Top 50 phrases to get by Italy (Advanced): Getting around and shopping

💬 Before è "is", dove gets shortened to dov'è "where is". For example: Dov'è il bagno? "Where is the bathroom?".

💬 Dov'è is dove "where" + è "is" squeezed together, with the final e dropped. Just add the place: Dov'è il bagno?, Dov'è la stazione?

💬 dov'è is a squeeze of dove è, "where is." You'll see the same kind of contraction in cos'è from cosa è.

💬 dov'è is a squeeze of dove è, "where is." You'll see the same kind of contraction in com'è from come è.

💬 Giri is the polite "turn," using the same form Italians use with formal Lei. You'll hear this kind of form in directions and service situations.

💬 Giri is the polite form used when speaking to one person formally. The same pattern shows up in set phrases like Scusi and Senta.

💬 The accent matters: è means "is", while plain e means "and".

💬 Before a vowel, "the" shrinks to l' and can't stand alone; it attaches to the next word. Same with l'aereo "the plane" and l'albergo "the hotel".

💬 gli sounds like the "lli" in million, not a hard g: (bee-LYET-toh).

🇮🇹 On regional trains and city buses you usually have to stamp your ticket in a machine before or as you board. Inspectors fine unstamped tickets even if you paid.

💬 The verb comes before the thing doing it: parte il treno, literally "leaves the train". Swap in l'autobus to ask about the bus.

🇮🇹 Platforms are often announced only shortly before departure and can change at the last minute. Keep an eye on the departures board.

💬 With some places, Italian uses in with no "the": in centro, in stazione "to the station", in farmacia "to the pharmacy".

💬 Italian turns a statement into a question just by raising your voice at the end. The words stay exactly the same as Questo autobus va in centro.

💬 The ending changes with the speaker: a man says mi sono perso, a woman says mi sono persa.

💬 When asking about more than one item, costa becomes costano: Quanto costano? "How much do they cost?".

💬 caro also means "dear", as in Caro Marco at the top of a letter. Context tells you which one is meant.

🇮🇹 In shops, prices are fixed and haggling would seem odd. At outdoor markets, saying this politely can sometimes get you a small discount.

💬 vorrei is softer than a plain "I want" and is the go-to way to ask for things politely. You can swap in what you want after it: vorrei un caffè or vorrei un biglietto.

🇮🇹 This is one of the most useful polite request starters in Italy. It sounds more natural than a direct voglio in shops, bars, and restaurants.

💬 vorrei is the polite "I would like". voglio "I want" sounds blunt when you're ordering or shopping.

🇮🇹 In small shops, greet the staff with buongiorno "good morning" when you walk in. Browsing without greeting can come across as rude.

💬 avete is the "you" for a group, so you're asking the shop as a whole. Just add the item: Avete acqua? "Do you have water?"

💬 Provarlo is provare + lo, "to try it." Italian often attaches little object words to the end of the verb this way: vederlo, comprarla.

💬 piccola ends in -a to match taglia. For a masculine word like un cappello "a hat", it becomes più piccolo.

🇮🇹 Shops are required to accept cards, but small cafés and market stalls often prefer cash for small amounts. Keep some coins handy.

🇮🇹 Waiters won't bring the bill until you ask, since rushing guests is considered rude. Ask with Il conto, per favore "The bill, please".

💬 Masculine words starting with s plus another consonant take lo instead of il. Other examples are lo sconto "the discount" and lo zaino "the backpack".

🇮🇹 Plastic bags at supermarkets cost a few cents and aren't handed out automatically. Many locals bring their own.

🇮🇹 Many smaller shops, especially outside big cities, close for a few hours in the early afternoon and reopen later.

🇮🇹 Many smaller shops close for a long lunch break, often from about 1 to 4 pm. Hours vary a lot, so it's worth asking.

💬 With polite Lei, the verb is often the same form as lui/lei "he/she," so parla means both "do you speak?" and "he/she speaks." You can reuse that in capisce? and ha?.

🇮🇹 This is a normal polite question to a stranger. In tourist areas, opening with this is fine, but starting with a quick buongiorno first sounds more natural.

💬 To ask someone politely to do something, put può in front of a basic verb. For example: Può aiutarmi? "Can you help me?".

💬 The end of arrivederci literally contains vederci, "see each other," so you'll also meet a presto, arrivederci and similar goodbyes built around seeing someone again.