Getting through the Questura: Asking when your permesso will be ready
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Key Phrases
Scusi, posso chiedere un'informazione?
Excuse me, may I ask something?
Più o meno quando sarà pronto?
Roughly when will it be ready?
Posso controllare anche online?
Can I also check online?
Skills You'll Learn
Asking for information politely at a public office
Chiedere informazioni in modo cortese a un ufficio pubblico
Understanding timelines and procedures related to the residence permit
Capire le tempistiche e le procedure relative al permesso di soggiorno
Asking about and understanding how to check the status of an application online
Chiedere e comprendere come verificare lo stato di una pratica online
Lesson Roleplay
Imagine you're at the immigration office at a police station in Italy. You want to find out when your residence permit will be ready.
Buongiorno. Scusi, posso chiedere un'informazione?
Good morning. Excuse me, may I ask something?
Buongiorno. Mi dica.
Good morning. Go ahead.
Vorrei sapere quando è pronto il mio permesso di soggiorno.
I'd like to know when my residence permit will be ready.
Ha la ricevuta? E il passaporto, per favore.
Do you have the receipt? And your passport, please.
Sì, ecco qui.
Yes, here you go.
Lesson Vocabulary & Phrases
Scusi
SKOO-zee
Excuse me
💬 Scusi is the polite form used with strangers. With friends you'd say scusa.
🇮🇹 At the Questura counter, always use the polite form with staff. It's expected in any office dealing with paperwork.
See breakdown →Posso chiedere un'informazione?
POHS-soh KYEH-deh-reh oon een-for-mah-TSYOH-neh
Can I ask for some information?
💬 un' with an apostrophe is used before a feminine word starting with a vowel: un'informazione, un'amica "a female friend".
See breakdown →Scusi, posso chiedere un'informazione?
SKOO-zee POHS-soh KYEH-deh-reh oon een-for-mah-TSYOH-neh
Excuse me, may I ask something?
Mi dica.
mee DEE-kah
Go ahead.
💬 Literally "tell me," in the polite form. A friend would say dimmi.
🇮🇹 This is the standard way a clerk invites you to state your business. Jump straight into your question.
See breakdown →Vorrei sapere
vor-RAY sah-PEH-reh
I'd like to know
💬 Add se "if" or quando "when" to build a polite question: Vorrei sapere quando... "I'd like to know when...".
See breakdown →Il permesso di soggiorno
eel pehr-MEHS-soh dee sohj-JOR-noh
The residence permit
💬 Italian links two nouns with di "of": literally "the permit of stay". You can reuse it, as in il permesso di lavoro "the work permit".
🇮🇹 Everyone calls it il permesso for short. Applying for it or renewing it is the main reason most foreigners end up at the Questura.
See breakdown →Il mio permesso di soggiorno
eel MEE-oh pehr-MEHS-soh dee sohj-JOR-noh
My residence permit
💬 Italian keeps il "the" in front of mio "my", unlike English. Same with la mia ricevuta "my receipt".
See breakdown →Ha la ricevuta?
ah lah ree-cheh-VOO-tah
Do you have the receipt?
💬 Ha here means polite "you have". It's the same form as "he/she has", so context tells you who's meant.
See breakdown →E il passaporto, per favore.
eh eel pahs-sah-POR-toh pehr fah-VOH-reh
And the passport, please.
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