When traveling to another country, I think it’s important to arm yourself with basic words and phrases you might need on the trip. Here are 10 Italian phrases that will be helpful.
Buongiorno [bwone-jor-noh]
- “Hello”
Per favore [pair.fah-vor-ay]
- “Please”
Grazie [gra-zee]
- “Thank you”
Dov’e la stazione del treno? [Doh-vay.lah.sta-zee-yon-ay. del.tray-noh]:
- “Where is the train station?”
Dov’e il bagno? [doh-vay.ill.ban-yoh]:
- “Where is the bathroom?”
Acqua frizzante [ah-qwa free-zahn-tay] / Acqua naturale [ah-qwa nah-ter-ral-ay] :
- The difference here is between sparkling and tap water in that order. It may seem minor, but you don’t want to suffer through a bottle of sparkling water (anywhere between 2 and 5 euros) if you prefer flat water.
- Travel tip: Ghiaccio [gee-ah-cho] means “ice.” You wont get water with ice anywhere in Europe unless you ask for it … and even then it’s iffy.
Quanto costa? [qwan-toh.coast-ah]:
- “How much does it cost?”
Vorrei [voh-ray]:
- “I would like …”
Auito [i-ooh-toh]:
- “Help”
Il conto [il.con-toe]
- “The check.” Pro-tip: You’ll have to work hard to flag down your waiter for the check when you’re ready to pay. In Italy meals tend to be marathons and waiters often don’t return to the table to check on you like they do in America. Once you get your food, it’s your job to catch the attention of the waiter if you need something.
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