125 Basic ITALIAN PHRASES for Travel (FREE PDF Cheat-Sheet)

Want to buy tickets at the Colosseum or order food in Italian? Here are 125 of the most important basic Italian phrases and words to need to know. I’ve also included a free printable guide for you too!

Basic Italian Phrases for Travellers

Use the links below to jump to the section that interests you the most.

Pleasantries
Greetings
Understanding Each Other
Numbers
Days
Getting Around
Sightseeing
Directions
Shopping
Emergencies
Asking Questions
Eating out and Ordering Food
Italian Phrases for Travellers [Printable Guide]

Mastering common Italian phrases for travel is easy, especially Italian greetings. Whether you’re lost amongst the floating alleys of Venice, ordering a tasty gelato in Rome, or browsing the boutiques of Milan, this Italian travel phrase guide will help you learn the most important phrases in Italian. Don’t forget to download the free printable too!

It’s one thing to see Italy, but to really experience this beautiful country, warm-hearted people, and romantic language, you have to parlare un po’ d’Italiano (speak a little Italian). If you’re not ready to study Italian before you travel, take this handy Italian travel phrase guide with you instead to help you become travel fluent.

Where is Italian spoken?

Did you know that Italian is spoken by about 85 million people worldwide? Italian is the first language of 65 million people, and the second language of a further 15 million people. In addition to being the national language of Italy, Italian is one of the national languages of Switzerland, with which it shares its northern border, as well as San Marino and Vatican City. It is also the second most spoken language in Argentina, where it is estimated that over half the population is of Italian descent, making Italians the largest ethnic group in the country.

Italian Pronunciation

Italian pronunciation is easy! Si legge come si scrive (you read it how it’s written) meaning it looks similar to how it sounds. It’s worth noting that pronunciation must be clear, with every vowel distinctly enunciated which also makes sounds easier to understand. Italian vowels are always pronounced in a sharp or clear way regardless of stress. They are never slurred or pronounced weakly. Don’t miss my guide to 15 Italian words you should NEVER mispronounce.

Italian Vocabulary

The Italian alphabet has 21 letters. Italian uses the same Roman characters as the English language minus five of them. The letters j, k, w, x, and y do not exist in Italian, so if you happen to see them used in an Italian text, that means the word is borrowed from another language!

Italian is a gendered language, this means that all nouns, articles, pronouns and adjectives can either be maschile (masculine) and femminile (feminine). This is called grammatical gender which shouldn’t be confused with the biological terms ‘male’ and ‘female’. So, how do you know if a word is feminine or masculine in Italian? And why are Italian words feminine or masculine? Find out more about gender in Italian with my step by step guide.

Although Italians are very proud of their language, they have allowed some English words to creep in. Generally, they are pronounced the same way as in English with a couple of exceptions. They say, for example, words such as gadgets, jogging, feeling and shock. You’ll even hear them use the word okay.

Since computers have entered their lives, they say cliccare sul mouse (kleek-kah-reh soohl mouse), meaning ‘to click (on) the mouse’. There’s lo zapping (loh zahp-ping), which means changing TV channels with the remote. Consider the following list of words of English words with their Italian pronunciation:

la radio (lah rah-dee-oh)
l’autobus (laho-toh-boos)
l’hotel (loh-tell)
l’hamburger (laam-bur-gerh)
il cocktail (eel kok-tail)
il jazz (eel jazz)
il cinema (eel chee-neh-mah)
il computer (eel kom-poo-ter)
il bar (eel bar)
il film (eel film)
il weekend (eel weekend)
i jeans (ee jeans)
lo shopping (loh shop-ping)
lo sport (loh sport)
lo shampoo (loh sham-poo)
lo zoo (loh zoh)

…and that’s just to name a few. For more examples and how you can Italianize words you already know, take a look at this list of Italian cognates. Don’t miss my guide to the 100 most common Italian words which you can also download as a free PDF cheat-sheet. Now, let’s take a look at the essential Italian phrases for travellers.

Pleasantries in Italian

1. Thank you – Grazie (grah-tzee-yeh)
2. You’re Welcome! – Prego! (preh-goh)
3. Please – Per favore (pair fah-voh-reh)
4. Excuse me(to get attention) – Scusi (skoo-zee)
5. Excuse me (to get past someone) – Permesso (pair-meh-soh)
6. Yes – Sì (see)
7. No – No (noh)

Don’t miss this guide to different ways to say thank you in Italian and how to say please in Italian like a native.

Italian Greetings

8. Hello! / Hi! – Salve / Ciao! (saal-veh / chow)
9. Good day – Buon giorno (bwohn jor-noh)
10. Good evening – Buona sera (bwoh-nah sair-rah)
11. Good night – Buona notte (bwoh-nah noht-teh)
12. Goodbye – Arrivederci (ah-ree-vah-dair-chee)
13. How are you? – Come sta? (koh-meh stay)
14. Good / So-so / Not bad – Bene / Così così / Non c’è male (beh-neh / koh-zee koh zee / nohn cheh mah-leh)

Don’t forget to learn how to introduce yourself in Italian, get my complete guide of Italian Greetings here.

Understanding Each Other

15. Do you speak English? – Parla Inglese? (parh-la een-glay-zeh)
16. How much is it? – Quanto costa? (kwan-toh koh-stah)
17. I don’t understand – Non capisco (non kah-pee-skoh)
18. I’m sorry – Mi dispiace (mee dees-pee-yah-cheh) / Mi Scusi (mee skoo-zee)

There are several other important ways to say sorry in Italian according to context and severity.

Numbers in Italian

19. 1 – uno (oo-no)
20. 2 – due (doo-way)
21. 3 – tre (treh)
22. 4 – quattro (kwah-troh)
23. 5 – cinque (cheen-kweh)
24. 6 – sei (say)
25. 7 – sette (set-teh)
26. 8 – otto (oht-toh)
27. 9 – nove (noh-vay)
28. 10 – dieci (dee-yay-chee)

Want more? Get your free Italian Numbers cheat-sheet here and learn how to tell the time in Italian.

Days of the week in Italian

29. Yesterday – ieri (ee-yair-ee
30. Today – oggi (oh-jee)
31. Tomorrow – domani (doh-mahn-nee)
32. Day after tomorrow – Dopo domani (doh-poh doh-mahn-nee)
33. Monday – Lunedí (loo-nah-dee)
34. Tuesday – Martedí (mar-tay-dee)
35. Wednesday – Mercoledí (mair-coh-lay-dee)
36. Thursday – Giovedí (jo-vah-dee)
37. Friday – Venerdí (veh-nair-dee)
38. Saturday – Sabato (sah-baa-toh)
39. Sunday – Domenica (doh-men-nee-ka)

Getting Around

40. Where is …? Where are…? – Dov’è ….? / Dove sono (dohv-eh / doh-veh soh-noh)
41. Lavatory/Toilet – Gabinetto/Bagno (gah-bin-eh-toh/bahn-yoh)
42. Restaurants – i ristoranti (ee rees-toh-rahn-tee)
43. Shops – i negozi (neh-goh-tzee)
44. Taxi – un taxi (oon tahk-zee)
45. Bus stop – La fermata dell’autobus (lah fer-mah-tah del-louw-toh-bus)
46. Airport – L’aeroporto (lah-eh-roh-poor-toh)
47. Train station – la Stazione (lah stah-tzee-oh-neh)

125 Basic Italian Phrases for Travel You NEED to Know in 2024 plus printable

Sightseeing

48. When does it open? – Quando si apre? (kwan-doh see ah-preh)
49. When does it close? – Quando si chiude? (kwan-doh see key-you-day)
50. Ticket/s – Biglietto/i (beel-yet-toh/tee)
51. Two adults – due adulti (doo-way ah-dool-tee)
52. One child – un bambino (oon bahm-bee-noh)
53. One student – uno studente (oo-noh stu-den-teh)
54. One senior – un pensionato (oon pen-seyoh-nah-toh)
55. Museum – Museo (moo-zay-oh)

Directions

56. Left – Sinistra (seen-ees-strah)
57. Right – Destra (deh-strah)
58. Back – Dietro (dee-yeh-troh)
59. Forward – Avanti (ah-vahn-tee)
60. Straight ahead – Dritto(dree-toh)
61. Entrance – Entrata (en-trah-tah)
62. Exit – Uscita (oo-shee-tah)

Learn more about how to ask and give directions in Italian.

Shopping

63. Can I help you? – Posso aiutarLa? / Mi dica? (pos-so ay-oo-tar-la / mee dee-ka)
64. What would you like? – Cerca qualcosa? (cher-ka qwal-koh-zah)
65. What are you looking for? – Cosa sta cercando? (ko-zah sta cher-kan-do)
66. May I just look? – Posso guardare? (pos-so gwa-da-reh)
67. That’s too expensive! – È troppo caro! (eh trop-poh kaa-roh)
68. Can you give me a discount? – Mi fa uno sconto? (mee fa oo-no skon-toh)
69. I’ll take it! – Lo compro! (lo kom-proh)
70, Anything else? – Altro? (al-tro)
71. Nothing else, thank you. – Nient’altro, grazie. (nee-ent-al-tro, grah-tzee-yeh)
72. May I pay with credit card? – Posso pagare con carta di credito? (pos-so pa-ga-re kon kar-ta dee kre-dee-toh)
73. May I pay with cash? – Posso pagare in contanti?(pos-so pa-ga-re een kon-tan-tee)

Emergencies

74. Help! – Aiuto! (ay-oo-to)
75. I’ve been mugged – Sono stato assalito (masculine) (soh-noh sta-toh aas-saal-ee-to) / sono stata assalita (feminine) (soh-noh sta-ta aas-saal-ee-ta)
76. I lost my passport – Ho perso il mio passaporto (oh per-so eel mee-yo pas-sa-por-to)
77. Where is the American/B ritish/Australian/Canadian embassy? Dov’è l’ambasciata americana / britannica / australiana / canadese (dohv-eh lam-ba-sha-ta aa-me-ree-ka-na / bree-tan-ee-ka / aoo-stra-lee-aa-na / kan-aa-deh-zeh)
78. There’s been an accident – C’è stato un incidente (cheh sta-toh oon in-chee-den-teh)
79. Injury – Danno (dan-noh)
80. I need a doctor – Ho bisogno di un dottore (o bee-zon-yo dee oon dot-to-reh)
81. I feel ill – Mi sento male (mee sen-to ma-lay)
82. I have pain here – Mi fa male qui (me fa ma-lay kwee)
83. Pain – Dolore (dol-or-eh)
84. Call… – Chiami… (kee-a-me)
85. The police – la polizia (la po-leet-zee-ya)
86. an ambulance – un’ambulanza (oon am-boo-lant-sa)
87. the fire brigade – i vigili del fuoco (ee vee-je-le del fwo-ko)
88. There’s a fire – C’é un incendio (che oon in-chen-dyo)
89. Police station – La stazione di polizia (la staz-yo-ne dee po-leet-zee-ya)
90. Watch out! – Attento! (at-ten-to)
91. Stop, thief! – Al ladro! (al la-dro)
92. Go away! – Vai via! (vai vee-a)

Asking Questions in Italian

93. Where is …? – Dov’è ….? (dov-e?)
94. Where are…? – Dove sono? (dov-ay so-no?)
95. Where? – Dove? (dov-ay?)
96. How? – Come? (ko-me?)
97. How much? – Quanto? (kwan-to?)
98. Who? – Chi? (kee?)
99. When? – Quando? (qwan-do)
100. Why? – Perché? (per-ke?)
101. What? – Che? (keh?)
102. Which? – Quale? (kwal-e?)
103. How much does this cost? – Quanto costa questo? (kwan-to kos-tah kwe-sto?)
104. How much does that cost? – Quanto costa quello? (kwan-to kos-tah kwel-lo?)
105. Where is the toilet? – Dov’è il bagno? (dov-e eel ban-yo?)
106. Can I have…? – Posso avere…? (pos-so av-air-re…)
107. I would like… – Vorrei… (vor-ray-ee)

For more, check out my guide on how to use question words in Italian and alternative ways to ask where is the bathroom in Italian.

Eating out and Ordering Food in Italian

108. I would like…(used only when ordering food) – Prendo… (pren-do)
109. The menu, please – Il menu, per favore (eel men-oo payr fa-vo-ray)
110. Two beers, please – Due birre, per favore (doo-ay beer-re, payr fa-vo-ray)
111. A bottle of house wine, please – Una bottiglia di vino della casa, per favore (oo-na bot-teel-ya dee vee-no del-la ka-za)
112. Red wine – Vino rosso (vee-no ros-so)
113. White wine – Vino bianco (vee-no bee-an-co)
114. A bottle of still water – Una bottiglia di acqua naturale (oo-na bot-teel-ya dee ak-wa na-too-ra-lay)
115. A bottle of sparking water – Una bottiglia di acqua gassata (oo-na bot-teel-ya dee ak-wa gas-za-ta)
116. What do you recommend? (formal) – Che cosa ci consiglia? (kay ko-za chee kon-seel-ya?)
117. What do you recommend? (informal) – Che cosa ci consigli? (kay ko-za chee kon-seel-yee?)
118. Is the sauce spicy? – É la salsa piccante? (eh la sal-sa pik-kan-te?)
119. I’m allergic to… (male) – Sono allergico a… (so-no al-ler-jee-ko a…)
120. I’m allergic to…(female) – Sono allergica a… (so-no al-ler-jee-ka a…)
121. I’m a vegetarian (male) – Sono vegetariano (so-no ve-jay-ta-ree-a-no)
122. I’m a vegetarian (female) – Sono vegetariana (so-no ve-jay-ta-ree-a-na)
123. The bill, please – Il conto, per favore (eel kon-to, payr fa-vo-ray)
124. Enjoy your food! – Buon appetito! (bwon a-pe-tee-to)
125. It was delicious! – Era buonissimo! (e-ra bwon-iss-e-mo)

For more phrases, check out my detailed guide on how to order food and drinks in Italian and learn how to say cheers in Italian.

Tipping in Italy

Italy doesn’t have a big tipping culture. No one will judge you if you don’t tip the waiter/waitress. Although, in tourist areas, it’s become kind of usual and some might even expect it, especially if the service was attentive and punctual, the food tasty and the overall experience pleasant. Italians will only ever leave up to 1-2 euros per person. Learn all the dos and don’ts when it comes to tipping in Italy with my complete guide.

Learn Italian with me, The Intrepid Guide!

Travelling to Italy? Don’t be treated like a tourist! Live your best travel experiences and learn Italian for less than the cost of eating at a tourist trap restaurant or a taxi driver who has “taken you for a ride”. In addition to my free Italian travel phrase guide, I’ve made it even easier for you to master the Italian language so you can create lifelong memories as you mingle with locals, get local tips, avoid tourist traps, and make new friends. Who knows you, you maybe even be invited over for afternoon tea by a lovely Sicilian family, like I was! Read all about how speaking Italian changed my life and check out my languages courses here.

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Testimonial - How to Learn Italian for Travel FAST! - Roma Small

I really enjoyed the Master Italian for Travel FAST course, it certainly exceeded my expectations. The learning methodology is great, and easy to follow and found that I progressed much faster in the last 4 weeks than I ever did on my own or using other language apps. Grazie mille Michele, I can’t wait until I can put my new skills into action! – Roma Small

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125 Most Common Italian Phrases for Travellers [Printable Guide]

Basic Italian Phrases for Travel with Pronunciation and Printable Guide 2024

125 Basic Italian Phrases for Travel You NEED to Know in 2024 (Printable Guide)

Learning Italian? Don’t miss these Italian language guides

Over to you!

Which of these Italian phrases do you find most useful? What other phrases or expressions would you like to know? Let me know using the comments section below or join me on social media to start a conversation.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this post.

2 comments

Traveller September 18, 2019 - 02:31

Language to assist with food situations (ordering at a restaurant etc) would be a great addition.
Thanks for the list!

Michele September 18, 2019 - 13:43

Thanks for the feedback. I’ll keep that in mind :)