Basic time: Scheduling a time for the appointment

💬 a + le merges into alle, with le there because the hours count as plural. One o'clock is the exception: all'una "at one".

🇮🇹 In conversation Italians say times on the 12-hour clock, like alle quattro, and leave context to show it's afternoon. The 24-hour alle sedici "at sixteen" shows up mostly in written schedules.

💬 po' is short for poco "little", and the apostrophe marks the cut-off. Swap the last word: un po' tardi "a bit late".

💬 Say both t's in perfetto: hold the t a beat before letting it go (per-FET-toh).

🇮🇹 Repeating the day and time back is the standard way to confirm a booking in Italy. Expect the other person to do it too.

💬 dice is the polite form you'd use with a stranger, the same shape as "he/she tells". With a friend it would be Mi dici il nome?.

💬 signore "Mr." drops its final e before a name: signor Rossi. The full signore is used alone: Grazie, signore.

💬 A + a day or time is the quick "see you then": A domani! "See you tomorrow!", A presto! "See you soon!".

💬 mille literally means "a thousand", so this is "a thousand thanks".

🇮🇹 Arrivederci is the safe goodbye for shops and offices. Ciao is for friends, and using it with a receptionist can sound too casual.

🇮🇹 Shopkeepers say this constantly, and the normal reply is Altrettanto! "Same to you!". After about midday, switch to buona serata "have a nice evening".