Italiano in pratica
by Alessio · teacher of Italian for foreigners, ITALS master’s in teaching Italian abroad (Ca’ Foscari University, Venice) and a master’s in teaching Italian as a second language (Giustino Fortunato University, Benevento)
Free Italian phrases for your trip, organised by situation: ordering at the bar, catching a bus, asking the way, buying medicine at the pharmacy. Each of the 43 guides gives you the phrases to say, the questions you will be asked, a quick quiz and a printable PDF, with Italian and English side by side.
Greetings and polite words in ItalianBasic Italian phrases for your trip: buongiorno or buonasera, ciao or salve, scusi and permesso, and how to ask Italians to slow down.
Small talk in ItalianEasy Italian small talk for travellers: the weather, where you're from, compliments on the food, and yes/no questions that keep a chat going in Italy.
At the bar in ItalyHow to order coffee in Italy like a local: pay first or after, al banco or al tavolo, caffè or latte, and the barista's questions.
At the gelateria in ItalyHow to order gelato in Italy: cono or coppetta, how many flavours, asking for a taste, paying first, and the questions you'll hear.
At the restaurant in ItalyItalian restaurant phrases for tourists: booking a table, ordering courses, allergies, coperto and servizio, asking for the bill.
At the pizzeria in ItalyOrdering pizza in Italy: one pizza each, marinara and diavola, the peperoni trap, changes, pizza al taglio, and the waiter's questions.
At the bakery in ItalyAt the bakery in Italy: bread by weight, focaccia by the piece, cornetti and pastries, a tray of paste to take away. Italian phrases included.
Wine tasting in ItalyWine tasting in Italy for visitors: booking a winery, ordering by the glass, DOC and DOCG labels, driving limits, and the Italian you need.
An Italian cooking classTaking a cooking class in Italy: the words for dough, rolling pin and shapes, what the sfoglina will tell you, kitchen verbs, and the phrases to ask for help.
The sagraItalian sagre: village food festivals run by volunteers, how to order and pay at the cash desk, long tables, seasons and dates, and the phrases you need.
At the airport in ItalyItalian airport phrases for travellers: check-in and bag drop, security, gates and delays, passport control, lost luggage, getting to town.
At the train station in ItalyTaking the train in Italy: regional or high-speed tickets, stamping paper tickets, binario and ritardo, announcements, strikes. Phrases included.
Ferries and boats in ItalyFerries and hydrofoils in Italy: buying tickets, finding your pier, deck or cabin, cancellations for rough sea, and the Italian phrases you need.
Bus, metro and taxi in ItalyGetting around Italian cities: buying and validating bus tickets, paying by card, booking your stop, taking a taxi, with simple Italian phrases.
Asking for directions in ItalianAsking for directions in Italian as a tourist: yes/no questions you can follow, a destra and sempre dritto, and how far «qui vicino» really is.
Renting a car or scooter in ItalyRenting a car or scooter in Italy: pick-up, ZTL zones, blue and white parking lines, gasolio or benzina, tolls, and the Italian phrases you need.
At the hotel in ItalyHotel, B&B or apartment in Italy: the passport at check-in, the tourist tax, matrimoniale or doppia, door codes, and Italian phrases.
Your holiday apartment in ItalyStaying in an Italian holiday rental: keys and check-in, rubbish sorting, why the electricity trips, hot water and heating, with Italian phrases.
Staying at an agriturismoStaying at an Italian agriturismo: what makes it different from a hotel, dinner from the farm, check-in times, animals and children, and the phrases you need.
Your phone in ItalyYour phone in Italy: EU roaming, buying an Italian SIM with your passport, data and top-ups, Wi-Fi passwords and phone calls, in simple Italian.
Strikes and delays in ItalyTransport strikes in Italy: where to check the dates, the guaranteed train hours, delays and cancellations, refunds, and the Italian phrases you need.
Shopping in ItalyShopping in Italy for tourists: asking prices, trying clothes on, sizes, the receipt, tax-free refunds and buying at the market. Phrases included.
At the supermarket in ItalyItalian supermarkets for visitors: gloves and the scale for fruit, the deli counter number, labels, the loyalty card question at the checkout.
Museums and sights in ItalyVisiting museums in Italy: booking tickets, free first Sundays, discounts for under-18s, bags and photos, audio guides, with Italian phrases.
Visiting churches in ItalyVisiting churches in Italy as a tourist: shoulders and knees covered, Mass times, tickets for the big cathedrals, photos, and polite Italian phrases.
Asking for a photo in ItalianCi fa una foto? How to ask a stranger to take your photo in Italy, explain what you want in the picture, and check whether photos are allowed.
At the beach in ItalyGoing to the beach in Italy: lido or spiaggia libera, renting sunbeds and umbrellas, half-day prices, the red flag, trails. Italian phrases included.
Skiing in ItalySkiing in Italy for visitors: buying the skipass, renting skis and boots, blue, red and black slopes, compulsory insurance and helmets, ski school.
Evenings out in ItalyEvenings out in Italy: aperitivo, live music, booking, club entry and the tessera, village sagre, with the Italian phrases you need.
The thermal baths in ItalyVisiting Italian thermal baths: free hot springs or a spa, swim caps, flip-flops and robes, opening hours, and the Italian phrases you need at the desk.
Hiking and sleeping in a rifugioHiking in the Italian mountains: how a rifugio works, sleeping-bag liner, half board, booking until 6 pm, trail signs and weather, with the phrases you need.
At the hairdresser in ItalyGetting a haircut in Italy: parrucchiere or barbiere, booking, asking for a trim, shorter at the sides, clipper numbers and beard, in simple Italian.
Finding a toilet in ItalyFinding a toilet in Italy: «dov'è il bagno?», bars and customers, paid public toilets, keys and codes, and the signs on the door. Italian for tourists.
The tabaccheriaWhat the Italian tabaccheria sells besides cigarettes: bus tickets, stamps, phone top-ups, the marca da bollo and bills. With the Italian phrases to ask.
Money in ItalyMoney in Italy for tourists: cash or card, ATMs and fees, paying in euro not your currency, change and big notes, with the Italian phrases you need.
Public holidays and closing days in ItalyPublic holidays in Italy for travellers: 4 October from 2026, patron saints, August closures, Sundays and Mondays, and how to ask what's open.
At the post office in ItalySending postcards and parcels from Italy: stamps at the tabaccheria, the post office ticket machine, letters and parcels abroad, in simple Italian.
At the laundrette in ItalyDoing laundry in Italy while travelling: self-service laundrettes, detergent and dryers, temperatures, the dry cleaner, with Italian phrases.
Travelling in Italy with childrenTravelling in Italy with kids: high chairs and half portions, trains and museums for children, changing tables, the pharmacy, with Italian phrases.
At the pharmacy in ItalyAt a pharmacy in Italy as a tourist: describing symptoms, the pharmacist's questions, doses, the farmacia di turno at night. Italian phrases included.
At the doctor in ItalySeeing a doctor in Italy as a visitor: guardia medica, the European health card, describing pain, the doctor's questions and prescriptions, in Italian.
Lost or stolen in ItalyLost your wallet, phone or luggage in Italy? Where to report it, what a denuncia is, lost luggage at the airport, lost property offices, and the phrases you need.
Emergencies in ItalyEmergency Italian for travellers: calling 112, asking for help, the operator's questions, reporting a theft or a lost passport.Every guide also has a longer read on the custom behind its phrases, and how Italy compares with Britain, the United States, northern Europe and other parts of the world. The facts come from official and reliable sources, listed at the foot of each guide. A few to start with:
Because you will understand the answer. «What milk do you have?» gets you a list you may not follow; «Avete il latte di soia?», do you have soy milk, gets you yes or no. Every guide is built on that idea: phrases you can say in one breath, and questions whose answer you can catch even when you miss the rest of the sentence.
First the short answer, then the phrases you need right now. Each section answers one question you might be asking on the spot, with what you say and what you hear back. Then a longer read on the custom behind the phrases, and how Italy compares with other countries. At the end there is a quick quiz, links to the grammar behind the phrases and to more exercises, and a two-page PDF for your phone.
Sixteen phrases cover most of a trip to Italy. Each one links to the guide where you will find the rest of the conversation.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Buongiorno! · Buonasera! | Good morning! · Good evening!Greetings and polite words → |
| Scusi, parla inglese? | Excuse me, do you speak English?Greetings and polite words → |
| Può ripetere, per favore? | Could you say that again, please?Greetings and polite words → |
| Un caffè, per favore. | An espresso, please.At the bar → |
| Avete un tavolo per due? | Do you have a table for two?At the restaurant → |
| Il conto, per favore. | The bill, please.At the restaurant → |
| Posso pagare con la carta? | Can I pay by card?Money and cash machines → |
| Quanto costa? | How much is it?Shopping and markets → |
| Scusi, dov'è il bagno? | Excuse me, where's the toilet?Finding a toilet → |
| Un biglietto per Firenze, per favore. | A ticket to Florence, please.At the train station → |
| È da questa parte? | Is it this way?Asking for directions → |
| Ho una prenotazione a nome Smith. | I have a booking under the name Smith.At the hotel → |
| È senza glutine? | Is it gluten-free?At the restaurant → |
| Mi fa male qui. | It hurts here.At the pharmacy → |
| Aiuto! Chiami un'ambulanza! | Help! Call an ambulance!Emergencies → |
| Grazie mille, arrivederci! | Thanks a lot, goodbye!Greetings and polite words → |
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The 43 phrase PDFs, together with the 55 grammar chapters in order, the tests and the reviews.
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The PDFs of all 43 guides, Italian with English, in one file to download straight away: you pay once and they are yours.
What is in each guide, with previews and questions →
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Buongiorno, per favore, grazie, scusi, «parla inglese?», «quanto costa?», «il conto, per favore» and «dov'è il bagno?» cover most of a trip. Each guide on this page adds the phrases for one situation, from the bar to the pharmacy.
No, but a few phrases change how people treat you, and outside the big cities English is less common. Greeting in Italian and asking yes/no questions gets you a long way.
Yes: every guide has a two-page PDF with the phrases to say, the yes/no questions and what you will hear, to print or keep on your phone. The 43 PDFs come with the full course, or all together in one purchase.
Greet when you walk into a shop, use Lei with strangers, expect lunch closures and late dinners, ask for the bill when you want it, cover shoulders and knees in churches, keep some cash for small amounts, and don't expect to hail a taxi in the street. Each guide explains the custom behind its phrases.
Ask closed questions that can only be answered sì or no: «Avete il latte di soia?», do you have soy milk?, instead of «Che latte avete?», what milk do you have?
