So you want some basic Italian phrases to use on your trip?
Fantastico!
What you don’t want is a long list of hard-to-learn expressions you’ll never use, like “Can I buy a postcard?” or “Do you accept traveller's checks?”
And those stuffy phrases from books aren’t how Italians actually speak.
Here, you'll find 8 basic phrases Italians use every day. They’re the perfect shortcuts to doing important stuff like ordering food, greeting people and being polite.
Speaking of which, let’s eat!
Italian Phrases For The Restaurant
Forget about long and awkward phrases like “please could I have…”. Italians ask for food and drink in short and simple ways!
Prendo una pizza
Prendo is probably the most common phrase for ordering in Italian. It literally means “I take”, but in Italian it’s like saying “I’ll have…”. For example:
| Prendo… | I’ll have… | PREN-DOH |
| Prendo un caffè | I’ll have a coffee | PREN-DOH OON KAH–FEH |
| Prendo un vino rosso | I’ll have a red wine | PREN-DOH OON VEEN–OH ROS-SOH |
| Prendo una margherita | I’ll have a margherita | PREN-DOH OO–NAH MAR–GEH–REE–TAH |
You can also use per me , which means “for me”. It sounds a little stilted in English, but it’s very natural in Italian!
| Per me | For me | PER MEH |
| Per me una birra | For me, a beer | PER MEH OO–NAH BEER–RAH |
| Per me il risotto | For me, the risotto | PER MEH EEL REE–SOH–TOH |
Lo Stesso: I’ll Have What They’re Having!
Our friend John loves using this phrase when he comes to visit us in Italy. It’s a clever way to try the best local things to eat. Use it after someone has ordered something that sounds nice.
| Lo stesso | The same | LOH STEH–SOH |
| Lo stesso, per favore! | The same, please! | LOH STEH–SOH PER FAV–OR–REH |
For example:
Spaghetti alle vongole e un vino bianco – Clam spaghetti and a white wine
Lo stesso, per favore! – The same, please!
You can make the sentence a little fuller by combining it with the phrases you already know:
| Prendo lo stesso | I’ll have the same | PREN–DOH LOH STEH–SOH |
| Lo stesso per me | The same for me | LOH STEH–SOH PER MEH |
This and that
Never let a little thing like vocabulary stand between you and delicious Italian food! Whether you’re reading a menu or at the market, the Italian words for “this” and “that” will help you order whatever you like. No need to say the name, just point!
| Questo | this | KWEH–STOH |
| Quello | that | KWEH–LOH |
| Prendo questo per favore | I’ll have this please | PREN–DOH KWES–TOH PER FA–VOH–REH |
Adding the phrase “a bit of” can also be helpful and sound really natural:
| Un po’ di | A bit of | OON POH DEE |
| Un po’ di quello, grazie! | A bit of that, thank you! | OON POH DEE KWEH LOHGRAH–TS–YEH |
Bonus: Just Say It!
While it’s nice to learn the proper phrases, at some point Katie noticed that most of her Italian friends just say the thing they want with a smile! The easiest way is often the most natural.
Il risotto ai funghi – The mushroom risotto
Un vino rosso, grazie – A red wine, thank you
Check out this post for more details on how to order in Italian restaurants and bars
3 Basic Italian Greetings
You know those phrases you learn in your first Italian lesson, like “my name is” and “pleased to meet you”? In real life Italians tend to use shorter versions – they’re easier and sound more natural!
Buongiorno, buonasera, or ciao? SALVE to the rescue
Greetings can quickly become complicated in Italian – they change depending on the time of day and how well you know the person.
Enter… salve! You can use it anytime, in formal and semi-formal situations. It’s perfect for greeting people as you about your day, from waiters to shop assistants and taxi drivers.
| Salve | Hello - Good morning - Good evening | SAL–VEH |
Good to know: A lot of learners say ciao , but it can be a bit too informal when greeting people you don’t know in the service industry.
Check out this post to learn more about how to meet and greet and be polite in Italian
Piacere… Nice to Meet You!
To say “nice to meet you”, Italians literally say “pleasure to meet you”. But most of the time, they shorten the phrase to just one word:
| Piacere! | Pleasure! (to meet you) | PYA – CHEH – REH |
For example:
Ciao, sono Matteo! – Hi, I’m Matteo
Piacere! – Pleasure to meet you!
The full version is longer and contains a grammar trap (formal or informal?) so you don’t need to worry about it yet unless you really want to:
Piacere di conoscerti – Nice to meet you (informal)
Piacere di conoscerla – Nice to meet you (formal)
Sono… I am
When you meet someone, do you say “Hi, my name is…” or “Hi, I’m…”? In English and in Italian, most people use the second! As a bonus, you can use sono to talk about other things, like where you’re from or your job:
| Sono… | I’m… | SOH–NOH |
| Sono Matteo | I’m Matteo | SOH–NOH MAH–TEH–OH |
| Sono americano | I’m american (m) | SOH–NOH AM–EH–REE–KAH–NOH |
| Sono americana | I’m american (f) | SOH–NOH AM–EH–REE–KAH–NAH |
| Sono insegnante | I’m a teacher | SOH–NOH EEN–SEHN–YAHN–TEH |
| Sono in pensione | I’m retired | SOH–NOH EEN PENS–YOH–NEH |
To continue the conversation, you can just ask e tu? (EE–TOO) And you?
Sono insegnante, e tu? – I’m a teacher, and you?
Sono americano, e tu? – I’m American, and you?
Thanks to our friends at fluent in 3 months for this last tip!
Two Polite Italian Phrases Only Locals Use
Of course, you should start by learning the classic expressions for being polite in Italian , like grazie and per favore. Once you know the basics, you’ll find these next two words really handy – most tourists don’t know them, but Italians say them all the time!
Permesso!
This useful little word literally means “permission”. Italians use it when moving past someone or when asking if they can go in somewhere.
| Permesso! | Can I move past you? - Can I come in? | PER–MEH–SOH |
Learning tip: When squeezing past people, remember to say permesso. Katie spent months saying “scusi” (excuse me) and nobody budged. When she finally learned permesso, she felt like Moses when the crowds suddenly parted!
Posso… May I?
Forget long sentences to make polite requests! If you want to do something in Italian, it’s often enough to gesture and ask:
| Posso? | May I? (Literally “can I?”) | POH–SOH |
Want to refill your Italian friend’s glass? Grab a chair from another table? Check it’s ok to take a cheese sample at the market? Just make the gesture and ask…
Posso? – May I?
Italians will often reply “ prego!” which in this case means “Of course, go ahead!”. Learn more about the different uses of prego here .
Basic Italian Phrases with Pronunciation: Review
So there you have it! 8 handy expressions to help you do the things you want to do in Italian, from meeting people to eating cheese at the mercato . Here they are again:
Phrases for the Restaurant
Prendo – I’ll have – PREN–DOH
Lo stesso – The same (as they’re having) – LOH STEH–SOH
Questo/quello – This/that (remember to point!) – KWES–TOH / KWEH–LOH
Greetings
Piacere! – Nice to meet you! – PYAH–CHEH–REH
Sono… – I’m… – SOH–NOH
Salve – Hello (anytime of day) – SAL–VEH
Polite Phrases
Permesso – Can I move past/come in? – PER–MEH–SOH
Posso? – May I? – POH–SOH
K: Ciao a tutti e benvenuti! Hi everyone and welcome to “Learn Italian with Joy of Languages”. This lesson is perfetta for you if you want to start speaking a bit of Italian, really quickly and easily.
M: Yes, and sound like a local, rather than saying awkward phrases from books. Often the most natural phrases are simpler than the ones you’ll find in typical Italian lessons.
K: You only need a few words and the right gestures to make yourself understood and it’s fun! Let’s start with the most important thing.
M: Mangiare ?
K: Sì, eating. You’ll never go hungry with us! In English, to be polite, I often use long phrases like “could I please have…”
M: In Italian, we order things quickly and easily with the word prendo (x2)
K: It means “I take”, but Italians use it like “I’ll have” as in “I’ll have a coffee”
M: Prendo un caffè (x2)
K: I’ll have a margherita, as in the pizza.
M: Prendo una margherita (x2)
K: Next, a phrase our friend John really loves using when he comes to stay.
M: But first, if you’re enjoying this lesson could you hit the subscribe or follow button in your podcast app? It’s one of the best ways to support us and you’ll get notified when we release new lessons. Grazie!
K: Our friend John’s favourite phrase is lo stesso. It means “the same”, like saying “I’ll have the same thing they’re having”.
M: A handy way of eating local dishes!
K: If someone near you is eating something delicious, or someone before you ordered something that sounds nice, you can just gesture and say “the same”
M: Lo stesso (x2)
K: How would you say “I’ll have the same”? Literally “I take the same”
M: Prendo lo stesso (x2)
K: It’s important to never let a lack of vocabulary stand between you and Italian food! Which leads me to my next favourite technique: this and that. This is:
M: Questo (x2)
K: That is
M: Quello (x2)
K: They’re perfect for if you feel awkward pronouncing a long name on the menu, or you don’t know how to say something at the mercato.
M: Yes, just point and smile and say questo, per favore (x2) or quello , per favore (x2)
K: The next most important thing, people.
M: Food then people. Your priorities are the same as Brody’s, our golden retriever. I’m living with two golden retrievers.
K: Brody loves greeting people!
M: But she can’t say “hello” yet.
K: Well saying “hello” in Italian is complicated for humans, too! It changes depending on the time of day and whether you know the person. But luckily there’s a one-size fits all greeting.
M: Salve (x2). Ciao can be a bit informal when greeting people you don’t know, like waiters, shop assistants or taxi drivers. Salve is a perfect, semi-formal word you can use in these situations at any time of day. Salve (x2).
K: We’ve mentioned this before, because it’s really useful. And strange a lot of books and classes don’t teach it, so we’re spreading the word! Another phrase that’s different from how you might learn it in books is “pleased to meet you”.
M: In Italian, we literally say “pleasure to meet you”, but we usually shorten it to just one word. Piacere (x2)
K: Piacere literally means “pleasure”. Like a short version of “pleasure to meet you”.
M: Piacere (x2)
K: Another handy, natural shortcut for introductions is “I am”. In English, I don’t normally say “my name is Katie”, I say “I’m Katie”.
M: The same in Italian. We say “I am”, sono . Sono Matteo (x2)
K: Sono Katie (x2). You can also use sono in other useful phrases, like talking about where you’re from. I’m English sono inglese.
M: Sono italiano.
K: A bonus shortcut to keep the conversation going is “and you?”
M: E tu? (x2)
K: I’m Katie, and you? Sono Katie, e tu?
M: Sono Matteo. Sono italiano, e tu?
K: Sono inglese! Thanks to our friends at fluent in three months for that tip. Just remember: in Italian it’s e (x2), not y like in Spanish.
M: E tu? (x2)
K: Next, a polite word Italians use all the time, but most learners don’t know. Permesso.
M: Permesso (x2). It means “permission” and we use it to ask if we can come in, for example, in a shop that looks open but no one is there.
K: Italians also use it when they squeeze past people. I wish I’d known this earlier, because I spent months saying scusi, excuse me, thinking everyone was rude because they didn’t move. Then when I learned permesso, I felt like Moses because the crowds suddenly parted!
M: Finally, another polite word that starts with p.
K: Imagine you want to refill your Italian friend’s glass, grab a chair from a stranger’s table or check if it’s ok to take a cheese sample at the market. You might think you need a selection of long sentences, but one word and a gesture will do!
M: Posso?
K: It literally means “I can” and it’s a bit like saying “may I?”
M: Posso? (x2)
K: Let’s review the 8 phrases you heard. To order food and drink, we say prendo , literally “I take”. It’s like saying “I’ll have”. I’ll have a margherita?
M: Prendo una margherita (x2)
K: And you learned the same, as in I’ll have the same as what they’re having. You can gesture and say:
M: Lo stesso (x2)
K: On the menu, you can point and smile and say “this”
M: Questo (x2)
K: Or at the market, you can point and say “that”
M: Quello (x2)
K: You learned the perfect way to greet people in the service industry any time of day.
M: Salve (x2)
K: And the short way to say “pleasure to meet you” literally “pleasure”
M: Piacere (x2)
K: When saying your name, you can just say “I’m”. Like “I’m Matteo”.
M: Sono Matteo (x2)
K: Next, if you’re squeezing past people and you want to ask them to move politely, say “permission”
M: Permesso (x2)
K: And to ask if you can do something, it’s often enough to make the right gesture and ask “may I”?
M: Posso? (x2)
K: We hope you found this sample episode useful.
M: You have cheese samples on the brain!
K: It was a bit like a cheese sample – a mini taster of ways to speak Italian.
M: If you want to learn more, next week on the blog we’ll be sharing a more complete guide with Italian travel phrases for different situations.
K: For today’s episode, to see the phrases written down, and get bonus materials, like vocabulary cards and a quiz, head over to our website by clicking on the link in the description. Or you can go to italian.joyoflanguages.com/podcast and search for episode 135.
M - See you next time.
K - Or as we say in Italian.
Alla prossima!
Time to check your understanding and remember everything you just learned! Below you’ll find a mini-quiz and some vocabulary cards to help it all go in.
Quiz
How much did you learn? Find out in the quiz!
Click here to take the quiz for this episode: 8 Basic Italian Phrases with Pronunciation
Vocabulary
Sono americano = I’m American (m)
Sono americana = I’m American (f)
Prendo un caffè = I’ll have a coffee (lit. I take a coffee)
Prendo una margherita = I’ll have a margherita (lit. I take a margherita)
Lo stesso = The same
Prendo lo stesso = I’ll have the same (lit. I take the same)
Questo = This
Quello = That
Salve = Hello (anytime of day, semi-formal and formal)
Sono… = I’m
Sono Matteo = I’m Matteo
E tu? = And you?
Permesso! = Can I move past? / Can I come in? (lit. permission)
Posso? = May I? (lit. I can)
Flashcards: 8 Basic Italian Phrases with Pronunciation
Remember the vocabulary from this lesson by downloading the flashcards.
Not sure how it works? Click here to watch the tutorial
