By Bridget Castner
If you’re planning to travel to Italy and want to communicate effectively, it’s best to know some common Italian phrases to help you get by. Locals always appreciate the effort visitors make to speak their language, and knowing a little Italian can really go a long way.
To help you out, we've compiled a list of some helpful Italian phrases for travel to use throughout your journey, from ordering delicious food to navigating your way to the train station!
Ready to start exploring? View our vacation packages to Italy.
Main Phrases and Greetings
This first list should help get you through some main Italian phrases and greetings from “hello” and “goodbye” to asking someone if they speak English, and letting someone know you don’t understand what they are saying. There are some basic courtesy phrases as well, so you can ask someone how they are, and introduce yourself!
Ciao! (Chow)
Hello! (Formal)
Pronto! (Pron-to)
Hello! (Informal)
Parla Inglese? (Pah-la een-glay-zeh)
Do you speak English?
Non parlo Italiano (No-n par-lo Itali-ano)
I don’t speak Italian
Arrivederci (Ahr-ree-veh-dehr-chee)
Goodbye
Mi chiamo (Mee kyaho-moh)
My name is
Come ti chiama (Com-e ti chi-am)
What’s your name?
Non capisco (Non kah-pee-skoh)
I don’t understand
Piacre (Pyah-cheh-rh)
Pleased to meet you
Come Sta? (Koh-meh stah)
How are you?
Prego! (Prey-go!)
You're welcome
Scusa (Scoo-sa)
Sorry, excuse me (Formal)
Scusi (Scoo-si)
Sorry, excuse me (Informal)
Come va (Com-e va)
How's it going?
Sto benissimo, grazie! (Stow beni-ssimo, grah-tsee)
I am very good, thanks!
Di dove sei (Dee do-ve say)
Where are you from?
Sono di... (your city) (So-no dee)
I am from...
Grazie (Grah-tsee)
Thank you!
Permesso (Pehr-mehs-soh)
Excuse me (When you want to pass by)
Helpful Phrases When Dining Out
Spending some time immersed in Italy's culinary scene is a must when you're visiting. These Italian phrases will help you when eating out, from letting your server know you have a food allergy, to asking for the check. This list can also help you ask for the menu, ask the server for their recommendations, or letting your server know that you are vegetarian or vegan.
Il menu, per favore (Eel-men-oo, pehr fah-voh-reh)
Can I see the menu, please?
Sono allergica/o (Son-oh ah-ler-gee-koh)
I’m allergic to…
Che cosa ci consiglia? (Kay koh-za chee kon-sel-y)
What do you recommend?
Avete (Av-ay-te)
Do you have?
Prendo (Pren-do)
I'll have
Salute! (Sah-loo-tay)
Cheers!
Ho bisogno (Ho bisog-no)
I need…
Un bicchiere (Oon beech-er-e)
A glass
Una forchetta (Oona for-kay-ta)
A fork
Un cucchiaio (Oon coo-ci-ayo)
A spoon
Sale (Sa-lay)
Salt
Pepe (Pe-pay)
Pepper
Dolce (Dul-che)
Dessert
Sono/a vegetariano/a (So-no/a vege-tari-ano/a)
I am vegetarian
Sono/a vegano/a (So-no/a vey-gan-o/a)
I am vegan
Il conto, per favore (Eel kon-toh, per fah-voh-red)
The check, please
Il bagno (Eel ban-nyo)
Clarification Phrases/Asking for Directions
This short list of Italian travel phrases can also help you communicate important information during several conversations. If you need someone to clarify what they're saying, you can politely ask them to rephrase or slow down their speech. If you're lost, or simply looking to travel in the right direction to your location, some of the phrases in this list can help you ask where the nearest train station is, or simply ask for the time.
Può ripetere? (Pu-ua re-pet-ere)
Could you repeat that?
Parlare più lentamente, per favore (Po-tre-stay parl-aray pu-ua lenta-mente por favor-e)
Speak more slowly, please
Sinistra (Sini-stra)
Left
Destra (Des-tra)
Right
L’autobus (Le auto-boos)
The bus
Dov'e (Doh-veh?)
Where is...?
Dov'e la stazione? (Doh-veh lah stah-tzee-oh-neh)
Where is the train station?
Un/due biglietto/i (Oon beel-yet-toh/tee)
One/two tickets
Scusi, come arrivo a...? (Scoo-si, com-e arr-ivo a)
Excuse me, how do I get to...?
Che ora e (Kay o-ra e)
What time is it?
Ritorno (Ree-torn-oh)
Return
Dritto (Dree-toh)
Straight ahead
Uscita (Ooh-shee-tah)
Exit
Entraa (En-trah-tah)
Entrance
L’aereo (La-er-ayo)
The plane
L'aeroporto (La-ayro-porto)
In Case of Emergency
Being in a place where you don’t speak the language can often be intimidating, especially when there’s an emergency on the way. Having these simple sayings on hand can help you get the assistance you need in an unfortunate circumstance. While no one wants to think of anything serious happening on a vacation, it’s always better to be safe than sorry!
Aiuto!(Ay-oo-toh!)
Help!
Chiami la polizia (Kee-ya-mee la po-lee-zee-ah)
Call the police
Ho bisogno di un dottore(Ho biz-on-nyo dee oon dot-tor-reh)
I need a doctor
Mi sono persa (Mee so-no per-sa)
I'm lost
Non trovo il mio passaporto (No-n tro-vo il mio pasa-porto)
I can't find my passport
Per favore mi aiuti (Per fav-ore mi ai-uti)
Helpful Phrases When Shopping
A visit to Italy certainly is not complete without indulging in some shopping! Whether you're looking for souvenirs, simply browsing, or looking for something specific, having these useful phrases on hand will help to enhance your shopping experience.
Quanto costa (Quan-to cos-ta)
How much is it?
Vorrei (Vorr-ei)
I would like
Puoit spedire a? (Pqoy sped-ear-eh ah?)
Can you ship to?
La libreria (La libr-eria)
The library
La farmacia (La farm-ac-ia)
The pharmacy
La panetteria (La panet-ter-ia)
The bakery
Sto cercando (Sto cerc-ando)
I am looking for
Sto solo guardando, grazie (Sto solo guard-ando, grah-tsee)
I am just looking, thank you
Lo prendo (Lo pren-do)
I will take this
Contanti (Cont-anti)
Cash
Carta di credito (Car-ta di cred-ito)
Credit card
Bancomat (Banc-o-mat)
ATM/debit card
Avete…? (Av-ete)
Do you have…?