Are you finally planning that trip to Italy you’ve been wishing for so long? Yay! Imagine visiting the Colosseum and the Fontana di Trevi, walking down the modern and fashionist streets of Milan, or exploring a picturesque Tuscany town.
Imagine eating the most traditional and delicious food. You’ll finally eat a pizza in Italy, chill with an Aperol Spritz and treat yourself with a classic tiramisu.
Well, guess what? You’ve arrived at the right place! We’re prepared to help you with one of the most important parts of your trip: language learning. Because it’s a must that you know at least some basic Italian phrases for traveling to Italy.
This way you can immerse yourself more in Italian culture, ask for a traditional dish at a restaurant, ask for directions, and even chat with locals.
Believe us, learning these next basic phrases in Italy will enrich your experience. So, let’s start!
Italian Words for Traveling
Here are some common words used for traveling matters you’ll probably have to use or will encounter during your trip at least once:
- Viaje – Viaggio
- Airplane – Aereo
- Money – Soldi
- Cash – Contanti
- Credit card – carta di credito
- Debit card – carta di debito
- Suitcases – Valigie
- Train – Treno
- Taxi – Taxi
- Subway – Metro
- Bicycle – Bicicletta
- Map – Mappa
- Passport – Passaporto
- Vacation – Vacanza
- Tourist – Turista
- Food – Cibo
- Bathroom – Bagno
- Welcome – Benvenuto
- Yes – Sì
- No – No
Places in Italian
Some of the most important words you must know in Italian are places. This is because there are some common places you’ll most likely want to go during your trip, like a restaurant. So here are the names of some of those common places in Italian:
- Airport – Aeroporto
- Restaurant – Ristorante
- Bank – Banca
- Hotel – Albergo
- Hospital – Ospedale
- Train station – Stazione ferroviaria
- Bus station – Fermata dell’autobus
- Square – Piazza
- Cafe – Caffetteria / Bar
- Museum – Museo
- Pharmacy – Farmacia
- Mall – Centro commerciale
Italian Greetings
One of the best ways to show your education is by learning greetings in Italian and using them. Nobody wants to speak to someone rude, so start a conversation by being kind by saying hello and presenting yourself. You’ll win over Italians more easily with your good attitude. Plus, you’ll know how to answer if they’re the ones to greet you first.
- Hi – Ciao / Salve (*A bit more formal than ciao)
- Good morning – Buongiorno
- Good day / good morning – Buondì
- Good afternoon – Buon pomeriggio
- Good evening – Buona sera / Buonasera
- Good night – Buona notte
- How are you? – Come stai?
- Nice to meet you – Piacere di conoscerti
Italian Goodbyes
Saying goodbye is another way of showing your education. This is because you’re not just disappearing; you care enough to dismiss yourself.
- Bye – Ciao / Ciao ciao / Salve
- Goodbye – Arrivederci
- See you later – Ci vediamo dopo / A dopo!
- See you tomorrow – A domani
- See you soon – Ci vediamo presto / A presto!
- See you next time – Alla prossima
- Have a good day – Buona giornata
- Have a good evening – Buona serata
Thanks in Italian
Another one of the most important things you must learn when traveling abroad is thanking in that language. This is yet another way of showing your education, but also shows that you truly appreciate the nice gesture someone just did for you.
Italians, and honestly any person, will value your respect and gratitude. And let’s be honest, thanking will be necessary at some point in your trip. So let’s learn how to say thank you in Italian.
- Thank you – Grazie
- Thank you very much – Grazie mille / Molte grazie
- Thanks a lot – Tante grazie
- I’m grateful – Sono grato (male) / Sono grata (female) / Siamo grati (plural)
- Thank you with all of my heart – Grazie di cuore
- I really appreciate it – Lo apprezzo tanto
Phrases in Italian to Engage in Conversation with Locals
I’m sorry, I don’t speak Italian – Mi dispiace, non parlo italiano
This is one of the most important phrases to learn, so you must learn it. We know you’re going to Italy with the best predisposition to immerse in the culture and talk to locals. That’s why you’re learning this blog’s vocabulary. But that means that natives might think you are more fluent than you actually are.
So, if they try to speak to you in full Italian and you don´t understand very well, just use this phrase. This way you’ll make them know that even though you try your best to learn a couple Italian words and phrases, you really don’t speak Italian.
Oh, and don’t be ashamed of admitting you don’t know Italian very well. You’re still learning and that’s what matters.
Do you speak English? – Parla inglese?
After you’ve told them you don’t know Italian, you can ask them if they speak your native language. Or if they speak English, as it is a very globalized language many people from different nationalities know. If they do, maybe it can be a good idea to speak in this language to understand each other better.
By asking this question, you’re showing interest in keeping talking to them; you just don’t know Italian. You’re also giving them the option to talk in English (or any other language you know).
So maybe there’s going to be someone willing to talk to you in English or your mother tongue. And who knows? Maybe while speaking in English, they’ll still try to teach you more Italian. That’d be cool!
If you don’t want to speak in English, but rather in another language, just change the word “inglese” for whichever language you do know.
Could you speak more slowly, please? – Potrebbe parlare più lentamente, per favore?
If you do know a little bit of Italian and feel ready to engage in an Italian conversation, go for it. Nonetheless, you might still not feel ready for an Italian conversation at full speed. That’s normal when learning a language, because native speakers tend to speak faster.
So you might need them to speak at a slower pace for your ear to truly understand everything. Use this question to ask them nicely to be patient with you and speak slowly. Once again, don’t be ashamed of asking this.
Excuse me, could you repeat that again? – Scusi, può ripeterlo?
No matter how fluent you’re or if they’re being kind enough to speak slowly, you might still not understand something. That’s also super normal when we speak another language that’s not our mother tongue. Even when we’re advanced, we can miss something.
And even natives mishear words sometimes. Maybe it’s because you don’t know everything or maybe you just genuinely didn’t hear properly.
Whatever the case, use this phrase to ask people to repeat themselves. If you’re a bit more fluent in the language, it’s more likely you’ll understand what they were trying to say by hearing it a second time.
Directions in Italian
It’s super important that you know how to ask for directions, as well as understand them. Otherwise. you might get lost and not get to do the activities you wanted or visit the place you’ve been waiting to see for so long. To help you, we gathered some basic phrases and questions for you to understand directions in Italian:
- Excuse me, where is… – Scusi, dov’è…?
- Where? – Dove?
- I want to go to… – Voglio andare a…
- Excuse me, is there a bathroom here? – Scusi, c’è un bagno qui?
- Excuse me, how can I get to…? – Mi scusi, come posso arrivare a…?
- How many blocks away is it? – A quanti isolati di distanza si trova?
- I’m lost – Mi sono perso.
- Street – Strada
- Derecho – Dritto
- Right – Destra
- Left – Sinistra
- On the corner of… – All’angolo di…
- Near – Vicino
- Far – Lontano
- Turn – Girare
- Go up – Salire
- Go down – Scendere
Phrases in Italian for a Restaurant
If you’re visiting Italy, it’s a must to try their cuisine. Their traditional food is truly delicious. Though in your country you’ve probably had some of the most popular Italian dishes, it’s always best to try them in their country, right? In that case you’re going to need the next Italian phrases for a restaurant:
- Can I see the menu, please? – Posso vedere il menu, per favore?
- I’m allergic to… – Sono allergico… / allergica a…
- I will have the… please – Io prendo le/la…, per favore.
- I’d like the… – Vorrei il…
- Can we have the check, please? – Ci può portare il conto, per favore?
- Do you accept credit card? – Accettate carte di credito?
- Can I have a table outside, please? – Posso avere un tavolo fuori, per favore?
Another word you must know for Italian restaurants is “coperto”. It is an amount of money they charge you for using the tableware and it includes the bread too.
More Phrases in Italian
Now you know different Italian phrases for different moments of your trip, like going to a restaurant. You’ve also learned a wide vocabulary. But we still feel like there are a couple more important phrases you should know, so your trip goes as smoothly as possible. Here they are:
- How much does it cost? – Quanto costa?
- My name is… – Mi chiamo.
- I’m from… – Vengo da…
- I need a doctor – Ho bisogno di un medico.
- I need help – Ho bisogno di aiuto.
Italian Idioms
While you’re in Italy most likely you’ll hear natives talk with idioms and sayings, especially if you engage in a conversation with them. This is super normal as these types of phrases are part of every language and locals use them daily.
That’s why we’ll leave you with some basic Italian idioms. So you can understand them when you hear them, and you can use them to impress everyone:
Mettere troppa carne al fuoco
This means that someone is trying to do many things at the same time, but you can’t manage all those tasks properly all together. An English counterpart could be “to bite off more than you can chew”.
Qualcosa bolle in pentola
This is used when you know that something is about to happen, or you have a suspicion. It’s like saying “something’s cooking” or “something’s brewing”.
In bocca al lupo
This literally means “in the mouth of the wolf”. That doesn’t make a lot of sense and it just comes off as something too dramatic or bad. But in reality it’s all the contrary to that; it’s used to wish someone good luck. If you think about it, it’s like the English expression “break a leg”.
Practice Time!
People say practice makes perfect and that’s exactly what you must do now. If you want to be able to use all this vocabulary in Italy and impress natives, it’s not enough by reading this blog. It’s also not enough to memorize the words and phrases.
You need to practice the vocabulary above to know exactly how and when to use it. Believe us, practice will pay off during your trip.
Why don’t you look up some Italian youtubers and start watching their videos? They don’t have to be just language learning Youtubers; they can be about anything you like. Think fashion, daily life vlogs, books, gaming, or anything of your interest. That way you’ll be interested in the video and won’t get bored.
By listening to them, you’ll start acquiring some of the vocabulary they use every day. Hey, maybe you’ll recognize some of the words above in their videos. You’ll also train your ear for Italian accent and will learn some pronunciation.
If you accept suggestions, we do recommend at least one of the Youtubers is a travel vlogger or talks about traveling. That way, you’ll definitely learn more Italian that’s focused on your personal traveling goals.
If you like playing, you should consider gathering your friends and playing Italian charades together. Write the vocabulary above in some papers and put those in a bowl. One person grabs one paper and has to act out the word that’s written there. The others must guess.
Charades is a super fun game and oftentimes as adults we forget we can still learn while playing. So go have a good time while strengthening your Italian knowledge.
This next idea is the best advice we can give you: talk! Speak in Italian all the time you can. Speak with your friends from language school. If you have neighbors from Italy or with Italian ancestry, ask them to speak with you.
Or just talk to anyone you know speaks Italian. Don’t be afraid of speaking in a new language. It’s normal to make mistakes and we’re sure you’ll learn from them.
Buon Viaggio!
Wait a second! You didn’t think we were finished just yet, right? Don’t worry, we just have one more tip for you: Enroll in our TruFluency language classes!
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That’s why this method consists of speaking the language right away using all you’ve learned so far. That way you reinforce the knowledge and work on achieving fluency.
Take two one-hour trial classes now for only $59 and see for yourself how well we work! They’re completely online and we have flexible schedules for your tight agenda.
Now you’re ready: Buon viaggio!
