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How to Say ‘Good morning, what can I get you?’ in Italian

Buongiorno, mi dica.

bwon-JOR-noh mee DEE-kah

[bwon-JOR-noh mee DEE-kah]

🇮🇹 In Italy: Standard opening from staff behind a counter in an Italian bakery. mi dica literally means "tell me". It's polite and invites you to order straight away, with no need for small talk first.

Phrase Breakdown

Buongiorno,

bwon-JOR-noh

Good morning,

Say 'bwon-JOR-no'. The 'gi' sounds like English 'j'.

Example

Buongiorno, signora!

Good morning, madam!

Words in this phrase

Buongiorno

[bwon-JOR-noh]

good morning / hello

Standard greeting used until early afternoon.

Example

Buongiorno, come va?

Good morning, how's it going?

mi dica.

mee DEE-kah

how can I help you?

Literally 'tell me' (formal). Shopkeepers say it to invite your order. Stress 'DEE-ca'.

Example

Prego, mi dica.

Please, go ahead.

Words in this phrase

[mee]

to me / me

An indirect object pronoun meaning 'to me' or 'me' depending on the structure.

Example

Mi ha colpito molto la tua presentazione.

Your presentation impressed me a lot.

dica

[DEE-kah]

you say/tell (formal)

Present subjunctive of 'dire', formal 'Lei'.

Example

Me lo dica pure.

Go ahead and tell me.

Guides for Italian learners

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