Prior attemps to fix the problem – Telling my landlord the hot water is broken in Italian

👋❓

Pronto?

PROHN-toh

Hello?

🇮🇹 Pronto? is only for answering the phone. In person, Italians greet with buongiorno or salve.

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🏠🙋

Inquilino

een-kwee-LEE-noh

Tenant

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🙋🏠👤

Sono il suo inquilino.

SOH-noh eel SOO-oh een-kwee-LEE-noh

I'm your tenant.

💬 suo normally means "his" or "her", but here it's the polite "your" you use with someone you address formally. The same word covers all three, and context tells you which.

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🚿🔥💧

L'acqua calda

l AHK-kwah KAHL-dah

The hot water

💬 caldo means hot, not cold, despite looking like the English word. Watch for it on taps: C is hot, F (freddo) is cold.

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⚙️❌

Non funziona.

nohn foon-TSYOH-nah

It doesn't work.

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🚿🔥💧⚙️❌

L'acqua calda non funziona.

l AHK-kwah KAHL-dah nohn foon-TSYOH-nah

The hot water isn't working.

💬 non funziona works for anything broken. Just swap the thing at the front: Il riscaldamento "the heating" non funziona.

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🔥🛢️

La caldaia

lah kahl-DAH-yah

The boiler

🇮🇹 Most Italian flats have their own small gas boiler, often in the kitchen or on a balcony. When the hot water fails, the landlord will usually ask about it first.

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🔄🔥📦

Riaccendere la caldaia

ree-ah-CHEN-deh-reh lah kahl-DAH-yah

To turn the boiler back on

💬 ri- at the start of a verb adds "again" or "back". accendere means "to turn on", and riprovare means "to try again".

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🔄🔥📦❓

Ha già provato a riaccendere la caldaia?

ah jah proh-VAH-toh ah ree-ah-CHEN-deh-reh lah kahl-DAH-yah

Have you already tried turning the boiler back on?

💬 To say "try to do" something, use provare a followed by the action: provare a chiamare "to try calling".

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🔛🔁

L'ho spenta e riaccesa.

l oh SPEN-tah eh ree-ah-CHEH-zah

I turned it off and on again.

💬 spenta and riaccesa end in -a because "it" here is la caldaia "the boiler", which is feminine. For a masculine thing, you'd say l'ho spento e riacceso.

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2️⃣✖️

Due volte

DOOH-eh VOHL-teh

Twice

💬 volta means "time", as in an occurrence: una volta "once", tre volte "three times".

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✅🔛🔁2️⃣✖️

Sì, l'ho spenta e riaccesa due volte.

see l oh SPEN-tah eh ree-ah-CHEH-zah DOOH-eh VOHL-teh

Yes, I turned it off and on again twice.

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❓💨

E la pressione?

eh lah pres-SYOH-neh

And the pressure?

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🧭

La lancetta

lah lahn-CHET-tah

The needle

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🧭🔍❓

Ha controllato la lancetta?

ah kohn-trohl-LAH-toh lah lahn-CHET-tah

Did you check the gauge?

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✅⬇️

Sì, era bassa.

see EH-rah BAHS-sah

Yes, it was low.

💬 bassa ends in -a because it refers to la pressione "the pressure", which is feminine. A masculine thing would take basso.

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⬆️🔧

Ho provato ad alzarla.

oh proh-VAH-toh ahd ahl-TSAR-lah

I tried to raise it.

💬 a becomes ad before a word starting with a vowel, which makes it easier to say: provato ad aprire "tried to open". The la "it" is attached to the end of alzare.

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🚫

Ma niente

mah NYEHN-teh

But nothing

💬 ma niente is the everyday way to say "no luck" after describing something you tried. It needs no verb.

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⬆️🔧🚫

Ho provato ad alzarla, ma niente.

oh proh-VAH-toh ahd ahl-TSAR-lah mah NYEHN-teh

I tried to raise it, but nothing.

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🔴💡

C'è una luce rossa.

keh eh OO-nah LOO-cheh ROHS-sah

There's a red light.

💬 The colour word comes after the noun: luce rossa, not rossa luce. Same for acqua fredda.

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🔥📦

Sulla caldaia

SOOL-lah kahl-DAH-yah

On the boiler

💬 su + la merges into sulla. In the same way, su + il becomes sul: sul tavolo "on the table".

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🔴💡🔥📦❓

C'è una luce rossa sulla caldaia?

chee eh OO-nah LOO-cheh ROHS-sah SOOL-lah kahl-DAH-yah

Is there a red light on the boiler?

💬 c'è means "there is". For more than one thing, use ci sono: ci sono due luci "there are two lights".

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🔴💡✨🔁

Lampeggia sempre.

lahm-PED-jah sem-preh

It keeps flashing.

💬 sempre literally means "always", but after a verb like this it describes something that keeps happening. That's why it comes out as "keeps flashing".

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✅🔴💡✨🔁

Sì, lampeggia sempre.

see lahm-PED-jah sem-preh

Yes, it keeps flashing.

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📤🧑‍🔧❓

Può mandare un tecnico?

pwaw mahn-DAH-reh oon TEK-nee-koh

Can you send a technician?

💬 Può followed by an action is the polite way to ask "can you...?" of someone you address formally: Può venire? "Can you come?".

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🙏

Per favore

pehr fah-VOH-reh

Please

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📤🧑‍🔧🙏❓

Può mandare un tecnico, per favore?

pwaw mahn-DAH-reh oon TEK-nee-koh pehr fah-VOH-reh

Could you send a technician, please?

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👍💯

Certo

CHEHR-toh

Of course

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📞⚡

Lo chiamo subito.

loh KYAH-moh SOO-bee-toh

I'll call him right away.

💬 Italians use the present tense for things about to happen: lo chiamo literally means "I call him". There's no need for a separate future form here.

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👍📞⚡

Certo, lo chiamo subito.

CHEHR-toh loh KYAH-moh SOO-bee-toh

Of course, I'll call him right away.

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📅🌅

Domani mattina

doh-MAH-nee mat-TEE-nah

Tomorrow morning

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👍❓

Va bene?

vah BEH-neh

Is that okay?

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📅🌅👍❓

Domani mattina va bene?

doh-MAH-nee mat-TEE-nah vah BEH-neh

Is tomorrow morning okay?

💬 Add va bene? after any time to propose it: Alle tre va bene? "Is three o'clock okay?".

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💯

Perfetto

pehr-FEHT-toh

Perfect

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🙏💯

Grazie mille.

GRAHT-syeh MEEL-leh

Thank you so much.

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👌🙏😊

Perfetto, grazie mille.

pehr-FEHT-toh GRAHT-syeh MEEL-leh

Perfect, thank you so much.

💬 grazie mille literally means "a thousand thanks". It's an everyday expression, not over the top.

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🏠✅

Sarò a casa.

sah-ROH ah KAH-zah

I'll be home.

💬 a casa needs no "the" or "my". It simply means "at home" or "home".

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🙅‍♂️

Si figuri.

see fee-GOO-ree

Not at all.

🇮🇹 The polite reply to thanks from someone you address formally, like a landlord. With friends you'd hear figurati instead.

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😔

Mi dispiace.

mee dee-SPYAH-cheh

I'm sorry.

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😣

Il disagio

eel dee-ZAH-joh

The inconvenience

💬 disagio looks like "disagree" but means inconvenience or discomfort.

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😔😣

Mi dispiace per il disagio.

mee dee-SPYAH-cheh pehr eel dee-ZAH-joh

I'm sorry for the inconvenience.

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👋

Arrivederci

ah-ree-veh-DEHR-chee

Goodbye

🇮🇹 Arrivederci is the right goodbye for a landlord. Save ciao for friends and people you're on casual terms with.

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☀️👋

Buona giornata.

BWOH-nah jor-NAH-tah

Have a nice day.

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👋☀️

Arrivederci, buona giornata.

ah-ree-veh-DEHR-chee BWOH-nah jor-NAH-tah

Goodbye, have a nice day.

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Telling my landlord the hot water is broken: Prior attemps to fix the problem

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