Greetings and politeness
Ciao! Hi! / Bye! (informal) chow
Buongiorno Good morning / Good day bwon-JOR-no
Buonasera Good evening bwo-na-SEH-ra
Arrivederci Goodbye ar-ree-veh-DER-chee
Per favore Please per fa-VO-re
Grazie Thank you GRA-tsyeh
Prego You're welcome / Please, go ahead PREH-go
Scusi Excuse me (formal) SKOO-zee
Cafés and restaurants
Un caffè, per favore. A coffee, please. oon kaf-FEH
Un tavolo per due. A table for two. oon TA-vo-lo per DOO-eh
Il menù, per favore. The menu, please. eel me-NOO
Vorrei una pizza margherita. I would like a margherita pizza. vor-RAY OO-na PEE-tsa mar-ge-REE-ta
Il conto, per favore. The bill, please. eel KON-to
Sono vegetariano/a. I am vegetarian. SO-no ve-je-ta-RYA-no
Getting around
Dov'è la stazione? Where is the station? do-VEH la sta-TSYO-ne
Un biglietto per Roma. A ticket to Rome. oon beel-LYET-to per RO-ma
A che ora parte il treno? What time does the train leave? a keh O-ra PAR-te eel TREH-no
Quanto costa? How much does it cost? KWAN-to KO-sta
A destra / a sinistra / dritto Right / left / straight on a DEH-stra / a see-NEE-stra / DREET-to
When you need help
Non capisco. I do not understand. non ka-PEE-sko
Può parlare più lentamente? Can you speak more slowly? pwo par-LA-re pyoo len-ta-MEN-te
Parla inglese? Do you speak English? PAR-la een-GLEH-ze
Mi può aiutare? Can you help me? mee pwo a-yoo-TA-re
Five pronunciation rules that help immediately
- Say every vowel clearly. Italian vowels are short and pure: a, e, i, o, u, always the same sound.
- C and G are soft before e and i (ciao "chow", gelato "je-LA-to"), and hard before a, o, u and h (caffè, spaghetti "spa-GET-tee").
- CH and GH are always hard: che "keh", ghiaccio "GYAH-cho".
- Double consonants are longer: pala (shovel) and palla (ball) are different words.
- GN sounds like "ny", GLI like "ly": gnocchi "NYOK-kee", famiglia "fa-MEE-lya".
Pronunciation is the quickest thing to improve with feedback. In a lesson, Lucia listens and corrects you kindly, until Italians understand you the first time. See Italian for beginners and online lessons.