything with this phrase it’s even more confusing to think of it like that! Rest assured, Italians don’t wonder too much about it: they just use it when they want to say that they were happy to help.
Our next phrase does however have a cute literal meaning – and there’s only one form for all contexts!
As you get home, you see your elderly neighbour struggling up the stairs with all her shopping. You offer to take her bags as you pass, and she gladly thanks you.
Grazie! – Thank you!
Ci mancherebbe! – No problem at all.
What you’re literally saying here is “it would be missing”.
Ci – it
Mancherebbe – would be missing
As in, something would be missing if I didn’t! It’s a very kind expression, because it’s like saying that you only did what anyone else would do in the same situation: it would be rude not to.
This works great in informal situations too. Say, for example, last time you went out to eat, your friend paid the whole bill. This time you offer to return the favour.
Oh, grazie mille! – Oh, thanks a lot!
Ci mancherebbe! – Not at all! (It would be rude not to!)
Now, what about the pronunciation? This one’s a bit of a mouthful!
The main thing to watch out for is the Cs. The first one, in ci has an English CH sound, just like in “cheese”. The second, in mancherebbe, is a K sound, like in “stomach” and “ache”.
CHee man-Keh-reb-beh
It’s a tough one to crack, but Italians will be impressed if you get it right because it’s a very native sounding expression.
For an easy life, try out this next phrase.
Ever felt like you should really be the one saying thank you? To return thanks back to someone saying grazie, you can use a te – it literally means “to you”. It’s short for grazie a te – “thanks to you”. The formal version a lei is very common too.
If you ever go shopping in Italy, you’ll hear this one all the time. After the cashier hands you the receipt, most people say grazie. And the cashier responds straight away with:
A lei! – To you (formal)
or
A te! – To you (informal)
It’s basically like responding to thank you in English with “thank YOU!”. We give “you” extra emphasis to make sure they know who deserves the most thanks.
But it’s not just in the service industry you hear it. Say your friend invites you over for dinner. You bring a bottle of wine, but it’s the least you could do. They say:
Oh, grazie mille! – Oh, thanks a lot!
A te! Grazie per avermi invitato. – Thank YOU! Thanks for inviting me.
Our last phrase is simple and informal.
This one tends to be used mostly by younger people. It literally means “tranquil” or “calm” but here it’s like saying “no stress”, or “no worries”.
For example, your friend is taking you home and you’ve asked them to go a little out of their way:
– Grazie!
– Tranquillo! – No worries!
Sometimes, you might even hear it shortened to tranqui! (pronounced “tranki”), but keep in mind that this is slang and older people don’t normally use it.
So… now you know exactly how to respond to grazie like an Italian – but are you ready for our quiz? For a final swat, here’s a quick summary of the phrases we’ve covered.
Can you remember all 7 responses to grazie that we mentioned?
The most basic one is prego. You can use it in most situations.
Grazie di tutto! – Thanks for everything!
Prego! – You’re welcome.
Then we had the equally versatile di niente and di nulla. They literally meant “it’s nothing”.
Grazie per il vino! – Thanks for the wine.
Di niente! – No problem.
Then there was E di che!, short for non c’è di che. This one’s more informal.
Hai cucinato? Grazie! – You cooked? Thank you!
E di che! – No worries!
And the teachers’ favourite, figurati. That’s si figuri when it’s formal.
Grazie per il caffè! – Thanks for the coffee!
Figurati – It was no bother at all.
Next is the elegant expression ci mancherebbe. Its sweet literal meaning: “it would be missing” makes the extra pronunciation effort worthwhile.
Grazie per l’aiuto – Thanks for your help.
Ci mancherebbe! – Not at all! (It would have been rude not to!)
If you want to thank them back, then use a te, or a lei in the formal address.
Grazie per questo. – Thanks for that!
A te! – Thank YOU!
And finally the very cool (and informal) tranquillo. If you’re down with the kids, you can even say tranqui.
Grazie, bro! – Thanks bro!
Tranquillo. – No worries.
Did you find that quick summary helpful? Prego! Now you’re ready for the quiz.
Learn to speak and understand Italian faster by joining the Joy of Languages Italian club! When you sign up, you’ll get:
If you’d like to join us, click here to become a member of our Italian club.
Tranquillo = no worries
Ci mancherebbe = not at all
Grazie mille = thanks a lot
Prego = you’re welcome
Di niente = no problem (lit. Of nothing)
Figurati = no worries (informal version)
Si figuri = no worries (formal version)
Non c’è di che = no problem (there’s no need)
E di che / Ma di che = no problem (there’s no need)
Grazie a te = thanks to you (informal version)
Grazie a lei = thanks to you (formal version)
A te = same to you
How much did you learn? Find out in the quiz!
Click here to take the quiz for this episode: What’s the Best Response to Grazie?
Remember the vocabulary from this lesson by downloading the digital flashcards
Not sure how it works? Click here to watch the tutorial
Please note, this is not a word for word transcript.
K: Ciao a tutti e benvenuti! Hi everyone and welcome to Learn Italian with Joy of Languages.
M: Before we get started, we wanted to let you know that the doors to our online Italian school are open, but they’re closing very soon!
K: If you’ve been struggling to learn Italian on your own, our school will help you with 3 things:
You’ll focus on everyday language so you can learn how Italians actually speak, with really clear explanations, so you can understand the logic behind everything.
M: To find out more click the link in the description. We’d love to see you there!
K: Now I have a question for you Matteo. Have you ever had an awkward grazie moment?
M: What do you mean, an awkward grazie moment?
K: You know, when someone says thank you, and then you just kind of do a weird smile and say oh… well… grazie!
M: Oh, and then the other person is wondering why you are thanking them?
K: Yeah, exactly.
M: Yeah, that happened to me all the time in England! Because I knew the main one “you’re welcome”, but most of the time people used different ones, like “no worries”, and “don’t mention it”, so I got a bit confused.
K: It’s the same in Italian. Lots of students know prego, which means “you’re welcome”
M: Prego
K: This is the go-to phrase if in doubt. It works in any situation.
M: Grazie, Katie
K: Prego!
K: But then you hear native speakers using all these different ones. And you want to learn them so you can sound like a native speaker, too.
K: Exactly. So let’s learn some typical responses to grazie in Italian. We’ll start by listening to a conversation we had as Matteo was leaving the supermarket last week…
M – Aiuto! Ho comprato troppe cose.
K – Aspetta, aspetta… prendo le birre.
M – Grazie.
K – Di niente. Prendo anche questo gelato…
M – Grazie mille.
K – Figurati, non c’è di che. Prendo anche i formaggi.
M – Grazie!
K – A te! Mmmh.. ma un po’ di frutta, no?
M – Ecco cosa ho dimenticato!
K: Let’s hear that line by line. First Matteo said:
M: Aiuto! Ho comprato troppe cose.
K: Help! I’ve bought too many things. Word for word:
M:
Aiuto – help
Ho – I have
comprato – bought
troppe – too many
cose – things
K: Then I said:
M: Aspetta, aspetta… prendo le birre
K: Wait, wait… I’ll take the beers
M:
Aspetta – wait
prendo – I take
le – the
birre – beers
K: I’m taking things from Matteo’s hands to lighten the load. So Matteo said:
Grazie – Thank you
K: Then you heard our first response to grazie. I said:
M: Di niente.
K: No problem. Literally:
M:
Di – Of
Niente – Nothing
K: So di niente is quite neutral, and good for most everyday situations, whether you’re talking to a friend, or someone you don’t know in a shop or restaurant.
M: Di niente
K: Notice the pronunciation here of niente. In some ways it’s similar to the ending of grazie
M: grats-yeah
K: Which we talked about in the last episode, we’ve got this “yeah” sound. But this time, it has a “N” before it.
M: N-yeah (x3)
K: N-yeahnte
M: Niente (x 3)
K: Grazie Matteo!
M: Di niente!
K: Then I said:
Prendo anche questo gelato.
I’ll also take this ice-cream. Literally that’s:
M:
prendo – I take
anche – also
questo – this
gelato – ice-cream
K: Then Matteo said:
M: Grazie mille.
K: Thanks a lot, literally “thanks a thousand”.
K: Next, I said:
M: Figurati, non c’è di che.
K: No worries, not a problem.
Here are two typical responses to grazie. Let’s break those down. First we had:
M: Figurati
K: It’s an expression that means “no worries”, when you use it in response to grazie. This phrase is really emphasising the fact that it wasn’t a problem at all for you.
M: Yeah, it’s not a bother at all.
K: It’s a really kind way to say “you’re welcome”. In fact, Cristina, one of our Italian teachers at Joy of Languages, says it’s her favourite response.
M: Figurati!
K: To really pull off figurati, make sure to put the emphasis on the uuuuuuu:
M: Figuuuuura – Figuuuuurati
K: Be careful not to say “Figuraaaaati”. It’s Figuuuuurati.
M: Figuuuuuuurati (x3)
K: Grazie Matteo!
M: Figurati!
K: The formal version of this expression is:
M: Si figuri
K: So if our elderly neighbour thanked Matteo for holding open the door, he use the formal, and say:
M: Si figuri.
K: Then there was:
M: Non c’è di che
K: Which means “not a problem”, but it’s actually made up of 4 parts:
M:
Non – not
c’è – there is
di – of
che – what
K: That doesn’t make any sense at all if you translate it literally! With these expressions it’s best to just learn them as a set phrase. If it helps though, you could imagine it like “there isn’t any need”, kind of short for “there isn’t any need to thank me”. You’re emphasising again that it was no problem. Oh, is that a coffee for me? Thanks Matteo!
M: Non c’è di che. Or as we sometimes say: e di che.
K: Yes, if you think non c’è di che is a bit of a mouthful, you can shorten it to e di che!
M: That’s actually the way Italians say it most often, so if you focus on learning e di che for now, you’ll sound really native!
K: Keep in mind that your tone is really important here. You want to say it quite forcefully, with a bit of surprise. It has a kind of “Oh come on! You don’t need to thank me”.
M: Yeah, like “oh come on, we both know you don’t need to thank me for this!”
K: Grazie!
M: E di che!
K: You can also use this expression with ma.
M: Ma di che!
K: Then I said:
M: Prendo anche i formaggi.
K: I’ll take the cheeses, too. Literally:
M:
Prendo – I take
Anche – also
I formaggi – the cheeses
K: And Matteo said:
M: Grazie
K: Then you heard our last response to grazie:
M: A te!
K: No, thank YOU! Literally
M:
A – to
te – you
K: Just like how in English you can say “same to you” or “thank YOU” where you thank someone in return. It’s short for:
M: Grazie a te
K: Thanks to you. There’s a formal version to learn as well here which would be:
M: A Lei
K: To you – for when you’re talking to someone older or someone you don’t know.
K: Soon, we’ll review the different responses to grazie you just learned. But first, I had to point out Matteo’s questionable shopping priorities! I asked:
M: Mm.. ma un po’ di frutta, no?
K: Hmm… but a bit of fruit, no? As in, not even a bit of fruit?
M:
Ma – but
un po’ di – a bit of
frutta – fruit
no? – no?
K: Then Matteo said:
M: Ecco cosa ho dimenticato!
K: That’s what I’ve forgotten! Literally:
Ecco – here
cosa – what
ho – I have
dimenticato – forgotten
K: Now you’ve heard quite a few different ways to respond to grazie. Can you remember them all? We had the classic:
M: Prego
K: Then a few ways to say that it was no problem at all for us, we were happy to do it. Matteo will say each one a few times, so you can say it with him. The first was di niente:
M:
Di niente (x3)
K: Then we had figuuuuurati:
M: Figurati (x3)
K: And non c’è di che.
M: Non c’è di che (x3)
K: There’s also a simpler and more common version:
M: E di che (x3)
K: And a way to say “same to you” or “thank YOU!”
M: A te!
K: Let’s recap the conversation all the way through:
M – Aiuto! Ho comprato troppe cose.
K – Aspetta, aspetta… prendo le birre.
M – Grazie.
K – Di niente. Prendo anche questo gelato.
M – Grazie mille.
K – Figurati, non c’è di che. Prendo anche i formaggi.
M- Grazie!
K – A te! Mmmh.. ma un po’ di frutta, no?
M – Ecco cosa ho dimenticato!
K: So, next time someone tells you grazie, you’ll be able to respond just like an Italian would!
M: Before we go, remember that doors are still open to our online Italian school. Just for a couple more days, so if you’re thinking of joining us, now’s the perfect time. To find out more click the link in the description.
K: We’d love to see you there!
And If you’re curious to learn a couple more native-sounding ways to respond to grazie or you just want to see everything written down, and get bonus materials, like vocabulary cards and a quiz, you’ll find those over on our website too.
M – See you next time.
K – Or as we say in Italian.
Alla prossima!
To get mini lessons delivered to your inbox, access to the private Facebook group and invites to speaking workshops, click here to become a member.
Ever had the feeling that your pronunciation of grazie is just slightly… off?
If so, don’t worry, you’re in good company.
This word is perhaps responsible for more pronunciation mistakes than any other among Italian learners.
Read on to find out what makes grazie so hard to get right, and pick up some tips on how to pronounce it correctly every time!
Psst! Doors to our Online Italian School will open soon. Click here if you’d like us to notify you when registration opens.
Picture this: you’ve just asked for the bill and the waiter comes over smiling. You settle up and just before leaving you turn and say grazi!
Unwittingly, you’ve just made the most common mistake when it comes to pronouncing grazie – getting the ending wrong. Not only that, the -R- was really English, and the whole word came out sounding a bit like “grassy”.
If you’re struggling with the pronunciation of grazie, worry not, it’s totally normal. In fact, grazie is actually a really hard word to pronounce – until you know how.
Why?
Firstly, it contains three sounds that are super tricky to get right. One alone makes any word quite a challenge.
Secondly, Italians don’t emphasise the ending. It’s hard to hear the details when native speakers pronounce it. That means you’ve got little to go on as a learner, and it’s easy for your own mispronunciation to go unnoticed.
Finally, it’s a word you learn early on, before you’ve got the know-how to defend yourself – the Italian equivalent of sending a skiing novice down a black run.
The fact you’ve been using this word since the beginning makes it a habit that’s hard to change – most students end up saying grazi or grazia for years before realising they’ve been getting it wrong.
But all that’s about to change! In the next sections, we’ll break down the pronunciation of grazie so you can say it like a true Italian.
Starting with the strangest bit: the IE ending.
Yeah.
It’s that simple. The IE ending should be pronounced like you would the word “yeah” in English.
Try it: grats – yeah
You sound more Italian already!
Even better. Imagine you’re talking to a sour-faced teen. You ask if they’ve tidied their room and they reply with a sulky “yeah”. That’s the kind of “yeah” we want for this ending. Not a long, thoughtful “yeah”. It should be a short, brittle “yeah”. A have-you-remembered-the-milk “yeah”.
grats-yeah
Some sources recommend pronouncing it like “graht-see-eh”. But pronouncing the ending as two syllables (see-eh) can sound unnatural, because you’ll find yourself drawing it out too much. To say it like an Italian, you need to pronounce a short, sharp “yeah”, without too much emphasis.
grats-yeah
Just in case you need more convincing, think of the Italian word ieri, which means “yesterday”. Do you know how we pronounce that word?
Ieri – Yeah-Ri
Strange but true! Here’s the rule: when “i” goes before another vowel in Italian it often turns into a “Y”.
Other words like this include:
Let’s try one more time with grazie…
grats-yeah
Got it? Perfetto!
We mentioned earlier that there are actually three sounds which make the pronunciation of grazie tricky. Moving back through the word, the next one is the Italian Z sound.
Do you like cats? What about rats? And bats? All those words end in TS, and that’s the sound of Z in grazie.
You might recognise this Z sound from a familiar kind of Italian food. Think of the last time you had a pizza with mozzarella cheese on top… Mmm…
The next time you need to say grazie, just think of pizza! The tricky part of the Z is combining it with the “yeah” sound of the ending which we talked about earlier. It produces a kind of TS-yeah sound.
You can practise this sound by starting with similar sounding words in English. You know how some people shorten the word “congratulations”, to “congrats”?
Let’s take the last part: “grats”.
Now try saying: “grats yeah” – but put the words together. How fast can you say it?
grats-yeah, grats-yeah, grats-yeah, gratsyeah, gratsyeah!
You’ve got it!
Next, onto the final challenging sound at the beginning of the word: the Italian flicked R.
Getting a good Italian R is a considerable feat for an English speaker. This kind of sound just doesn’t exist in English… or does it?
The R of grazie is surprisingly close to the English D. Try saying grazie out loud, but instead of an R sound, make it a D:
G-dazie
Start by saying it slowly:
g-dazie, g-dazie, g-dazie, g-dazie
Then speed things up and try to join them together:
g-dazie, g-dazie, gdazie, gdazie, gdazie, gdazie, grazie, grazie!!
As you say it faster and faster, it becomes almost indistinguishable from grazie.
It’s also a lot like the American “T” sound in the middle of words like “gotta” or “butter”. The way the tongue flicks up quickly against the roof of the mouth is exactly what you want to be repeating when you say R in Italian.
For the G-R sound then, you could try saying “gutter”, with an American English accent. Gradually try to reduce the space between the “g” and “t” sound, until you’re left with the sound we’re after.
For a more detailed look at how to pronounce this R sound, don’t miss this quick tutorial.
Now you know how to pronounce grazie, let’s practise using it in some natural sounding phrases!
Italians don’t always say grazie on its own, so in this section, you’ll learn some typical phrases with grazie.
Let’s imagine a friend does something really nice for you. For those times when a simple grazie just won’t cut it, you can say:
Grazie mille! – Thanks so much (Lit: Thanks a thousand!)
Quick pronunciation tip: once you start combining grazie with other words, it’s really easy to revert back to grazi instead of a proper grazie. Remember to pronounce the grats-yeah ending with these phrases too.
And just after, when you say mille, don’t forget to pause on the “L” sound: mil-le. Give it a go!
Grats-yeah mill-le
Our next phrase is very practical. Often, when someone thanks you, the feeling’s mutual, so you reply with “no, thank YOU!”. In Italian, we say:
Grazie a te – Thank you (Lit: thanks to you)
To be formal, for example, when thanking someone you don’t know, like a waiter or a ticket inspector, you should say:
Grazie a lei – Thank you (Lit: thanks to you)
Finally, do you know how to say thanks for everything?
Grazie di tutto – Thanks for everything
Now it’s time to say grazie for reading! Do you remember what you learned? First let’s do a quick review, then you can test your knowledge with our quiz.
It’s deceptively tricky, because of the three difficult sounds:
Once you’ve mastered the pronunciation of grazie, you can practice saying it in these phrases:
Next, onto a quick quiz!
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Vuoi un caffè? = do you want a coffee?
Sì, grazie = yes, thank you
No, grazie = no, thank you
Ecco il tuo caffè = here’s your coffee
Grazie mille = thanks so much
Zucchero = sugar
Amaro = bitter
How much did you learn? Find out in the quiz!
Click here to take the quiz for this episode: Pronunciation of grazie
Remember the vocabulary from this lesson by downloading the digital flashcards
Not sure how it works? Click here to watch the tutorial
Please note, this is not a word for word transcript.
K: Ciao a tutti e benvenuti! Hi everyone and welcome to Learn Italian with Joy of Languages.
Before we get started with today’s episode, we wanted to let you know that the doors to our Online Italian School are opening in just a few days! If you’d like us to notify you when registration opens, click the link in the description.
M: We’d love to see you there!
K: Grazie for your interest in the online Italian school.
Speaking of grazie, have you ever wondered about the pronunciation? It’s such a simple word but the details are quite hard to get right!
M: What makes this word so tricky?
K: Well, when we break it down there are not one, not two but three challenging sounds that don’t come naturally to English speakers. But once you know how to pronounce them, everything clicks into place. We’ll show you how in this episode.
M: First, let’s listen to a typical conversation in Italian. Next, we’ll break it down and you’ll learn each of these sounds along the way.
K: Vuoi un caffè?
M: Sì, grazie.
K: Zucchero?
M: No, grazie.
K: Ecco il tuo caffè.
M: Grazie!
K: Amaro, come la vita.
M: Grazie mille [tono sarcastico]
K: First I said:
M: Vuoi un caffè?
K: Do you want a coffee? Literally that’s:
M:
vuoi – you want
un – a
caffè – coffee
K: Then Matteo said:
M: Sì, grazie
K: Yes, thank you.
Our first sound is the one everyone makes a mistake with at some point when learning Italian. Diana, one of the teachers in our online school, who recommended this topic, told me that Italian learners usually get the ending wrong, saying either “grazi” or “grazia”. Listen to Matteo again and focus on the ending:
M: Grazie.
K: If you listen carefully, it ends in an “eh” sound, and just before it there’s a “y” sound:
M: Grazie.
K: The trick to getting this ending right is to pretend you’re saying “yeah” in English. Just like a grumpy teenager if you asked them if they’ve tidied their room. “Yeah”.
Grats-yeah. Have a go!
…
M: Grazie (x3)
K: Some resources recommend pronouncing it like “graht – see – eh” with two syllables at the end “see” and “eh”… But that can lead you to over pronounce the ending. When natives say it, it’s a short, sharp “yeah” sound.
M: Grazie.
K: If you just say “yeah”, at the end, you should naturally make that sound with no problems! Let’s pratice again, getting faster and faster: grats – yeah, grats – yeah, grats-yeah, grats-yeah, grazie, grazie, grazie.
M: Grazie
K: Then we heard:
M:
Zucchero? – Sugar
No, grazie. – No, thank you.
K: As this is our second example of grazie, let’s look at our second tricky sound. Moving back through the word, we come to the letter “Zed” or “Zee” for our American audience.
M: Which is not the same as in English.
K: No, it’s more like a T-S sound. Very similar to the “ts” in the English word “cats”. CATS. GRAZIE.
M: It’s the same as another Italian word you might know: “PIZZA”.
K: Think of the food: PIZZA, NOT the leaning tower of PISA.
M: PiZZa.
K: or moZZarella.
M: Mozzarella.
K: Let’s hear it in our word for today:
M: Grazie (x3)
K: You can practise this sound by starting with similar sounding words in English. You know how some people shorten the word “congratulations”, to “congrats”?
M: Sì…?
K: Let’s just take the last part: “grats”.
M: “Grats”
K: Now try saying: “grats”, then “yeah” – but put the words together. How fast can you say it?
grats-yeah, grats-yeah, grats-yeah, gratsyeah, gratsyeah, gratsyeah!
M: Grazie!
K: Next, you heard:
M: Ecco il tuo caffè
K: Here’s your coffee. Word for word:
M:
Ecco – here
il – the
tuo – your
caffè – coffee
K: And Matteo once again says:
M: Grazie!
K: Time for our third and last challenging sound: the “R” after the G… GR.
M: Gr.
K: Here’s a weird secret to getting a good Italian R sound: Try saying grazie but instead of an R, go for a D.
M: G… dazie
K: As you say this faster and faster, the D sound becomes more like the Italian R. Start slowly: G-dazie, g-dazie, g-dazie, g-dazie. Then speed things up and join them together: G-dazie, g-dazie, gdazie, gdazie, gdazie, gdazie, grazie, grazie, grazie!
M: Grazie!
K: We call this a “flicked R” because of the way your tongue quickly flicks behind your teeth.
It’s the same sound you get if you speak American English, and you say the “T” in “butter” or “gutter”, or “gotta” as in “gotta go”. The tongue just flicks up to the roof of the mouth. In fact, you could also try saying “gutter”, and gradually get rid of the “uh” sound between the G and T.
K: Gutter… gutter, gutter, g-tter, g-tter, gtta, gtter. As you say it faster, you can hear the “T” sound becoming the Italian R. G-tta, g-tta, g-tta, gra, gra, gra, grazie, grazie, grazie!
M: OK, so let’s put all those sounds together:
K: G… GR… GRA… GRAZ… GRAZIE! Or working backwards:
M: IE… ZIE… AZIE… GRAZIE!
K: Grazie Matteo!
M: Prego.
K: Finally, we heard:
M: Amaro, come la vita.
K: Bitter, like life. Literally:
M:
Amaro – bitter
come – like
la – the
vita – life
K: Sometimes Italians say this when they don’t take sugar in their coffee.
M: Yeah, it’s a nice little joke that would definitely make Italians smile if you say it.
K: Next, Matteo said:
M: Grazie mille (x 3)
K: As you know, grazie means “thanks”. Mille means thousand. So grazie mille literally means “thanks a thousand”.
M: We use it when we want to say “thanks so much” or “thanks a lot”.
K: And we’ll tell you a little secret about this phrase… I still make mistakes with this one!
M: Oh yeah! You sometimes say grazi mille…, so “grazi”, instead of fully pronouncing the yeah ending.
K: Yeah, I think it’s because I’m saying something else straight after grazie, so it’s easier to forget about the ending. Hopefully by sharing this, it will make you more forgiving of your own pronunciation mistakes! But you can already start pronouncing it better than I do, by paying attention to the “yeah”.
M:
Grats-yeah mille, grats-yeah mille, grazie mille
K: Grats-yeah mille, grats-yeah mille, grazie mille. Did I get it right?
M: Sì!
K: Grazie mille.
M: Grazie mille.
K: Let’s listen to the conversation one more time. Can you hear all those tricky sounds you just learned?
K: Vuoi un caffè?
M: Sì, grazie.
K: Zucchero?
M: No, grazie.
K: Ecco il tuo caffè.
M: Grazie!
K: Amaro, come la vita.
M: Grazie mille [tono sarcastico]
K: And grazie a te, thank YOU for listening! As always, you’ll find everything written down and bonus materials for this lesson by heading over to our website.
M: And if you think you might like to join us in our online Italian school, click the link in the description. We’ll send you all the information as soon as doors open.
M – See you next time.
K – Or as we say in Italian.
Alla prossima!
To get mini lessons delivered to your inbox, access to the private Facebook group and invites to speaking workshops, click here to become a member.
Io, tu, lei… these little words are called “subject pronouns” in Italian.
In English we use them all the time: “I go”, “you want”, “she speaks”.
But Italians often don’t! In fact, it can be really confusing knowing when to use io and tu, and when not to.
In this blog post you’ll learn exactly when to use or leave out these little words with confidence.
First though, what are these subject pronouns in Italian?
Even if you’re not familiar with the term “subject pronouns”, you probably use them every time you speak! In English, we use them to show who we’re talking about:
Here’s how to say them in Italian:
| Io | I |
| Tu | You |
| Lei | She |
| Lui | He |
| Noi | We |
| Voi | You (plural) |
| Loro | They |
You might notice that a few have more than one vowel, like “io”, “lei” and “lui”. Remember that in Italian, we need to carefully pronounce each vowel: if it feels like a mouthful, you’re doing it right!
If you want to know more about the pronunciation of Italian vowel sounds, don’t miss this episode on how to have an Italian accent.
Now you know what they are, here’s why you don’t usually need ‘em!
In English, without subject pronouns, we don’t know who’s doing what! For example, if you say “speaking” we don’t know if you mean “I’m speaking”, “you’re speaking” or “we’re speaking”.
Not so in Italian. All that information about who is doing what is contained in the verb ending. That’s why in Italian you can say:
All that’s changing is the ending of the verbs.
So, most of the time, you don’t need io, tu, noi etc. and Italians prefer not to use them. It can be tempting to hang on to these little words, because they feel similar to English. And after all, it’s not incorrect to use them, you tell yourself.
But to Italians it sounds very odd to use words like io and tu when it’s not necessary. So odd in fact, we should just treat them like any other mistake.
For example, here are some typical things Italian learners say vs. how Italians say them:
| Phrase | Learner | Native |
| I speak Italian | Io parlo italiano | Parlo italiano |
| Do you want a coffee? | Tu vuoi un caffè? | Vuoi un caffè? |
| We’re going | Noi andiamo | Andiamo |
| Where are you? | Dove tu sei? | Dove sei? |
In each case, the extra word makes the sentence sound clumsy and unnatural.
So, now you know what Italian subject pronouns are, and you know that it’s best to leave them out most of the time.
But the question remains: when do you actually use them?
We’ll get started with the most obvious point: you can use subject pronouns when it’s not obvious who you’re talking about.
Imagine you’re in a busy Italian bar with your friend who speaks excellent Italian. Finally, the waiter comes over to take the order. Disaster! Your friend has just run to the bathroom, although he already told you what he’ll be having. The waiter won’t wait, so you need to order for him. You might say something like this:
Prendo un vino – I’ll have a wine
E lui prende un caffé – and he’ll have a coffee.
As you say lui prende, he’ll have, you might point to his empty chair. You often make some kind of gesture in these cases, to show who you mean. In this situation, if you didn’t use lui, “he”, the waiter might say chi? – “who”?
For another example, imagine you’re at a cocktail party, and your friend is (not-so) subtly telling you what some of the other guests do for a living.
Lei lavora a Londra. – She works in London.
Lui vende automobili. – He sells cars.
Loro sono medici. – They’re doctors.
Each time she’s pointing rather obviously to each person or couple as she introduces them.
If she didn’t use lei, lui and loro, and perhaps even more importantly, point them out, you wouldn’t know who she was talking about.
We also use io, tu etc. to make comparisons or contrasts between people. For example:
Io non ho tanta fame, tu? – I’m not so hungry, you?
In fact, if you only learn one use of Italian subject pronouns, this is the key one to take away because it’s by far the most common!
Let’s see some more examples.
Comparisons are key to making plans for the evening:
Io voglio andare al cinema, e tu? – I want to go to the cinema, what about you?
They help you find your friends:
Noi siamo in Piazza Cavour, voi dove siete? – We’re in Cavour Square, where are you?
Or introduce them:
Io sono avvocata, lui è professore – I’m a lawyer, he’s a teacher
They save you time doing the housework:
Io lavo, tu asciughi – I’ll wash, you dry.
Or help you argue about the housework:
Tu non pulisci mai, io pulisco sempre! – You never clean, I always clean!
Use them to order drinks, too:
Io vorrei un vino e lui vorrebbe una birra – I’d like a wine, and he’d like a beer.
Essentially, whenever you’re comparing what two or more people are doing, you’ll need Italian subject pronouns like io, tu, lei etc.
If there’s no comparison, you can just go back to the standard way without the subject pronoun. For example:
Cosa vuoi fare stasera? – What do you want to do tonight?
It all depends on the context. Speaking of which, let’s look at a few more contexts where Italians do use subject pronouns!
Who’s there? Who’s calling? Who wants to know? To answer these questions in Italian, you’ll need subject pronouns!
It’s what a teacher would expect to hear, when they ask the class:
Chi conosce la risposta? – Who knows the answer?
Io! – I do!
Or, imagine you’re in a bar with a few friends, and you’re buying drinks. You ask:
Chi vuole una birra? – Who wants a beer?
And the response is unanimous:
Io! – I do!
Or you’re confronting two naughty children who’ve made a mess. You could ask:
Chi ha fatto questo? – Who did this?
Both of them respond passionately:
Lui! – He did!
Lei! – She did!
In English, we need an extra helper verb like “do” or “did”. Not so in Italian. Luckily for us, things are nice and simple: just use io, tu, lei etc. on its own.
Next up, we also use subject pronouns with the word… also!
Have you heard the Italian expression anch’io? For example:
– Ho fame. – Anch’io!
– I’m hungry. – Me too!
This phrase literally means:
Anche = also/too
Io = I
So to say “me too”, Italians literally say “also I”. Anche and io get smushed together, to give us anch’io.
To change the person, just change the subject pronoun, io, tu, lei etc. that comes straight after anche. For example:
Anch’io – Me too
Anche tu – You too
Anche lei – Her too
Anche lui – Him too
Anche noi – Us too
Anche voi – You too (plural)
Anche loro – Them too
You can use these expressions in longer sentences, too. Just remember that the subject pronoun always goes after anche. For example:
Vieni anche tu? – Are you coming too?
NOT *tu vieni anche or *vieni tu anche
If you want to say this expression in the negative, as in “me neither”, just swap anche for neanche:
– Non voglio lasciare l’Italia. – Neanch’io!
– I don’t want to leave Italy. – Me neither!
Finally, let’s look at some common advice you might hear when it comes to using subject pronouns in Italian.
“Use io and tu to be emphatic” is probably the advice you hear most often. Sometimes that feels somewhat woolly. What does “emphasis” really mean?
Emphasis is putting extra stress on one part of your sentence. Think of your tone of voice if you were to say: “I didn’t say go left, I said go straight and THEN left.”
So how does that work with subject pronouns?
Compare these examples:
Bene, direi… – Well, I’d say…
Here you’re saying what you think in a neutral way.
Bene, io direi… – Well I would say…
Here you’re really underlining that it’s something you think, personally. You might use it when you think your idea is better compared to someone else’s!
Or imagine you’re talking about someone else:
Dice sempre… – She always says…
Here you’re just reporting what she normally says.
But if you’re emphasising it’s really something she would say.
Lei dice sempre… – She always says…
In a way, emphasis is really just another case of clarity or contrast (a.k.a. the situation you already read about earlier in this article!) You’re emphasising that it’s she who does something in particular. Or how it’s you that thinks like that – as opposed to someone else.
As you don’t mention the other people explicitly, the comparison isn’t always so obvious. But it’s usually in there somewhere!
Let’s see some more examples:
You could make a comparison when it comes to election day:
Io ho votato, gli altri non lo so… – I’ve voted, I don’t know about the others…
Or make that comparison more implicit:
Io ho votato – I’ve voted (as in: “speaking for myself, not sure about anyone else”)
You could make a comparison about who does something:
Faccio io i piatti, tu rilassati – I’ll do the dishes, you relax.
Or imply a comparison with emphasis:
Faccio io i piatti – I’ll do the dishes (as in “not anyone else”)
Good to know: Sometimes you’ll hear the subject pronoun after the verb, for example faccio io, rather than io faccio. They’re both correct, but after the verb it takes on even more emphasis – “it’s me who does it, and not anyone else”.
So, that’s it! Now you know when to use Italian subject pronouns. Below you’ll find a quiz to see how much you learned, but first here’s a quick review.
The most important thing to remember is that we don’t normally use subject pronouns like io and noi in Italian. Most of the time, Italians understand who is doing something from the verb endings. For example:
(io) parlo = I speak
(noi) parliamo = We speak
But we do use them sometimes! When you do need to use the subject pronouns, it might be for one of 5 reasons:
Think: working out who ordered what in a bar: Lui vuole un caffè! – He wants a coffee.
Think: I’m doing this, you’re doing that. Io faccio questo, tu fai quello.
Think: “Who wants a piece? I do!” – Io!
As in, are you coming too? Vieni anche tu?
For example: Faccio io i piatti – I’ll wash the dishes (i.e. not you or anyone else!)
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Hai ragione = you’re right
Io cucino, tu pulisci = I’ll cook, you clean.
Pulisco ogni giorno = I clean every day.
Tu non pulisci ogni giorno, io pulisco ogni giorno = You don’t clean every day, I clean every day.
Parlo italiano = I speak Italian
Vuoi un caffè? = Do you want a coffee?
Dove sei? = Where are you?
Ho fame = I’m hungry
Anch’io! = Me too!
Io non ho tanta fame, e tu? = I’m not so hungry, you?
Tu non pulisci mai, io pulisco sempre! = You never clean, I always clean!
Vieni anche tu? = Are you coming too?
Io sono avvocata, lui è professore = I’m a lawyer, he’s a teacher
How much did you learn? Find out in the quiz!
Click here to take the quiz for this episode: Subject Pronouns in Italian
Remember the vocabulary from this lesson by downloading the digital flashcards
Not sure how it works? Click here to watch the tutorial
Please note, this is not a word for word transcript.
K: Ciao a tutti e benvenuti! Hi everyone and welcome to Learn Italian with Joy of Languages!
Today we’re talking about when to use subject pronouns.
M: Hold on a second, Katie. For the non-grammar nerds, could you explain what a subject pronoun is?
K: Yes, a subject pronoun is a word like “I” and “you”, which in Italian are:
M: Io and tu
K: Or “he” and “she” which would be:
M: Lui and lei
K: They’re the words we use to talk about who is doing something.
M: OK, got it.
K: Let’s listen to a typical situation in our house that shows some examples of when we do and don’t use these subject pronouns like io, tu and lei:
M: Questa casa è un disastro!
K: Non è vero, pulisco ogni giorno.
M: Tu non pulisci ogni giorno, io pulisco ogni giorno.
K: OK, hai ragione. Però lei lascia i peli ovunque.
B: …..
M: È vero Brody, e non fai neanche i piatti.
K: So first you heard:
M: questa casa è un disastro
K: This house is a disaster. Literally that’s:
M:
questa – this
casa – house
è – is
un – a
disastro – disaster
Then
M: Non è vero, pulisco ogni giorno.
K: It’s not true, I clean every day. Literally:
Non – not
è – it’s
vero – true
pulisco – I clean
ogni – every
giorno – day
K: Notice here how in Italian we don’t normally use io. I just said:
M: Pulisco
K: I clean. I didn’t say io pulisco.
M: Yeah, because in Italian we already know who is doing something from the ending of the word pulisco.
K: Let’s see this in detail. In English, if we just say “speaking”, we don’t know if we mean “I’m speaking” or “you’re speaking”. But in Italian, “I’m speaking” would be:
M: Parlo
K: and “you’re speaking”
M: Parli
K: Matteo’s changing the ending, not adding io or tu at the beginning. So, the standard way is with no “subject pronoun”, we don’t need words like io or tu to tell us who’s doing the action.
M: But sometimes we do use them.
K: Yes, and it can feel a bit confusing at first, trying to figure out how to use them naturally like Italians do. In this next bit we hear an example of when we do use them:
M: Tu non pulisci ogni giorno, io pulisco ogni giorno.
K: You don’t clean every day, I clean every day.
Tu – you
non – not
pulisci – you clean
ogni – every
giorno – day
Io – I
pulisco – I clean
ogni giorno – every day
K: So what’s going on here? Matteo says:
M: tu non pulisci, io pulisco
K: You don’t clean, I clean. So in Italian you use subject pronouns when you’re making a contrast or comparison, which applies to loads of situations. “I do this, you do that”, “I want to go here, what about you” – any kind of sentence where you compare what people are doing or thinking.
In English we often do this by emphasising the word I and YOU in these kinds of sentences. I’ll cook. You clean.
M: Io cucino, tu pulisci.
K: This is by far the most common use of subject pronouns in Italian, so if you only learn one situation, make it this one! It’s really useful for making plans and deciding who wants to do what. Next I said:
M: OK, hai ragione.
K: OK, you’re right.
M:
OK – OK
Hai – you have
Ragione – reason
K: Here notice again how there’s normally no tu or io in Italian. It’s
M: Hai ragione
K: and not
M: Tu hai ragione
K: Just as a little aside, the literal meaning sounds funny in English, to say “you have reason” – if you missed it, do listen to our podcast number 90 where we talked about this phrase, and others that work in a similar way. Then I continued:
M: Però lei lascia i peli ovunque.
K: But she leaves hair everywhere. Literally:
M:
Però – but
lei – she
lascia – leaves
i peli – the hairs
ovunque – everywhere
K: Here I did say lei to refer to Brody, the dog.
M: Lei lascia
K: She leaves. That’s because I’m indicating who I’m talking about. I used lei for clarity. It’s often accompanied by a physical gesture: the point is to show who you are talking about, for example, if you’re in a group of people. After that, Matteo said to Brody:
M: È vero Brody, e non fai neanche i piatti
K: It’s true Brody, and you don’t do the dishes either. Word for word that’s:
M:
È – it’s
vero – true
e – and
non – not
fai – you do
neanche – neither
i piatti – the dishes
K: In this sentence it’s clear who Matteo’s talking to, Brody, so he just says
M: non fai
K: you don’t do. There’s no need to add tu in this case. Let’s listen to the conversation again:
M: Questa casa è un disastro!
K: Non è vero, pulisco ogni giorno.
M: Tu non pulisci ogni giorno, io pulisco ogni giorno.
K: OK, hai ragione. Però lei lascia i peli ovunque.
B: …..
M: È vero Brody, e non fai neanche i piatti.
K: Now there are a couple of other times when you need to use the pronoun in Italian, like when replying to “who” questions. If I said, who wants a pizza, Matteo might say:
M: Io!
K: I do! Oh, now I’ve said that actually – mmm, anch’io – me too. But anyway, you can find a more detailed and full explanation of those other times we use pronouns in our blog post on this topic. So if you want to see everything written down, and get bonus materials, like vocabulary cards and a quiz, head over to our website by clicking the link in the description.
M: Or you can go to joyoflanguages.com/italianpodcast and search for episode 92.
K: See you next time. Or as we say in Italian.
K, M: Alla prossima!
To get mini lessons delivered to your inbox, access to the private Facebook group and invites to speaking workshops, click here to become a member.
What does having a cold, a romantic partner and a talent for making mistakes in Italian have in common?
In Italian, it’s the verb essere.
Normally, essere in Italian means “to be”. But not always! There are a few little phrases that don’t translate word for word.
It can be frustrating when Italians shrug and say “that’s just how we say it”. But these kinds of phrases are worth paying attention to, because they’ll help your Italian sound really natural.
So in this lesson, you’ll learn 4 surprising ways to use essere in Italian. And a couple of bonus ones that will get you sounding really native.
The first phrase is for when…
Etcì! … (that’s Italian for “achoo!”)
…The first phrase is for when you’re not feeling too well.
In English, a cold is something you have. You wake up with it as the seasons turn, like an unwanted Christmas present. In Italian, however, we can think of a cold as something that affects you, like a feeling or a mood. We say:
Sono raffreddata/o = I have a cold (literally “I’m cooled”)
That’s right! When you wake up with a blocked nose, sneezing and coughing, in Italian, you literally say “I’m cooled”. Sounds quite cute, doesn’t it?
But maybe it’s not so strange after all.
In English, we say “I’m sick” to talk about having a sickness. So why not say “I’m cooled” to talk about having a cold? Kind of makes sense in a weird way!
You might also like to know that there are two ways to say “I have a cold” in Italian, and the other way is a lot closer to English!
Sono raffreddata/o = literally “I am cooled”
Ho il raffreddore = literally “I have the cold”
Just note that in Italian, we say “I have THE cold”: ho IL raffreddore.
The ending is also slightly different between the two options. The first one agrees with gender, so Katie would say raffreddatA and Matteo would say raffreddatO. In the second, we say raffreddore, which doesn’t change.
Both options are correct, so you can use whichever one you prefer.
It’s nice to have choices in life, don’t you agree? Speaking of which, let’s learn how to agree in Italian!
Time for our next funny phrase with essere in Italian. Do you know how to say “I agree”?
Sono d’accordo
The literal meaning is “I am of accord”, which sounds rather old fashioned in English: you can almost imagine yourself wearing a monocle when you say it 🧐
Let’s look at a few more details to help you use this phrase like a native.
First, see that little d’ before accordo? It’s short for di which means “of”.
Next, remember that accordo always ends in -o. It doesn’t change based on gender or number:
Katie è d’accordo = Katie agrees
Matteo è d’accordo = Matteo agrees
Siamo tutti d’accordo = We all agree
Finally, a quick pronunciation tip! Notice that double cc in d’accordo? Remember to make it nice and long. Sometimes it helps to imagine a little pause between the two letters: d’ac-cordo.
So far, we’ve been talking a lot about how to say sono (“I am”) in Italian. The verb essere changes for different people, so we thought we’d do a quick pitstop to review the different forms.
Here they are:
| Essere | To be |
| sono | I am |
| sei | You are – informal |
| è | S/he is; you are – formal |
| siamo | We are |
| siete | You all/both are – plural, for 2 or more people |
| sono | They are |
Now you know how to say that other people agree, too!
Sono d’accordo = I agree (lit. I am of accord)
Sei d’accordo = You agree (lit. you are of accord)
È d’accordo = S/he agrees (lit. s/he is of accord) – also you formal
Siamo d’accordo = We agree (lit. we are of accord)
Siete d’accordo = You all/both agree (lit. you are of accord – plural)
Sono d’accordo = They agree (lit. they are of accord)
Keep this table as a reference, because it will come in handy for all the other expressions in this article too. Just match the form of essere to the person you’re talking about.
Ready to learn more interesting phrases with essere in Italian?
Continuiamo – let’s continue!
Do you have a natural talent in something? Whether you’ve been quietly honing your drawing skills since the age of 5 or make a mean carbonara, you’re portata/o.
Sono portata/o per… – I have a talent for…
You might recognise the word portare hidden in there, which means “to carry”. And yes, literally it means “I am carried”! But Italians use this word with essere to say that they have a “talent”, “flair”, or “aptitude” for something.
More often than not, you’ll see it followed by per which means “for”, and then the talent.
Let’s practise with some examples:
Sono portata/o per le lingue – I have a talent for languages
Sono portata/o per l’italiano – I have a talent for Italian
Sono portata/o per la cucina – I have a talent for cooking
Sono portata/o per il disegno – I have a talent for drawing
And if you don’t have a talent, don’t worry, it sounds even better to use this phrase to talk about something you’re bad at:
Non sono portata/o per la cucina – I have no talent for cooking
Non sono portata/o per il disegno – I have no talent for drawing
Only a few phrases left, keep it up, you can do it! Hmm… that’s actually our next Italian phrase.
Imagine you’re watching someone you love compete in a sporting event, like running a race. They’re looking tired, but they’re edging towards the finish. They’re in need of some encouragement, so it’s time to start shouting:
Sei tutti noi! – Go on, you can do it!
This expression might look odd at first because it literally means “you are all of us”, as in:
sei – you are
tutti – all
noi – us
But there is a kind of weird logic to it. It’s a bit like saying: we’re so behind you in this moment, it’s as if you’re doing it for all of us… so much so that you’ve become all of us, you’re all of us!
For this phrase it’s best to focus on the feeling of it, and when to use it. Let’s see some more examples:
When it comes to pronouncing this phrase, it works best when you really shout it!
Time for a couple of bonus situations when we use essere in Italian. They’re similar to English in some ways, but require a bit of extra attention so you can get used to the Italian way of thinking!
Finding the right words to describe a romantic relationship is difficult in any language! In Italian, you can say:
Sono fidanzata/o – I have a romantic partner
It’s a simple and common expression which is neither too formal nor informal.
Cultural note: While you can use this phrase at any age, it can sound a little young, so if you’re looking for a more mature or serious feel, say ho un compagno or ho una compagna, which means “I have a partner”.
But let’s come back to today’s phrase essere fidanzata/o. Doesn’t it sound a lot like the word fiancé?
Here’s where things get interesting…
Literally speaking, fidanzata/o means “fiancé” and sono fidanzata/o means “I’m engaged”. However, in modern, natural Italian, we use it for any kind of semi-serious relationship, a bit like the phrase “going-steady” in English.
Italians don’t really have a separate word for “engaged”, but it turns out, you don’t really need one! We can just say:
Si sposano – They’re getting married
To use the phrase correctly, you’ll need to change the last letter of fidanzata/o to agree with the gender or number of people you’re talking about.
For example:
If you hear Italians saying the word fidanzata or fidanzato, you might notice the way they pronounce the Z – it’s more like a TS sound, a bit like the Z in pizza!
Where’s the last surprising place you’ll find essere in Italian? You might already know this one: it has to do with the past.
Sometimes, when you’re talking about the past in Italian, you’ll need the verb essere. For example:
Sono andato – I went (literally “I am gone”).
Saying “I am gone” instead of “I went”, might seem alien to us now, but we used to talk like this in English too!
For example, you don’t have to go too far back in history to find sentences like this:
“I am gone forever” – William Shakespeare, the Winter’s Tale
“Oh look, Charlotte is come” – Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
“I am come to save the word” – The Holy Bible
When do Italians use essere to talk about the past? It’s usually with verbs which refer to movement: either going from one place to another, or staying in the same place.
For example:
Sono andata/o = I went (lit. I am gone)
Sono arrivata/o = I arrived (lit. I am arrived)
Sono venuta/o = I came (lit. I am come)
Sono partita/o = I left (lit. I am parted)
Sono stata/o = I stayed (lit. I am stayed)
As with most of the expressions with essere in this article, the last letter changes based on gender and number. Here’s a quick revision:
Katie says sono andata
Matteo says sono andato
Together, they say siamo andati
Now you’ve made it to the end, it’s time for a quick quiz and review. You can do it, sei tutti noi!
So, you can use essere in Italian to talk about having a cold or having a talent, being in a relationship, or being behind someone all the way. Use it to show you agree, or even to show you’re talking in the past.
Sono raffreddata/o – I have a cold
Sono d’accordo – I agree
Sono portata/o per.. – I have a talent for…
Sei tutti noi! – Go on, you can do it!
And don’t forget our two bonus situations:
Sono fidanzata/o – I’m in a serious relationship
Sono andata/o – I went (lit. “I am gone”)
But can you really use essere in all these contexts? It’s time to put your knowledge to the test!
Learn to speak and understand Italian faster by joining the Joy of Languages Italian club! When you sign up, you’ll get:
If you’d like to join us, click here to become a member of our Italian club.
Sono raffreddato= I have a cold (lit. I am cooled. masculine)
Sono raffreddata= I have a cold (lit. I am cooled. feminine)
Sono portato= I have a talent for it (masculine)
Sono portata= I have a talent for it (feminine)
Non sono portato= I don’t have a talent for it (masculine)
Non sono portata= I don’t have a talent for it (feminine)
Sono d’accordo= I agree (lit. I am of accord)
Sei tutti noi!= you can do it! (lit. you are all us)
How much did you learn? Find out in the quiz!
Click here to take the quiz for this episode: 4 Ways to Use ESSERE in Italian
Remember the vocabulary from this lesson by downloading the digital flashcards
Not sure how it works? Click here to watch the tutorial
Please note, this is not a word for word transcript.
K- Ciao a tutti e benvenuti! Welcome to Learn Italian with Joy of Languages. I’m Katie. And… where is Matteo? Hmm… Anyway, in this episode you’ll learn four phrases that are surprisingly tricky to translate from Italian.
They all use the verb essere, which normally means “to be”. It’s the one which has the forms sono, sei, è etc.
We’ll get started with the dialogue just as soon as Matteo gets here… ah! Here he is.
M: ETCì! Scusami, sono raffreddato.
K: Ma stasera dobbiamo uscire a cena.
M: È vero.
K: Allora stiamo a casa.
M: OK.
K: Posso cucinare! Ma… non sono portata.
M: Sono d’accordo.
K: Ehi! Ma hai ragione. Non voglio cucinare.
M: Allora devo guarire.
K: Riposo…
M: …frutta e vitamine!
K: Forza Matteo, sei tutti noi!
K- Let’s break the conversation down word for word:
M: ETCI
K: That’s Italian for “achoo”!
M: Scusami, sono raffreddato.
K: Sorry, I have a cold. Literally:
M:
scusami – excuse me
sono – I am
raffreddato – cooled
K- So here’s our first phrase: essere raffreddato. Literally that’s “to be cooled”, but it means “to have a cold”.
M- It sounds strange, but that’s how we say it in Italian!
K- I have a cold, literally “I am cooled”
M – Sono raffreddato
K – I would say sono raffreddata, with an -A at the end. Another thing to notice, there are a couple of double letters in this word. Double ff and double dd.
M – Raffreddato
K – Remember that in Italian they’re nice and long. It can help to try to do a little pause in between the two ffs and the two dds.
M – Raf-fred-dato, raf-fred-dato, raf-fred-dato
K – Next I said:
M – Ma stasera dobbiamo uscire a cena.
K – But tonight we’re supposed to go out to dinner. Literally
M –
Ma – But
Stasera – This evening
Dobbiamo – We have to
Uscire – Go out
A – To
Cena – Dinner
K – And Matteo said:
M – È vero.
K – It’s true. So I suggested
M – Allora stiamo a casa.
K – Well let’s stay at home. Word for word:
M –
Allora – Well
Stiamo – We stay
A – At
Casa – House or home in this case
K – Matteo agrees:
M – OK.
K – Then I have a suggestion to make sure we don’t starve:
M – Posso cucinare!
K – I can cook!
K – But I soon realised the small problem with my plan, and said:
M – Ma… non sono portata
K – But… I don’t have a talent for it. Literally:
M –
Ma – But
Non – Not
Sono – I am
Portata – Carried
K- And here’s our next funny phrase with essere. Essere portato, or essere portata is a way of saying that you have talent, aptitude or some kind of skill. I say “sono portata” and Matteo would say:
M – Sono portato, with an -o at the end.
K – Next, Matteo said:
M – Sono d’accordo.
K – I agree. Unbelievable. How rude. And here we see our next phrase with essere. To say “I agree” in Italian, we literally say “I am of accord”
M –
Sono – I am
Di – Of
Accordo – Accord
K – The “di” and “accordo” get smushed together, d apostrophe “accordo”, so it becomes:
M – d’accordo. Sono d’accordo.
K – Sounds rather old-fashioned and formal in English, I am of accord. You can almost imagine someone wearing a monocle when they say it… I am of accord.
M – Sono d’accordo.
K – Next, I said
M – Ehi!
K – The Italian word for “hey”, just to show my indignation at Matteo’s rude agreeing. Then I realise he is right though, and say:
M – hai ragione
K – you’re right, literally:
M
Hai – You have
Ragione – Reason
For more funny phrases like this with “have”, you can check out our last episode, number 90. Next I said:
M – Non voglio cucinare.
K – I don’t want to cook. Word for word:
M –
Non – Not
Voglio – I want
Cucinare – To cook
K – If Matteo wants to escape my cooking, there’s only one thing to do. He says:
M – Allora devo guarire
K – Well I have to get better then. Word for word:
M –
Allora – Well then
Devo – I must
Guarire – Heal
K – Then I say:
M – Riposo
K – Rest
M – … frutta e vitamine!
K – … fruit and vitamins!
K – Finally to give him encouragement, I say:
M: Forza Matteo, sei tutti noi!
K: Come on Matteo, you can do it! Literally:
M:
Forza Matteo – strength Matteo
Sei – you are
Tutti – all
Noi – us
K- So our last phrase is one that’s tough to translate. Literally “you are all us”.
M- Sei tutti noi
K – But there is a kind of weird logic behind it. It’s a bit like saying: we’re so behind you in this moment, it’s as if you’re doing it for all of us… so much so that you’ve become all of us, you’re all of us!
M – Sei tutti noi!
K – But you don’t need to worry too much about the logic of this. If you prefer, you can also just learn it as a fixed expression:
M – Sei tutti noi!
K – So let’s listen to the whole conversation one more time:
M: ETCì! Scusami, sono raffreddato.
K: Ma stasera dobbiamo uscire a cena.
M: È vero.
K: Allora stiamo a casa.
M: OK.
K: Posso cucinare! Ma… non sono portata.
M: Sono d’accordo.
K: Ehi! Ma hai ragione. Non voglio cucinare.
M: Allora devo guarire.
K: Riposo…
M: …frutta e vitamine!
K: Forza Matteo, sei tutti noi!
K – So there you go, these tricky phrases with essere will enrich your Italian conversations with native sounding phrases.
To learn a few more phrases which follow this pattern and get bonus materials, like vocabulary cards and a quiz, head over to our website by clicking the link in the description.
M: Or you can go to joyoflanguages.com/italianpodcast and search for episode 91.
K: See you next time. Or as we say in Italian.K, M: Alla prossima!
To get mini lessons delivered to your inbox, access to the private Facebook group and invites to speaking workshops, click here to become a member.
If you ever find yourself in a heatwave in Italy, you might want to say “I’m hot”.
Whatever you do, don’t say sono caldo. This could get you some funny looks because it means “I’m horny”!
So what should you say instead?
Italians say ho caldo, which literally means “I have heat”.
There are quite a few common expressions which follow this pattern in Italian, whether you’re talking about your age, being hungry, or who’s right and wrong.
That’s what this article is all about: you’ll learn 7 moments where you should say “I have” in Italian, instead of “I am” like you normally would in English. And pick up 4 bonus phrases that will help you sound really native.
To get them right, you’ll need the verb avere in Italian, which means “to have”.
But first, when does caldo have a risqué meaning? We’ll start here so you can avoid making Italians blush by accident!
Most of the time caldo means “hot” in Italian, as in:
Il cibo è caldo = the food is hot
L’acqua è calda = the water is hot
As long as you’re describing an external temperature, something that’s “hot to touch”, you’re on safe ground. It’s unlikely that what you’re saying will be misinterpreted in a sexual way.
You can even use it to describe skin temperature, for example, when someone has a fever:
Sei caldo, prendo il termometro = You’re hot, I’ll get the thermometer
No blushing here, because these sentences sound perfectly innocent to Italian ears.
Caldo takes on a sexual meaning when we use it to describe internal feelings and sensations. This explains why, if you literally translate the phrase “I’m hot” into Italian, you’ll end up saying:
sono calda/o = I’m horny
Italians avoid this confusion by using a different verb: avere (to have). So if you’re hot because of the weather, you should say:
Ho caldo = I’m hot (literally “I have heat”)
This phrase will help you steer clear of any embarrassing mistakes.
In the next few sections, we’ll look at a few details that will help you use this expression, and others like it, more confidently.
The first one is a deeper understanding of the verb avere (to have) in Italian.
So far, we’ve been using ho, which means “I have”. In Italian, the verb avere (to have) changes when we’re talking about different people.
In fact, the word “conjugations” in the title of this section is just a fancy way of saying “different forms for different people”.
Do you know the different forms? Let’s take a look at them now:
| Avere | To have |
| Ho* | I have |
| Hai* | You have – informal |
| Ha* | S/he has; You have – formal |
| Abbiamo | We have |
| Avete | You all/both have – plural, for 2 or more people |
| Hanno* | They have |
*Psst! In Italian, we don’t pronounce the “h” sound, so remember not to say it at the beginning of these forms.
Now you know how to say that other people “have heat” too!
Ho caldo = I’m hot (lit. I have heat)
Hai caldo = You’re hot (lit. you have heat)
Ha caldo = S/he’s hot (lit. s/he has heat) – also you formal
Abbiamo caldo = We’re hot (lit. we have heat)
Avete caldo = You all/both are hot (lit. you have heat – plural)
Hanno caldo = They’re hot (lit. they have heat)
Keep this table as a reference, because it will come in handy for all the other expressions in this article too. All you need to do is match the form of avere to the person you’re talking about.
Great news! We see a very similar pattern with the word freddo (cold):
Ho freddo = I’m cold (lit. I have cold)
So how would you adapt this expression to talk about different people? You’ll need the different forms of avere again:
….
Ho freddo = I’m cold (lit. I have cold)
Hai freddo = You’re cold (lit. you have cold)
Ha freddo = S/he’s cold (lit. s/he has cold) – also “you” formal
Abbiamo freddo = We’re cold (lit. we have cold)
Avete freddo = You all/both are cold (lit. you have cold – plural)
Hanno freddo = They’re cold (lit. they have cold)
….
Attenzione! The expression “I’m cold” or “you’re cold” etc. does exist in Italian, but the meaning is very different. In Italian, it means you have a cold personality:
Maria è fredda = Maria is a cold/aloof person
Marco è freddo = Marco is a cold/aloof person
That means if you say sono fredda/o, you’re saying that you’re a cold or aloof person, not that you feel cold. To avoid confusion, every time you want to say you’re cold as in “brrrrr”, you’ll need to say “I have” cold: ho freddo.
So now you know how to talk about “having hot” and “having cold” in Italian, let’s learn some more common phrases which work in the same way!
Italians love food, but they’re rarely hungry. Is it because they eat a lot of snacks? Nope! It’s because, literally speaking, they “have” hunger.
Here’s how they say it:
Ho fame! = I’m hungry (lit. I have hunger)
Turns out, Italians are rarely thirsty either! Instead they “have” thirst.
Ho sete! = I’m thirsty (lit. I have thirst)
Interestingly, we can say it like this in English too, for example, “I have a thirst for knowledge” or “I have a hunger for success”. The only difference is that in English, we tend to use these in a metaphorical way.
In Italian, this is the normal, everyday way to say it.
Have you come across this one before? In Italy, age isn’t something you are, it’s something you have.
Ho diciotto anni = I’m 18 (lit. I have 18 years)
Ho quarantacinque anni = I’m 45 (lit. I have 45 years)
Ho sessantatre anni = I’m 63 (lit. I have 63 years)
Quanti anni hai? = How old are you? (lit. How many years you have?)
Remember, when talking about age, we always need to include the anni (years) at the end:
Don’t say: *ho quarantacinque
Say: ho quarantacinque anni
If you didn’t get enough sleep last night, you might be feeling sleepy. But to get it right in Italian, you’ll need to forget about being sleepy and talk about having sleep instead:
Ho sonno = I’m sleepy (lit. I have sleep)
Pronunciation Tip: Did you notice the double “nn” in sonno? In Italian, a double letter means you have to pronounce it for longer, so remember to really draw it out: so-N-N-o.
To get it right, you can try imagining many NNNNs, for example soNNNNNNNNNo, or even a little pause between them so-N-N-o. Both techniques work!
If you’re feeling sleepy, it should be easy to take your time on this word… if you don’t, it could sound like sono, which means “I am” and wouldn’t work at all!
Have no fear! See that? Turns out we can “have” fear in English, too. The main difference is that in English, we’re more likely to say “I’m scared” or “I’m afraid”.
In Italian, on the other hand, “I have fear”, is the most common and standard way to say it:
Ho paura = I’m afraid (lit. I have fear)
Time for another pronunciation tip! Did you notice all those tricky vowels in the middle? To pronounce paura like a native, you’ll need to really enunciate the “a” and the “u”: p-AAA-UUU-ra, not powra.
There’s nothing like a good song lyric to hardwire pronunciation into the brain, and happily there are loads of Italian songs that use this word. As a challenge, try listening out for how Lucio Battisti pronounces the word “paura” in his song: “Con il nastro rosa”.
Let’s recap quickly. You’ve learned 7 basic phrases with avere:
ho caldo = I’m hot (lit. I have hot)
ho freddo = I’m cold (lit. I have cold)
ho fame = I’m hungry (lit. I have hunger)
ho sete = I’m thirsty (lit. I have thirst)
ho 40 anni = I’m 40
ho sonno = I’m sleepy (lit. I have sleep)
ho paura = I’m afraid (lit. I have fear)
Time for a few advanced bonus phrases that follow the same pattern. These ones will help you sound really native!
Did you know? Italians are never right either. Not because they always make mistakes, but because they “have reason” instead.
Ho ragione = I’m right (lit. I have reason)
Saying sono ragione would sound very strange indeed! “I am reason…”
It’s important to know how to say someone else is right too, of course. In Italian, “you have” is hai. So how would you say “you’re right”?
Hai ragione = You’re right (lit. you have reason)
And of course, although it’s not always easy to admit, we’re wrong sometimes, too. Well, except for Italians. They’re never wrong, because they “have wrong” instead!
Ho torto = I’m wrong (lit. I have wrong)
Hai torto = You’re wrong (lit. you have wrong)
Fun fact: the word “tort” also exists in English. We have the law of “tort”, which covers all the wrong doings people do in everyday life. The Italian word for “wrong” just has an extra -o at the end, torto.
As it turns out, this -o ending is a very important detail to remember. Don’t make it feminine by accident, otherwise you’ll end up saying something very different:
Ho torta = I have cake
This is one of Katie’s favorite mistakes that she still makes sometimes.
Italians are famous for their relaxed way of living. And while it’s true that Italians are never in a rush, they do get busy sometimes! And when they do, you’ll hear them say that they “have rush”:
Ho fretta = I’m in a rush (lit. I have rush)
Just remember that even if you are in a fretta, you should take your time with the double letter: fre-T-T-a
Ho i postumi = I’m hungover (lit. I have the remains)
Our last phrase is one that Italians rarely need, given their restraint and moderation *ahem* when it comes to alcohol.
Ho i postumi is in fact a shortened form of the phrase:
Ho i postumi della sbornia
Which literally means: “I have the remains of drunkenness”. Thinking about the literal meaning, it’s a rather accurate description of what a hangover is!
Did you notice that we haven’t talked much about masculine and feminine endings in this lesson?
In Italian, we usually change the ending of adjectives (describing words) to agree with the person they describe. For example:
Marzia è italiana = Marzia is Italian
Matteo è italiano = Matteo is Italian
But you don’t need to worry about that in this lesson, because they don’t change! For example:
Katie ha caldo = Katie is hot (lit. Katie “has” heat)
Matteo ha caldo = Matteo is hot (lit. Matteo “has” heat)
In this case, caldo always ends in -o! Why is that?
Because in expressions with avere, we’re not describing you. We’re talking about something you have. This means, we treat these words just like any other object!
For example:
Ho un biglietto = I have a ticket
Ho un libro = I have a book
Ho caldo = I’m cold (lit. I “have” cold)
In Italian, objects are either masculine or feminine (caldo happens to be masculine), but their gender always stays the same. It doesn’t change depending on who has it.
Some words happen to be feminine, like paura. In this case, it always ends in -a:
Matteo ha paura = Matteo is afraid (lit. Matteo “has” fear)
Katie ha paura = Katie is afraid (lit. Katie “has” fear)
Don’t stress too much about trying to remember whether caldo is masculine and paura is feminine. Just start learning the phrases as they are…
ho caldo
ho paura
…and you’ll be using them confidently in no time!
You’ve now seen the main phrases where we use “I have” in Italian (even though we use “I am” in English). Let’s take another quick look at them:
ho caldo = I’m hot (lit. I have hot)
ho freddo = I’m cold (lit. I have cold)
ho fame = I’m hungry (lit. I have hunger)
ho sete = I’m thirsty (lit. I have thirst)
ho 40 anni = I’m 40
ho sonno = I’m sleepy (lit. I have sleep)
ho paura = I’m afraid (lit. I have fear)
ho ragione = I’m right (lit. I have reason)
ho torto = I’m wrong (lit. I have wrong)
ho fretta = I’m in a rush (lit. I have rush)
ho i postumi = I’m hungover (lit. I have the remains)
You also learned how to adapt these phrases to talk about different people, for example:
Hai ragione! = You’re right! (lit. you have reason)
Hai paura? = Are you afraid? (lit. you have fear)
Ha fame = S/he is hungry (lit. s/he has hunger)
Hanno torto = They’re wrong (lit. they have wrong)
Abbiamo i postumi = We’re hungover (lit. we have hangover)
All you need to do is change the form of avere. Here are all the different forms again so you have them handy:
| Avere | To have |
| Ho | I have |
| Hai | You have – informal |
| Ha | S/he has; You have – formal |
| Abbiamo | We have |
| Avete | You all/both have – plural, for 2 or more people |
| Hanno | They have |
Finally, you learned that in expressions with avere, words like caldo and paura DON’T agree with the person who feels hot, afraid etc.
Matteo ha caldo = Matteo is hot (lit. Matteo “has” heat)
Katie ha caldo = Katie is hot (lit. Katie “has” heat)
Matteo ha paura = Matteo is afraid (lit. Matteo “has” fear)
Katie ha paura = Katie is afraid (lit. Katie “has” fear)
These objects have their own gender: caldo is masculine, while paura is feminine. The last letter always agrees with the object, the thing we “have”, and not the person who has it.
Phew, that was a lot to take in. But don’t worry, help is here! Head down to our quiz and vocabulary cards below.
Learn to speak and understand Italian faster by joining the Joy of Languages Italian club! When you sign up, you’ll get:
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Ho caldo = I’m hot
Ho freddo = I’m cold
Ho 40 anni = I’m 40
Ho sete = I’m thirsty
Ho fame = I’m hungry
Ho sonno = I’m sleepy
Ho paura = I’m scared
How much did you learn? Find out in the quiz!
Click here to take the quiz for this episode: I have hot! 7 common expressions with AVERE in Italian
Remember the vocabulary from this lesson by downloading the digital flashcards
Not sure how it works? Click here to watch the tutorial
Please note, this is not a word for word transcript.
K – There are lots of situations where Italians use “I have” – ho – but in English we say “I am”. Another example is age.
M – Yes it’s true, in fact Italians often make this mistake the other way around, for example, we say “I have forty years”
K – Yes… because in Italian, we “have” our age, so we say – ho quarant’anni
M – It’s a topic that’s tricky for everyone.
K – In fact, we already covered this topic back in episode 74. But it’s one that keeps coming up, and there are a few more common ones that are worth learning, so we thought we’d revisit it!
M – What other ones are there?
K – Hmm… well how about we listen to a typical conversation with a few examples?
M – OK!
K – As you’re listening, pay special attention to when you hear ho – “I have”, or hai – “you have”.
K – Uff! Ho caldo.
M – Allora apro la finestra.
K – In realtà, ho sete.
M – Ecco, un bicchiere d’acqua.
K – Mmm… ma forse ho fame.
M – Okay… cuciniamo qualcosa?
K – No. Ho sonno.
M – Hai caldo, hai sete, hai fame, hai sonno, altro?
K – …
M – No, no, no, non dire niente, ho paura.
K – OK, so breaking that down line by line, I said:
M – Uff! Ho caldo.
K – Urg! I’m hot. Literally:
M –
Ho = I have
Caldo = Heat
K – Here’s another example of the phrase we heard at the beginning of the episode. To say “I’m hot” in Italian, we literally say “I have heat”
M – Ho caldo.
K – This expression works the same way for cold. Cold is freddo. In Italian, we “have” it. So how would you say “I’m cold”, literally “I have cold”?
M – Ho freddo.
K – Next, Matteo said:
M – Allora apro la finestra.
K – Well I’ll open the window. Literally:
M –
Allora = well
Apro = I open
La finestra = the window
K – Then I said:
M – In realtà, ho sete.
K – Actually, I’m thirsty. Literally:
M –
In realtà = in reality
Ho = I have
Sete = thirst
K – And here’s another thing we have in Italian! We don’t say “I’m thirsty”, we say “I have thirst”.
M – Ho sete.
K – Luckily, Matteo’s an attentive partner and he brought me over a glass of water:
M – Ecco, un bicchiere d’acqua.
K – Here, a glass of water. Literally:
M –
Ecco – here
Un bicchiere = a glass
Di = of
Acqua = water
K – So before you heard ho sete. Literally “I have thirst”. There’s a similar expression that you might already know. I said it in the next phrase:
M – Mmm… ma forse ho fame.
K – Mmm… but maybe I’m hungry. Literally:
M –
Ma = But
Forse = Maybe
Ho = I have
Fame = Hunger
K – So the takeaway here, to think like an Italian, is to imagine that every time you want to say “I’m thirsty” or “I’m hungry”, you’re really going to say “I have thirst” and “I have hunger”. Interestingly, we can say it like that in English too sometimes, for example:
“to have a real thirst for something”
or “to have insatiable hunger”.
The only difference is that in Italian, this is the normal, everyday way to say it.
K – So ho fame, I’m hungry. Matteo’s tries to solve this problem too, by suggesting we cook:
M – Okay… cuciniamo qualcosa?
K – Okay… shall we cook something? Literally:
M –
Cuciniamo = we cook
Qualcosa = something
K – But then I said:
M – No. Ho sonno.
K – No. I’m sleepy. Literally:
M –
Ho = I have
Sonno = sleep
K – Here’s another expression with “have” in Italian. We don’t say “I am sleepy”, instead, we say “I have sleep”.
M – Ho sonno.
K – Notice the double NN in soN-No. S – O – N – N – O. Double letters in Italian are nice and long. To draw them out like Italians do, you almost have to imagine a little pause in the middle. Try to say son-no, kind of pausing between the two N-Ns. Son-no.
M: SON-NO. SON-NO. SON-NO.
K – Next, Matteo says:
M – Hai caldo, hai sete, hai fame, hai sonno, altro?
K – You’re hot, you’re thirsty, you’re hungry, you’re sleepy, anything else? Literally:
M –
Hai = you have
Caldo = heat
Hai = you have
Sete = thirst
Hai = you have
Fame = hunger
Hai = you have
Sonno = sleep
Altro? = other?
K – Here we’ve got the “you have” form, hai.
M – Hai.
K – You’ll most often hear this in questions, for example, are you hungry? Literally “you have hunger”?
M – Hai fame?
K – Coming back to our dialogue, Matteo’s losing patience, so after saying Altro? Anything else? He decides it’s best not to wait for an answer:
M – No, no, no, non dire niente, ho paura.
K – No, no, no, don’t say anything, I’m scared. Literally:
M –
Non = not
Dire = to say
Niente = nothing
Ho = I have
Paura = fear
K – So when you’re afraid or scared in Italian, you’re really saying you have fear.
M – Yeah, exactly. Also really important, all the vowel sounds of P-A-U-RA
K – Yeah, not “powra” but really emphasising the vowels.
M – pAAAUUUrA.
K – So let’s review our phrases with “have”. Remember how to say “I’m forty”, literally “I have forty years?”
…
M: Ho quarant’anni.
…
K: I’m hot, “I have hot”?
…
M: Ho caldo.
…
K: I’m cold, “I have cold”?
…
M: Ho freddo.
…
K: I’m hungry, “I have hunger”?
…
M: Ho fame.
…
K: I’m thirsty, “I have thirst”?
…
M: Ho sete.
…
K: I’m sleepy, literally, “I have sleep”?
…
M: Ho sonno.
…
K: I’m afraid, “I have fear”?
…
M: Ho paura.
…
K – Perfetto! Let’s listen to the whole dialogue one more time:
K – Uff! Ho caldo.
M – Allora apro la finestra.
K – In realtà, ho sete.
M – Ecco, un bicchiere d’acqua.
K – Mmm… ma forse ho fame.
M – Okay… cuciniamo qualcosa?
K – No. Ho sonno.
M – Hai caldo, hai sete, hai fame, hai sonno, altro?
K – …
M – No, no, no, non dire niente, ho paura.
K: So whether you “have” 18 years or 80 years, we hope you’re feeling more confident about using these phrases with “have” in Italian. To learn more expressions which follow this pattern and get bonus materials, like vocabulary cards and a quiz, head over to our website by clicking the link in the description.
M: Or you can go to joyoflanguages.com/italianpodcast and search for episode 90.
K: See you next time. Or as we say in Italian.
K, M: Alla prossima!
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