🗣️🇬🇧

How to Say ‘Do you speak English?’ in Italian

Parla inglese?

PAR-lah een-GLEH-zeh

[PAR-lah een-GLEH-zeh]

💬 Usage Tip: 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?.

🇮🇹 In Italy: 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.

Phrase Breakdown

Parla

[PAR-lah]

do you speak (formal)

Formal 'Lei' form of 'parlare', used politely with strangers.

Example

Lei parla francese?

Do you speak French?

inglese

[een-GLEH-zeh]

English

Refers to the English language.

Example

Parla inglese con me.

Speak English with me.

Guides for Italian learners

Duolingo vs Busuu: Which Is Better for Actually Improving?Duolingo vs Busuu compared: a free gamified habit versus structured levels with corrections from native speakers. Which to choose, and when to use both.

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