The reason you freeze when you speak Italian has nothing to do with how much grammar you know. You’ve just never learned what to say when your mind goes blank.
And it’s exactly what Italians say all the time! So in this guide, I’ll show you 7 essential Italian phrases that can rescue a conversation and keep it flowing, so you can speak Italian with more confidence, even if you don’t understand every word.
Pronti? Cominciamo! (Ready? Let’s get started!)
TL;DR: Essential Italian Phrases to Speak Without Freezing
If you freeze when speaking Italian, you don’t necessarily need more grammar or vocabulary. You need a small collection of Italian phrases you can use automatically when you don’t understand, need someone to repeat themselves, or simply need more time to think.
Start with these 7 essential Italian phrases:
- Non ho capito. — I didn’t understand.
- Puoi ripetere, per favore? — Can you repeat, please?
- Puoi parlare più lentamente? — Can you speak more slowly?
- Non ho sentito. — I didn’t hear.
- Quindi vuoi dire che…? — So you mean that…?
- Cosa significa “___”? — What does “___” mean?
- Fammi pensare… — Let me think…
Why These Italian Phrases Help You Stop Freezing
Most Italian learners think they need to understand every word they hear. But that’s not how real conversation works.
Think about when you speak in English. When you don’t understand someone, you ask them to repeat, clarify, or explain. How do you do that? You dip into a collection of go-to rescue phrases that keep the conversation flowing.
The same thing happens in Italian. Italians do exactly the same thing.
The only difference is that you freeze and panic because you don’t have your own collection of Italian phrases to dip into.
But by the end of this guide, you will!
1. Italian Phrases to Use When You Don’t Understand
First, I’m going to show you one go-to phrase that will keep you speaking Italian so you don’t panic and switch back to English.
Often, when you don’t understand someone, your go-to response is to panic, smile, nod, or let someone else speak for you. But then you miss out on really connecting with the other person simply because you don’t have the tools to keep the conversation going.
Think of a conversation like having a hit of tennis with a friend. Your friend hits the ball into your side of the court. If you miss it, you don’t freeze. Without thinking, you immediately pick up the ball and hit it back.
That’s what this first phrase does. It helps you pick the ball back up and keep the rally, and the conversation, going.
The formula is:
(scusa) + non ho capito
- Non ho capito. — I didn’t understand.
- Non ho capito bene. — I didn’t understand well.
- Scusa, non ho capito. — Sorry, I didn’t understand.
Other variations include:
- Non ho afferrato. — I didn’t catch that.
- Come, scusa? — Sorry? / Come again?
- In che senso? — What do you mean?
Adding scusa or scusami softens the sentence and makes it sound far more natural. Italians do it automatically.
You don’t need to use all of these phrases. In fact, if you’re just starting out, I recommend picking your favourite one and making it your single go-to rescue phrase.
Top tip: My students often ask me about the difference between Non capisco and Non ho capito. It works much like English.
- Non capisco means “I don’t understand.” You’re saying you don’t understand something in general.
- Non ho capito means “I didn’t understand” or “I didn’t catch that.” You’re referring to something that was just said.
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2. Italian Phrases to Ask Someone to Repeat Themselves
Next, I’ll show you a simple phrase to use when you don’t understand the other person, so you can keep the conversation flowing in Italian.
If someone uses a bunch of new words you don’t know or speaks too fast, you might feel overwhelmed, spiral into self-doubt, and get frustrated with yourself. Then the other person might switch to English to be polite, which only adds to your frustration.
Let’s go back to our tennis analogy. If your friend hits the ball too hard and it’s too fast for you to return, you instinctively ask them to slow down and try again.
That’s exactly what these phrases do. They give the other person a second chance to get their point across.
The formula is:
puoi / può + ripetere
- Puoi ripetere, per favore? — Can you repeat, please?
- Può ripetere, per favore? — Can you repeat, please? (formal)
Other variations include:
- Puoi ripeterlo? — Can you repeat it?
- Puoi dirlo di nuovo? — Can you say it again?
- Puoi ripeterlo un’altra volta? — Can you repeat it one more time?
Use puoi with friends and people you know well. Use può when you want to address someone formally.
Top tip: You can combine this with the first phrase to make one complete sentence:
- Scusa, non ho capito. Puoi ripetere? — Sorry, I didn’t understand. Can you repeat?
Remember, just choose one phrase and make it your single go-to rescue phrase.
3. Italian Phrases to Ask Someone to Speak More Slowly
Next, I’ll show you the rescue phrase that fixes one of the biggest reasons learners freeze, and it has nothing to do with how many words you know.
When native speakers talk at full speed, everything can blur into one long sound and your brain can’t keep up. So you assume your Italian isn’t good enough, get frustrated, and freeze while trying to process what they said.
Let’s revisit our tennis analogy. If your friend is a much stronger player than you and hits shots so fast that you can’t run quickly enough to hit them back, you don’t walk off the court. You simply ask them to slow down so you have a chance to keep playing.
That’s what this next rescue phrase does. It lets the other person know they’re speaking too fast.
The formula is:
puoi / può parlare + più piano / più lentamente
- Puoi parlare più lentamente? — Can you speak more slowly?
- Puoi parlare un po’ più piano? — Can you speak a little more slowly?
- Può parlare più piano, per favore? — Can you speak more slowly, please? (formal)
Più piano is what you’ll often hear in everyday conversation. Più lentamente is slightly more formal but perfectly correct.
Remember: choose one phrase and make it your single go-to phrase. And here’s the thing: Italians are generally happy to slow down when you ask politely.
4. Italian Phrases to Use When You Can’t Hear Someone
Next, I’m going to show you a go-to phrase that will save you from feeling embarrassed or going into panic mode.
When you’re speaking Italian with a teacher, you’re in a controlled environment. It’s quiet and there’s no pressure. But when you eat out in Italy, restaurants are often noisy. So when the waiter comes over and tells you the specials of the day and you can’t hear them, it’s easy to doubt your Italian skills and just pick something from the menu instead.
Think about a dodgy phone line or a Zoom call. You wouldn’t blame your English if the signal dropped out. You’d just say, “Sorry, you cut out. Can you say that again?”
That’s exactly what this next rescue phrase does.
There are two formulas here, depending on what you need.
To say that you didn’t hear:
(scusa) + non ho sentito
- Non ho sentito. — I didn’t hear.
- Scusa, non ti ho sentito bene. — Sorry, I didn’t hear you well.
To ask them to speak louder:
puoi / può parlare + più forte
- Puoi parlare un po’ più forte? — Can you speak a bit louder?
- Può parlare più forte, per favore? — Can you speak louder, please? (formal)
Another useful variation is:
- C’è rumore, non sento bene. — It’s noisy, I can’t hear well.
Again, choose ONE phrase and make it your single go-to phrase.
Notice the difference. Just like Non ho capito means “I didn’t understand,” Non ho sentito means “I didn’t hear” what was said. Meanwhile, Non sento means “I can’t hear,” which describes an ongoing situation.
5. Italian Phrases to Check You’ve Understood Correctly
Next, I’m going to show you some common Italian phrases that will make you sound like a more confident speaker even when you feel a bit lost.
Sometimes you think you’ve understood someone, but you’re not 100% sure. So you either nod while still feeling confused, or ask them to repeat the whole thing again with Puoi ripetere?
But there’s another very useful in-between option.
Think of when someone gives you their phone number. To check it, you read it back to them: “So that’s… +39 0536 949111?”
That’s exactly what these next rescue phrases do.
The formula is:
quindi vuoi dire che + what you understood
- Quindi vuoi dire che… — So you mean that…
- Vuoi dire che…? — Do you mean that…?
In practice:
- Quindi vuoi dire che il treno parte alle otto? — So you mean the train leaves at eight?
Remember to choose ONE and make it your single go-to phrase.
6. Italian Phrases to Ask for Clarification and Learn New Words
Next, I’m going to share one of the most useful Italian phrases you need to keep a conversation flowing while also building your vocabulary.
Often, someone uses a word you’ve never heard or don’t immediately recognise. At that moment, you pause for what feels like a lifetime while mentally flicking through all your Italian notes. Meanwhile, you feel the pressure of making the other person wait.
But think about when you read a menu in English. If you don’t know what a dish is, you don’t walk out of the restaurant and give up. You point at it and ask what it is.
That’s exactly what these next rescue phrases do.
The formula is:
cosa significa + the word
- Cosa significa “___”? — What does “___” mean?
Other variations include:
- Che vuol dire? — What does it mean?
- Come si dice in inglese? — How do you say it in English?
- Che parola hai usato? — What word did you use?
This is how you turn a confusing conversation into a mini Italian lesson. Every time you use one of these phrases, you’ll learn a new word in a real context, which makes it much easier to remember.
7. Italian Phrases to Buy Time When Your Mind Goes Blank
Now I’m going to show you some Italian phrases you’ll hear constantly in real conversations. Copy these and you’ll give yourself precious extra seconds to think instead of becoming impatient and frustrated with yourself.
If someone asks you a question, you might need a moment to process it and form a reply. But that silence can feel unbearable, so you panic and your mind goes blank from all the pressure.
Think about when someone asks you to solve a maths equation. Unless it’s 1 + 1, you don’t instantly answer. You take a moment and say “well…”, “let me think…”, or “so…”
You’re buying yourself time while you think. That’s exactly what these Italian phrases do.
The formula is:
filler word + your answer
- Allora… — So… / Well…
- Vediamo… — Let’s see…
- Fammi pensare… — Let me think…
Other variations include:
- Eh… — Uh… (very common in spoken Italian)
- Cioè… — I mean… (to clarify or rephrase)
- Come dire… — How can I say…
In practice, it sounds like this:
- Allora… fammi pensare. — So… let me think.
- Vediamo… forse domani. — Let’s see… maybe tomorrow.
- Eh… non ho capito. — Uh… I didn’t understand.
Remember, just choose your favourite of these phrases and make it your single go-to phrase.
How to Use These Italian Phrases Without Freezing
Even though you now have 7 go-to Italian phrases to rescue a conversation, none of it matters if the words won’t come out when you actually need them. So read this guide next, where I’ll show you exactly how to absorb ANY Italian word like a sponge.
A presto!
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