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)
The question is ci fa una foto?, would you take a photo of us? (mi fa una foto? if you're alone). Hand over the phone ready to shoot and explain in one or two words: in verticale, portrait, con il Duomo dietro, with the cathedral behind.
Three of you on the Ponte Vecchio, the light is perfect, and the only way to get everybody in the picture is to ask a stranger. It's one of the most normal requests in Italy, and most people say yes with a smile.
Here's how to ask, how to explain what you want without a speech, and how to check the result. Plus the closed questions to ask before you photograph people, stalls and churches.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Scusi, ci fa una foto? | Excuse me, would you take a photo of us?answer: sì |
| Mi fa una foto, per favore? | Would you take a photo of me, please?answer: sì |
| Basta toccare qui. | Just touch here.pointing at the button |
| In verticale, per favore. | Portrait, please.in orizzontale: landscape |
| Con il Duomo dietro. | With the cathedral behind. |
| Può farne un'altra? | Could you take another one?answer: sì |
| Posso fare una foto? | May I take a photo?answer: sì or no |
| Grazie mille, è perfetta! | Thanks so much, it's perfect! |
Read the Italian out loud once before you need it. The questions marked sì or no get a one-word answer you can understand.
Scusi, ci fa una foto? if you're a couple or a group, mi fa una foto? if you're alone. Have the camera open and ready, and hand it over with a word on where to press.
Pick someone who isn't in a hurry, ideally another tourist with a camera: you can offer to return the favour, gliela faccio anch'io?, shall I take one of you too?
| You say | English |
|---|---|
| Scusi, ci fa una foto? | Excuse me, would you take a photo of us?sì |
| Mi fa una foto, per favore? | Would you take a photo of me, please?sì |
| Basta toccare qui. | Just touch here. |
| Gliela faccio anch'io? | Shall I take one of you too?sì or no |
| You hear | English |
|---|---|
| Certo, volentieri! | Of course, gladly!yes |
| Dove devo toccare? | Where do I press?show the button |
Two or three words are enough: in verticale (portrait) or in orizzontale (landscape), tutti, everyone in, and what should be behind you: con il mare dietro, with the sea behind.
Point and gesture: Italians do. Un po' più in alto, a bit higher, and un po' più vicino, a bit closer, cover most corrections.
| You say | English |
|---|---|
| In verticale. · In orizzontale. | Portrait. · Landscape. |
| Con la torre dietro. | With the tower behind. |
| Tutti dentro, anche i piedi. | Everyone in, feet included. |
| Un po' più vicino. | A bit closer. |
| Si vede anche la fontana? | Is the fountain in it too?sì or no |
| You hear | English |
|---|---|
| Così va bene? | Is this OK?sì or no |
| Sorridete! | Smile! |
| Un'altra? | Another one?sì or no |
Può farne un'altra?, could you take another one? Or simply un'altra, per favore. If someone blinked, say so and laugh: ho chiuso gli occhi!
Then thank them properly: grazie mille, è perfetta!
| You say | English |
|---|---|
| Può farne un'altra? | Could you take another one?sì |
| Un'altra, per favore. | One more, please. |
| Ho chiuso gli occhi! | I closed my eyes! |
| Grazie mille, è perfetta! | Thanks so much, it's perfect! |
| You hear | English |
|---|---|
| Ne ho fatte tre. | I took three. |
| Guardi se va bene. | See if it's OK. |
In the 
amo Italian app you practise inside real-life pathways: il bar, il ristorante, i trasporti, la casa and more, with listening, dialogues and the grammar explained in English. This page gives you the phrases; the app trains your ear.
Half the A1 course free, no sign-up
★★★★★(22)by Alessio, teacher since 2018
Downloadamo Italian for iPhone ↗︎Search for amo Italian
Ask first. Posso fare una foto? to a stallholder, a craftsman or anyone you'd like to photograph; si possono fare foto? in a shop, a church or a museum. The answer is sì or no.
No photos in church during Mass. At markets many stallholders are happy to be photographed, and asking turns a snapshot into a friendly exchange.
| You say | English |
|---|---|
| Posso fare una foto? | May I take a photo?sì or no |
| Posso fotografare il banco? | May I photograph the stall?sì or no |
| Si possono fare foto qui? | Are photos allowed here?sì or no |
| Anche con il flash? | With flash too?usually no |
| You hear | English |
|---|---|
| Prego, faccia pure. | Go ahead.yes |
| No, niente foto. | No photos.no |
| Senza flash. | Without flash.yes, but no flash |
Asking a stranger to take your picture is as normal in Italy as anywhere, and most people say yes with a smile. Photographing strangers is another matter. Italian law protects a person's image: a portrait can't be published without consent, with exceptions such as public events. In practice that means asking before you photograph a shopkeeper, a craftsman or somebody's child, and putting the camera down if they say no.
Some of Italy's most photographed places now have rules of their own. Since 2019 you may not sit on the Spanish Steps in Rome, and the city police enforce it with fines. Since February 2026 tourists pay €2 to walk down to the basin of the Trevi Fountain, while the square around it stays free. Climbing into fountains, wading in them or picnicking on monuments brings a fine in most cities.
Drones need registration and permission, and they may not fly over crowds or, in practice, most historic centres; military and police sites can't be photographed at all. Churches and museums decide for themselves, and the sign at the entrance tells you. None of this is meant to spoil your picture. It is how a country with this much fragile heritage, and this many visitors, keeps it standing.
Read next: Why do Italian churches ask you to cover your shoulders? · Why is so much of Italy's art outside its museums?
Italians rarely answer with a bare sì or no. These are the forms you will actually hear, so you know which way the answer went.
| You hear | English | It means |
|---|---|---|
| Sì, certo. | Yes, of course. | yes |
| Certo! | Sure! | yes |
| Come no! | Of course! (literally: how not?) | yes |
| Volentieri. | Gladly. | yes |
| Va bene. | Fine, OK. | yes |
| Prego. | Go ahead / please do. | yes |
| No, mi dispiace. | No, I'm sorry. | no |
| Purtroppo no. | Unfortunately not. | no |
| Non c'è. | There isn't any. | no |
| È finito. | It's sold out / all gone. | no |
| Non si può. | That's not allowed. | no |
| Non ancora. | Not yet. | no |
Six real replies. Tap Yes or No for each one.
The grammar behind them
This guide as two printable pages, in English: the phrases to say, the yes/no questions and what you will hear.
All 43 phrase PDFs · €9Already included in the full course · €39 a year.
Or keep the eight phrases as an image, to save on your phone or pin:
Italian phrases: Asking for a photo in Italian«Ci fa una foto, per favore?». If you're alone: «Mi fa una foto?». To a friend: «Ci fai una foto?».
«In verticale» is portrait and «in orizzontale» is landscape.
Often yes, without flash and not during services. Some churches and chapels forbid it: look for the sign or ask «Si possono fare foto?»
«Può farne un'altra?», could you take another one?, or simply «Un'altra, per favore».
