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Essential Italian Phrases for Travelers

Mar 21, 2025

Italian Phrases for Travelers with Pronunciation

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Introduction

  • Purpose: Help travelers overcome language barriers in Italy with basic conversational phrases and pronunciations.
  • Focus: Greetings, pleasantries, questions, days of the week, ordering food, and emergency situations.

Image: Girl inspecting a map in Italy during summer

Key Italian Phrases and Pronunciations

Greetings

  • Buongiorno (bwohn-johr-noh): Hello/Good morning
  • Buon pomeriggio (bwon po-meh-reej-joh): Good afternoon
  • Buonasera (bwoh-nah-seh-rah): Good evening
  • Arrivederci (ahr-ree-veh-dehr-chee): Goodbye (formal)
  • Ciao (chee-ah-oh): Hello/Goodbye (informal)
  • Salve (sahl-veh): Hello/Goodbye (informal)
  • Buonanotte (bwoh-nah-noht-teh): Goodnight (informal)

General Phrases & Pleasantries

  • Si (see): Yes
  • No (noh): No
  • Per favore (pehr fah-voh-reh): Please
  • Grazie (grah-tsee-eh): Thank you
  • Prego (preh-goh): You're welcome
  • Scusa (skooh-zah): I'm sorry/Excuse me

Questions

  • Parla inglese? (pahr-lah een-gleh-zeh): Do you speak English?
  • Cosa? (koh-sah): What?
  • Quando? (kwahn-doh): When?
  • Chi? (kee): Who?
  • Dove? (doh-veh): Where?
  • Perché? (pehr-keh): Why?
  • Come? (koh-meh): How?
  • Quanto? (kwanh-toh): How much?
  • Dove si mangia il miglior gelato? (doh-veh see mahn-jah eel meel-yohr geh-lah-toh): Where can I get the best ice-cream?

Image: Girl watching the gondolas by the water

Days of the Week

  • Domenica (doh-meh-nee-kah): Sunday
  • Lunedì (looh-neh-dee): Monday
  • Martedì (mahr-teh-dee): Tuesday
  • Mercoledì (mehr-koh-leh-dee): Wednesday
  • Giovedì (joh-veh-dee): Thursday
  • Venerdì (veh-nehr-dee): Friday
  • Sabato (sah-bah-toh): Saturday
  • Ieri (yeh-ree): Yesterday
  • Oggi (ohj-jee): Today
  • Domani (doh-mah-nee): Tomorrow

Ordering Food and Drink

  • ________, per favore (________, pehr fah-voh-reh): ________, please
  • Ci fa il conto, per favore? (chee fah eel kohn-toh pehr fah-voh-reh): Will you bring us the bill please?

Emergency Scenarios

  • Aiuto! (ah-yooh-toh): Help!
  • Chiamate la polizia! (kee-ah-mah-teh lah poh-lee-tsee-ah): Call the police!
  • Chiamate un'ambulanza! (kee-ah-mah-teh ooh-nahm-booh-lahn-tsah): Call an ambulance!
  • Ho bisogno di un medico (oh bee-zoh-nyoh dee oohn meh-dee-koh): I need a doctor
  • Dov'è l'ospedale? (doh-veh lohs-peh-dah-leh): Where is the hospital?

Additional Information

  • Source Credit: dummies.com for easy pronunciation references.

Conclusion

  • This guide aims to cover essential language needs for travelers in Italy, making their experience more comfortable and enjoyable.
  • Feedback and experiences are encouraged to improve future guides.