Here’s a truth most travel blogs won’t tell you: Italians in tourist areas speak English. You’ll survive just fine pointing at menus and using hand gestures.
But here’s the thing — knowing even a handful of Italian phrases changes your experience completely. A buongiorno when you walk into a shop. A grazie mille to the waiter. A mi scusi when you need to squeeze past someone on a narrow Roman street. These small moments turn you from “another tourist” into “a tourist who’s trying,” and Italians genuinely appreciate the effort.
Convierge organizes essential phrases by category for every country it supports — greetings, dining, shopping, emergencies, and more. Download it free and have them at your fingertips, no Wi-Fi needed.
These five phrases will carry you further than you’d expect:
| English | Italian | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Hello / Good morning | Buongiorno | bwohn-JOHR-noh |
| Good evening | Buonasera | bwoh-nah-SEH-rah |
| Please | Per favore | pehr fah-VOH-reh |
| Thank you | Grazie | GRAH-tsee-eh |
| Excuse me / Sorry | Mi scusi | mee SKOO-zee |
Usage note: Buongiorno is your default greeting until early afternoon. After that, switch to buonasera. Using the right one signals that you know what you’re doing.
Grazie on its own is fine for a quick thanks. Grazie mille (GRAH-tsee-eh MEE-leh) means “thanks a thousand” and is the go-to for when someone goes out of their way for you.
Eating is the main event in Italy, and knowing how to navigate a meal in Italian — even a little — makes the whole experience better.
| English | Italian | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| A table for two, please | Un tavolo per due, per favore | oon TAH-voh-loh pehr DOO-eh |
| The menu, please | Il menù, per favore | eel meh-NOO |
| I’d like… | Vorrei… | vohr-RAY |
| The check, please | Il conto, per favore | eel KOHN-toh |
| It was delicious | Era delizioso | EH-rah deh-lee-TSYOH-zoh |
| A coffee, please | Un caffè, per favore | oon kaf-FEH |
| Water (still) | Acqua naturale | AH-kwah nah-too-RAH-leh |
| Water (sparkling) | Acqua frizzante | AH-kwah free-TSAHN-teh |
Coffee culture tip: When you order un caffè in Italy, you get an espresso. That’s it. If you want what Americans think of as “a coffee,” order un caffè americano. It’s literally named after us — take that however you want.
Also: Italians drink cappuccino in the morning. Ordering one after lunch or dinner is a dead giveaway that you’re a tourist. Nobody will refuse to serve you, but you might get a look. Do with that information what you will.
Whether you’re navigating the Rome metro, asking for directions to the Duomo, or trying to figure out which platform your train leaves from:
| English | Italian | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Where is…? | Dov’è…? | doh-VEH |
| Train station | La stazione | lah stah-TSYOH-neh |
| How much does it cost? | Quanto costa? | KWAHN-toh KOH-stah |
| Left | Sinistra | see-NEE-strah |
| Right | Destra | DEH-strah |
| Straight ahead | Dritto | DREE-toh |
| I’m lost | Mi sono perso/a | mee SOH-noh PEHR-soh |
Tip: Italians give directions with landmarks, not street names. “Go past the church, turn at the fountain” is more common than “Take Via Roma for three blocks.” Just nod and look for the landmarks.
| English | Italian | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| How much? | Quanto? | KWAHN-toh |
| Too expensive | Troppo caro | TROHP-poh KAH-roh |
| Can I pay by card? | Posso pagare con la carta? | POHS-soh pah-GAH-reh kohn lah KAR-tah |
| Do you have…? | Avete…? | ah-VEH-teh |
| A bag, please | Una borsa, per favore | OO-nah BOR-sah |
Cash heads up: Italy is more cash-friendly than many European countries. Many small shops, trattorias, and gelaterias prefer cash, especially outside major cities. Always carry some euros.
You hopefully won’t need these, but knowing them matters:
| English | Italian | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Help! | Aiuto! | ah-YOO-toh |
| I need a doctor | Ho bisogno di un medico | oh bee-ZOHN-yoh dee oon MEH-dee-koh |
| Call the police | Chiami la polizia | KYAH-mee lah poh-lee-TSEE-ah |
| I don’t understand | Non capisco | nohn kah-PEE-skoh |
| Do you speak English? | Parla inglese? | PAR-lah een-GLEH-zeh |
The emergency number in Italy is 112 (same across all of the EU). The U.S. Embassy in Rome can be reached at 06-4674-1.
Italian pronunciation is more consistent than English, which is honestly a relief. A few rules that’ll help:
Don’t overthink it. Italians are forgiving with pronunciation as long as you’re making an effort. A badly pronounced grazie is infinitely better than no grazie at all.
Twenty phrases. That’s all it takes to meaningfully change your experience in Italy. You’ll still use English for complex conversations, and that’s totally fine. But the small moments — greeting a shopkeeper in Italian, ordering your own espresso without pointing at the menu, thanking your waiter in his language — those are the moments that make a trip feel less like tourism and more like travel.
Want all of these phrases (and more) organized on your phone, available offline? Convierge has every essential phrase for Italy — plus currency, tipping rules, emergency info, and city guides. Everything you need, one app, no Wi-Fi required.