By Katie Harris
If you’re learning Italian so you can talk to people on your trip, this lesson is for you.
Chatting with Italians as you go about your day (taxi drivers, baristas, shop assistants, waiters…) will make your trip really special.
In fact, the Italian phrases that help you have these little everyday conversations might be the most important ones you’ll ever learn.
They’ll help you connect with the locals and feel like a respectful traveller. And you’ll get rare insider tips so you can avoid tourist traps and discover the best things to do (and eat) in the area.
Time to learn how to have a conversazione with the Italians you meet!
Italian Phrases to Start a Conversation
Starting a conversation can be awkward, even in your native language. But don’t worry, most Italians are friendly and love talking to new people. Once you’ve used some basic Italian phrases for meeting and greeting , you can start the conversation gently by talking about your shared surroundings.
Mention the Weather
Did you know? Italians talk about the weather a lot, too! As a visitor, you can add an interesting twist by asking questions and making comparisons with your hometown:
Fa caldo/freddo oggi! – It’s hot/cold today!
Fa sempre così caldo/freddo? – Is it always so hot/cold?
Piove spesso qui? – Does it rain a lot here?
Anche a New York fa caldo! – In New York it’s hot, too!
Com’è il tempo in inverno/estate? – What’s the weather like in winter/summer?
Ask for information (even if you already know the answer!)
Confession time – sometimes I ask people for information I already know, because it’s a really easy way to break the ice! For example:
Posso chiedere… – Can I ask…?
C’è un supermercato qui vicino? – Is there a supermarket near here?
A che ora chiude? – What time does it close?
You can find more questions like this in our Italian Phrases for Travel Guides:
Italian phrases for tourists: 31 phrases for travel and accommodation
How to go shopping in Italian: a beginners guide
Most Italians will be happy to help and, if the person you asked is relaxed and has time, you can keep the conversation going by moving onto other topics.
Talking to Baristas
The local coffee bar is an institution in Italian neighbourhoods (a bit like on the TV show Friends!), so this is a great way to chat to people you might see regularly during your stay.
Il caffè/cappuccino è molto buono – The coffee/cappuccino is really tasty
Questi croissant sembrano molto buoni! – These croissants look really nice!
Cosa mi consiglia? – What do you recommend?
Qual è la tipica colazione italiana? – What’s a typical Italian breakfast?
Ha qualcosa di locale? – Do you have anything local?
Good to know: the phrases in this lesson are in the formal address, because that’s usually the best one to use with people you don’t know very well.
For more phrases to use at the coffee bar, check out this lesson on how to order in Italian with restaurant and bar phrases .
Talking to Taxi Drivers in Italian
Conversations with taxi drivers can be especially rewarding – they usually have time to chat and they know the area like no one else! Here are some gentle openers you can try:
C’è molto traffico – There’s a lot of traffic
Le strade sono vuote – The streets are empty
Ha avuto molti clienti oggi? – Have you had many customers today?
Lavora spesso in questa zona? – Do you often work in this area?
But because taxi drivers know the area so well, the most rewarding conversations are the ones that will help you make the most out of your stay. Let’s learn these now!
Get Insider Tips From Italian Locals
Whenever I go to a new town, I always ask the people I meet (taxi drivers, baristas, waiters, shopkeepers…) about the best places to go. Most are happy that you’re interested in their town and have some real gems to share!
Conosce bene questa zona? – Do you know this area well?
Cosa c’è da visitare? – What is there to visit?
Quali sono i piatti tipici? – What are the typical dishes?
Mi può consigliare un ristorante? – Can you recommend a restaurant?
Mi può consigliare un vino? – Can you recommend a wine?
Mi può consigliare un piatto? – Can you recommend a dish?
You can even share your plans and get feedback!
Stasera/domani vado a… – This evening/tomorrow I’m going to…
Com’è questo albergo/ristorante? – What’s this hotel/restaurant like?
Ha mai visitato questo posto? – Have you ever visited this place?
Italian Phrases to Keep the Conversation Going
Italians are often curious to know about your Italian experiences and travel plans, so talking about these can be a great conversation starter.
Mi piace molto l’Italia – I really like Italy
Sono stata a Roma – I’ve been to Rome (female)
Sono stato a Roma – I’ve been to Rome (male)
Ho origini italiane – I have Italian origins
Mio papà/nonno è nato a Trapani – My dad/grandfather was born in Trapani
Mia mamma/nonna è nata a Pescara – My mom/grandmother was born in Pescara
Domani vado a Bologna – Tomorrow I’m going to Bologna
La prossima settimana vado a Palermo – Next week I’m going to Palermo
La conosce? – Do you know it? (lit. it, you know)
If the person you’re talking to seems open, you can also try asking questions to get to know them better, for example:
Vive in zona? – Do you live in the area?
Le piace questa zona? – Do you like this area?
Cosa fa nel tempo libero? – What do you do in your free time?
The phrase le piace… (do you like…) is very versatile, because you can insert whatever you want to know after. For example:
Le piace la musica? – Do you like music?
Le piace leggere? – Do you like reading?
Le piace andare al cinema? – Do you like going to the cinema?
Understanding What Italians Say Back to You
It’s all well and good to say these phrases, but what if you don’t understand what they say back? This is a completely normal part of learning and nothing to be embarrassed about.
Luckily, there are some fairly smooth ways to deal with this situation – you can learn them this lesson: 8 basic phrases to help you get unstuck in Italian .
What if You Feel Nervous When Speaking Italian
Now imagine you’re in a taxi in Rome and racking your brain for phrases to start a conversation with the driver – meanwhile, your palms are getting sweaty and your heart starts pounding. I know what that feels like, it’s happened to me 100s of times!
Feeling a bit terrified about speaking Italian is normal: it just means you haven’t done it enough yet and need more practice. It’s NOT a sign that you’re no good and shouldn’t bother (even if your brain is trying to tell you that – these thoughts are normal, too!)
To help you manage the situation, here are some handy tips on what to do when you feel nervous speaking in Italian .
Phrases to End an Italian Conversation
So you’ve had a conversation in Italian ( congratulazioni! ) and now you’re wondering how to end it. Here are some natural ways to avoid things feeling too abrupt.
È stato un piacere – It’s been a pleasure
Grazie per l’aiuto – Thank you for the help
Lei è molto gentile – You’re very kind
Allora, a presto! – Well then, see you soon!
Grazie, arrivederci! – Thank you, goodbye!
Italians often end the conversation by wishing the other person well… for just about anything! For example:
Buona giornata – Have a nice day
Buon weekend – Have a nice weekend
Buon lavoro – Enjoy the rest of your work day (Italians use this a lot!)
Buona domenica – Enjoy your Sunday
Buon viaggio – Enjoy your trip
Using buon and buona is a bit like saying “have a nice…” or “enjoy your…”. Learn more about how to use Italian phrases like buon viaggio here .
Italian Phrases to Talk to Anyone on Your Trip: Conclusion
Phew! You’ve just seen a lot of phrases, but don’t worry, you don’t need to learn them all at once. Start with the ones you’ll use the most, and save this page as a reference: you can come back to the others little by little.
Talking to Italians isn’t always easy – it’s filled with awkward pauses, mistakes and forgetting things. But that’s ok! Persevere and you’ll be rewarded with joyful connections with the locals that make your efforts worthwhile.
Just like our student Louise:
We got a taxi in Italy and I was speaking in Italian and I apologised for my mistakes. And the driver said no “thank you for actually speaking Italian”. I thought, “oh, that’s wonderful!”
And Grace: I tend to talk a lot with the taxi drivers. When I'm speaking Italian, there's that connection. They're like, okay, you're trying, we send you the love, the positivity, it's changed dramatically and in every way. Like at the coffee shop, it's just so different.
We want you to experience moments like these. It all starts with practice, so go forth and start some conversazioni with the Italians you meet!
K: Ciao a tutti e benvenuti! Hi everyone and welcome to “Learn Italian with Joy of Languages”. Just a quick note before we get started. If you’re listening to this on your podcast app could you hit the subscribe or follow button? This way you’ll get notified when we release a new episode and you’ll help us grow so we can keep making free lessons like this one. Grazie mille!
M: So Katie, you are quite shy sometimes. But when you travel, you really come out of your shell!
K: It’s true! I used to be scared of talking to the locals, but then I realised that actually, if you prepare yourself with the right phrases, it kind of works. Then I started talking to everyone. A lot of Italians are curious about travellers and enjoy interacting with you, so it’s fun for everyone, even if you just start with the few phrases you know.
M: And it helps you do one of your favourite things… eat nice food!
K: Yeah, I also travel on my own sometimes and I always come back having found some lovely little restaurants thanks to the people I meet.
M: Listen to a typical conversation we might have when Katie gets back. Can you hear some useful phrases for talking to the locals?
M: Cosa hai fatto al lago?
K: Ho mangiato i funghi porcini… buonissimi! Consiglio del tassista.
M: Parli con tutti! Come fai?
K: Facile. Chiedo: ‘Vive in zona?’; ‘Quali sono i piatti tipici?’; ‘Mi può consigliare un ristorante?’
M: Così trovi sempre un posto dove mangiare. Dovrebbero darti la cittadinanza italiana!
K: So Matteo asked:
M: Cosa hai fatto al lago? – What did you do at the lake? Literally:
Cosa – What?
Hai – You have
Fatto – Done
Al – at the ( a means ‘at’ and il means ‘the’, we smush them together to get al )
Lago – lake
I said:
K: Ho mangiato i funghi porcini – I ate porcini mushrooms.
Ho – I have
mangiato – eaten
i – the
funghi – mushrooms
porcini – porcini
In Italian, we normally put the describing word, in this case ‘porcini’ at the end. A lot of places around the Italian Alps have funghi porcini when they’re in season. They’re delicious, buonissimi! Then I said:
M: Consiglio del tassista – Recommendation from the taxi driver. Literally:
Consiglio – advice
Del – of the ( di means ‘of’ and il means ‘the’, we smush them together to get del )
Tassista – taxi driver
K: In Italian, when we recommend things, like dishes to eat, places to visit, films to watch etc. we use the word consiglio which literally means “advice”. It’s one of those little quirks that’s best to just learn without worrying about the logic. Then Matteo said:
M: Parli con tutti! – You talk to everyone!
Parli – You talk
Con – with
Tutti – everyone
M: Come fai? – How do you do it?
Come – how
Fai – you do
K: Then I said:
M: Facile. – Easy.
M: Chiedo… I ask…
M: ‘Vive in zona?’ – Do you live in this area? Literally:
Vive – You live (in the formal address)
In – in
Zona – zone
K: In Italian, when we ask a question we don’t use ‘do’. We just say the sentence with a question tone. You live in this area? Vive in questa zona? Here, we used the formal “you live”, which is vive. We normally use the formal address when talking to taxi drivers.
M: Vive (x2). Vive in questa zona?
K: I also ask:
M: ‘Quali sono i piatti tipici?’ – What are the typical dishes?
Quali – which
Sono – are
I piatti – the dishes
Tipici – typical
K: Next, the most important question of all!
M: ‘Mi può consigliare un ristorante?’ – Can you recommend a restaurant? Literally:
Mi – to me
Può – you can (in the formal address)
Consigliare – advise
Un ristorante – a restaurant
K: Between English and Italian, there are lots of little structural differences and things don’t always translate perfectly! In this case, It’s best to just learn this phrase because it will be really handy in lots of situations. “Can you recommend” again is: mi… può… con-si-glia-re.
M: The word consigliare is a bit of a mouthful!
K: We’ve got the gl- sound, which is spelt GLI. Press your tongue flat across the top of your mouth and glide it forward: gl-, gl-, gl-.
M: Con–siii–gliaaa–reee (x3)
K: Can you recommend:
M: Mi può consigliare? (x2)
K: Can you recommend a restaurant:
M: Mi può consigliare un ristorante? (x2)
K: Can you recommend a dish? A dish is un piatto
M: Mi può consigliare un piatto? (x2)
K: Can you recommend a wine?
M: Mi può consigliare un vino? (x2)
K: It’s a very useful and versatile phrase for getting tips from the locals! Finally, Matteo said:
M: Così trovi sempre un posto dove mangiare – This way you always find a place to eat
Così – this way
trovi – you find
sempre – always
un – a
posto – place
dove – where
mangiare – to eat
K: This is a very Italian skill, so then Matteo said:
Dovrebbero darti la cittadinanza italiana! – They should give you Italian citizenship!
Dovrebbero – they should
Darti – give you
La cittadinanza – the citizenship
Italiana – Italian
K: Let’s review those useful phrases again for getting advice from the locals. We have “Do you live in this area?” = “You live (formal) in this zone?”
M: Vive in questa zona? (x2)
K: What are the typical dishes? Literally “which are the dishes typical?”:
M: Quali sono i piatti tipici? (x2)
K: Finally, “Can you recommend…” Literally “to me, you can (formal), advise”
M: Mi può consigliare (x2)
K: Then you can add whatever you like! Can you recommend a restaurant?
M: Mi può consigliare un ristorante? (x2)
K: Let’s listen to the conversation again.
M: Cosa hai fatto al lago?
K: Ho mangiato i funghi porcini… buonissimi! Consiglio del tassista.
M: Parli con tutti! Come fai?
K: Facile. Chiedo: ‘Vive in zona?’; ‘Quali sono i piatti tipici?’; ‘Mi può consigliare un ristorante?’
M: Così trovi sempre un posto dove mangiare. Dovrebbero darti la cittadinanza italiana!
K: Over on the blog, you’ll find lots more phrases that will help you talk to the people you meet in Italian, including how to talk about your travel plans and experiences in Italy.
M: Oh yes, we are often curious to know more about these.
K: And everyday stuff, like comments to make on the weather.
M: It’s a good conversation opener in Italy, too!
M: And last but definitely not least, a link with advice on what to do if you feel nervous about starting a conversation.
K: To find out more, click the link in the description or go to italian.joyoflanguages.com/podcast and search for episode 134.
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: Italian Phrases to Talk to Anyone on Your Trip
Vocabulary
Cosa mi consiglia? = What do you recommend? (formal)
Conosce bene questa zona? = Do you know this area well? (formal)
Cosa c’è da visitare? = What is there to visit?
Grazie per l’aiuto = Thank you for the help
Vive in zona? = Do you live in the area (formal)
Quali sono i piatti tipici? = What are the typical dishes? (lit. “which”)
Mi può consigliare un ristorante? = Can you recommend a restaurant? (formal)
Mi può consigliare un piatto? = Can you recommend a dish? (formal)
Mi può consigliare un vino? = Can you recommend a wine? (formal)
Flashcards: How To Say Hello In Italian
Remember the vocabulary from this lesson by downloading the flashcards.
Not sure how it works? Click here to watch the tutorial
