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Essential Italian phrases
for travellers (printable)
how to say hello in italian
Ciao — CHOW — is how you say hello in Italian. It works at any hour, anywhere the language is spoken, with anyone. Pair it with Grazie (GRAH-tsyeh) for thank you and you already have the two words you will use most.
Below are 36 phrases worth knowing before you land, grouped by the situation you will need them in. Every one has a plain-English respelling — stressed syllable in capitals — because IPA is no use to anyone standing at a pharmacy counter. Italy, San Marino, Vatican City and southern Switzerland — around 65 million speakers, plus a very large diaspora. Also searched as Italy.
take it with you
The whole card, on one page
All 36 phrases on a single sheet — print it, fold it into a passport, or keep it on your phone. Free, no signup, no watermark.
The essentials
The six words that carry most of a trip.
| English | Italian |
|---|---|
| Hello | CiaoCHOWInformal. Buongiorno (bwon-JOR-noh) is safer with strangers and shopkeepers. |
| Goodbye | Arrivederciah-ree-veh-DEHR-chee |
| Please | Per favorepehr fah-VOH-reh |
| Thank you | GrazieGRAH-tsyehTwo syllables at the end — not "grah-zee". |
| Yes / No | Sì / Nosee / noh |
| Excuse me / Sorry | ScusiSKOO-zee |
Getting by
What to say when the conversation outruns you.
| English | Italian |
|---|---|
| Do you speak English? | Parla inglese?PAR-lah een-GLEH-zeh |
| I don't understand | Non capisconon kah-PEES-koh |
| Could you repeat that? | Può ripetere?pwoh ree-PEH-teh-reh |
| Please speak slowly | Parli lentamente, per favorePAR-lee len-tah-MEN-teh |
| My name is… | Mi chiamo…mee KYAH-moh |
| Nice to meet you | Piacerepyah-CHEH-reh |
Getting around
Streets, stations and the one question everyone needs.
| English | Italian |
|---|---|
| Where is…? | Dov’è…?doh-VEH |
| How do I get to…? | Come arrivo a…?KOH-meh ah-REE-voh ah |
| Where is the toilet? | Dov’è il bagno?doh-VEH eel BAH-nyoh |
| Left / Right | Sinistra / Destrasee-NEES-trah / DEHS-trah |
| Straight ahead | Sempre drittoSEM-preh DREET-toh |
| Is it far? | È lontano?eh lon-TAH-noh |
Food and drink
Ordering, allergies, and asking for the bill.
| English | Italian |
|---|---|
| A table for two, please | Un tavolo per dueoon TAH-voh-loh pehr DOO-eh |
| The menu, please | Il menù, per favoreeel meh-NOO |
| I would like… | Vorrei…vor-RAY |
| Water, please | Dell’acqua, per favoredehl-LAH-kwah |
| I am allergic to… | Sono allergico a…SOH-noh ah-LEHR-jee-koh ahAllergica (ah-LEHR-jee-kah) if you are female. |
| The bill, please | Il conto, per favoreeel KON-toh |
Shopping and money
Prices, cards, and politely not buying anything.
| English | Italian |
|---|---|
| How much is it? | Quanto costa?KWAN-toh KOS-tah |
| That's too expensive | È troppo caroeh TROP-poh KAH-roh |
| Do you take cards? | Accettate carte?ah-cheh-TAH-teh KAR-teh |
| I am just looking | Sto solo guardandostoh SOH-loh gwar-DAN-doh |
| Do you have…? | Avete…?ah-VEH-teh |
| A receipt, please | Lo scontrino, per favoreloh skon-TREE-noh |
Emergencies
Worth reading once before you need them.
| English | Italian |
|---|---|
| Help! | Aiuto!ah-YOO-toh |
| Call the police | Chiami la poliziaKYAH-mee lah poh-lee-TSEE-ah |
| Call an ambulance | Chiami un’ambulanzaKYAH-mee oon-ahm-boo-LAN-tsah |
| I need a doctor | Ho bisogno di un medicooh bee-ZOH-nyoh dee oon MEH-dee-koh |
| I am lost | Mi sono persomee SOH-noh PEHR-sohPersa (PEHR-sah) if you are female. |
| Where is the hospital? | Dov’è l’ospedale?doh-VEH loh-speh-DAH-leh |
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Four things that fix
most of the accent
C before e or i is "ch" — and "ch" is a hard K
Ciao is CHOW. Cinque is CHEEN-kweh. But chiamo is KYAH-moh and chi is "kee". The h exists purely to keep the c hard.
Double consonants are held twice as long
It is a real difference, not decoration: nono (ninth) and nonno (grandfather) are separate words. Lean on the doubled letter.
Gli sounds like the "lli" in million
Famiglia is fah-MEE-lyah. Aglio is AH-lyoh. There is no hard g in it.
Every vowel is pure and never changes
A is always "ah", e is always "eh", i is "ee", o is "oh", u is "oo". Unlike English, what you see is what you say.
Spotted a mistake in the Italian? Tell us and we will fix it.
You will not remember
all 36
Nobody does. OmniTalk speaks Italian for you in real time — point the camera at a menu, or put the phone between you and let it translate both sides of the conversation as you talk. It works offline once you download the language, so it keeps going when your roaming does not.