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How to Say ‘Open your mouth, please.’ in Italian

Apra la bocca, per favore.

AH-prah lah BOHK-kah pehr fah-VOH-reh

[AH-prah lah BOHK-kah pehr fah-VOH-reh]

💬 Usage Tip: Italian says la bocca "the mouth" where English says "your mouth", because it's obvious whose it is. Same with Alzi il braccio "Raise your arm".

Phrase Breakdown

Apra la bocca,

AH-prah lah BOHK-kah

Open your mouth,

This is a formal command. Stress A-pra and BOC-ca, and hold the double 'cc'.

Example

Apra la bocca, signora.

Open your mouth, madam.

Words in this phrase

Apra

[AH-prah]

open

Formal command form of 'aprire' (to open), used with 'Lei'.

Example

Apra la finestra, per favore.

Open the window, please.

[lah]

the

The feminine singular definite article, used before nouns like 'cultura.'

Example

"La" cultura di questa impresa mi interessa molto.

"The" culture of this company interests me a lot.

bocca

[BOHK-kah]

mouth

The noun 'mouth'; part of a rude command telling someone to be quiet.

Example

Arrabbiato, gli ha detto: «Chiudi quella cazzo di bocca».

Angrily, he told him: “Shut that fucking mouth.”

per favore.

pehr fah-VOH-reh

please.

This is the standard polite word. Stress fa-VO-re and roll the 'r' lightly.

Example

Un caffè, per favore.

A coffee, please.

Words in this phrase

per

[pehr]

please / for

Part of the polite expression per favore, used when requesting something.

Example

Dico «per» favore alla fine della frase.

I say “please” at the end of the sentence.

favore

[fah-VOH-reh]

favor / please

Used with per to make a polite request: please.

Example

Il menù, per favore, grazie.

The menu, please, thank you.

Guides for Italian learners

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