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How to Say ‘Where did you get it, if I may ask?’ in Italian

Dove l'hai presa, se posso chiedere?

doh-veh l eye PREH-zah seh POHS-soh KYEH-deh-reh

[doh-veh l eye PREH-zah seh POHS-soh KYEH-deh-reh]

Phrase Breakdown

Dove l'hai presa,

doh-veh l eye PREH-zah

Where did you get it,

Pronounce 'l'hai' as 'lai'. 'Presa' is feminine and refers to something like 'la giacca'.

Example

Dove l'hai presa questa giacca?

Where did you get this jacket?

Words in this phrase

Dove

[doh-veh]

Where

Used to ask about the location of something.

Example

Dove hai preso quella borsa?

Where did you get that bag?

[l]

Shortened 'la' (it) before a vowel, as an object pronoun.

Example

La borsa? L'ho comprata ieri.

The bag? I bought it yesterday.

hai

[eye]

you have

Second-person singular of avere; used to address one person informally.

Example

Hai una buona base. per questo ruolo.

You have a good foundation for this role.

presa

[PREH-zah]

got / taken (feminine)

Past participle of 'prendere', agreeing with a feminine object.

Example

Ho presa la giacca rossa.

I took the red jacket.

se posso chiedere?

seh POHS-soh KYEH-deh-reh

if I may ask?

This softens the question. 'Ch' sounds like 'k', and your voice should rise at the end.

Example

Dove abiti, se posso chiedere?

Where do you live, if I may ask?

Words in this phrase

[seh]

A conjunction meaning 'if,' used to introduce a condition politely.

Example

Se vuoi, possiamo sentirci la prossima settimana.

If you want, we can talk next week.

posso

[POHS-soh]

can I / may I

A polite way to ask permission to say or ask something.

Example

Posso chiedere se avete un menu speciale?

May I ask if you have a special menu?

chiedere

[KYEH-deh-reh]

to ask

To request information or an answer.

Example

Devo chiedere un favore.

I must ask for a favor.

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