Basic Italian Words & Phrases (Perfect for Travelers!)

Perfect for beginners, here are 70 basic Italian words and phrases for travel inc. getting around, booking hotels, eating & drinking, etc all with phonetic pronunciation. Impress locals and enhance your experience!

When it comes to visiting Italy, whether you’re planning a trip to Rome, Milan, Florence, Venice (or any other Italian city), or the Italian coast (or any other Italian-speaking destination!), knowing some basic Italian words and phrases can greatly enhance your travel experience.

In this post, we’ll cover some essential Italian vocabulary and phrases (along with their phonetic translations!) that will help you navigate your way through Italy with ease.

We’ll start with some common words and phrases that are useful in everyday situations in Italian and English – along with their phonetic Italian pronunciation – then move on to phrases and words for getting around and asking for directions. We’ll also cover common Italian words and phrases for booking and staying in a hotel, as well as words and phrases for ordering food and drinks at restaurants or cafes.

Whether you’re a seasoned traveler or a first-time visitor to Italy, these essential words and phrases will help you communicate with locals and make the most of your time in this beautiful country. Now we don’t expect you to speak Italian like a native speaker – but we do hope that you are able to use your (new!) language skills to more than just survive on your trip to Italy!

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Basic Italian Words for Travel with Pronunciation

• Yes – Sì [see]
• No – No [noh]
• Hello – Ciao [chow]
• Goodbye – Arrivederci [ahr-ree-veh-dehr-chee]
• Good Morning – Buon giorno [bwon-jour-no]
• Good Evening – Buonasera [bwoh-nah-seh-rah]
• Goodnight – Buonanotte [bwoh-nah-noht-teh]
• Please – Per favore [pehr fah-voh-reh]
• Thank You – Grazie [grah-tsee-eh]
• Thank you very much – Grazie mille [grah-tsee-eh meel-leh]
• Excuse me – Scusa [skoo-zah] / Mi scusi [mee skoo-zee]
• I’m Sorry – Mi dispiace [mee dee-spee-ah-cheh]
• How are you? – Come stai? [koh-meh stai]
• Very Good – Molto bene [mol-toh ben-neh]
• One, Two, Three – Uno, Due, Tre [oo-noh, doo-eh, treh]
• OK – Va bene [vah beh-neh]
• No Problem / It was nothing – Non c’è problema [non cheh proh-bleh-mah]
• You’re welcome / Don’t mention it – Prego [preh-go]
• I don’t understand – Non capisco [non kah-pee-skoh]
• More slowly, please – Più lentamente, per favore [pyoo lehn-tah-men-teh, pehr fah-voh-reh]
• Do you speak English? – Parli inglese? [par-lee een-gleh-zeh]
• I don’t speak Italian – Non parlo italiano [non par-lo ee-tah-lyah-no]
• What is your name? – Come ti chiami? [koh-meh tee kee-ah-mee]
• I would like… – Vorrei… [vohr-ray]
• I am… – Sono… [soh-noh]
• I love you – Ti amo [tee ah-moh]
• What time is it? – Che ora è? [keh oh-rah eh]

Basic Italian Words and Easy Italian Phrases Related to Getting Directions/Getting Around

These basic Italian travel phrases and directions in Italian will be a great help in helping you get around.

• Where is – Dove si trova…? [doh-veh see troh-vah…?]
• Where are..? – Dove sono..? [doh-veh soh-noh..?]
• Where are the toilets? – Dove sono i bagni? [doh-veh soh-noh ee ban-yee]
• I am lost – Mi sono perso/a [mee soh-noh pehr-soh/a] or ho perso [ho pehr-soh]
• Can you help me? – Puoi aiutarmi? [pwah-ee ah-yoo-tar-mee]
• How can I get to…? – Come posso arrivare a…? [koh-meh pohs-soh ah-ree-vah-reh ah…?]
• Turn Left / Right – Gira a sinistra / destra [jee-rah ah see-nees-trah / dehs-trah]
• Go straight ahead – Vai dritto [vai dree-toh]
• Follow this street – Segui questa strada [seh-goo-ee kweh-stah strah-dah]
• Do you know where (x) is located – Sai dov’è situato/a…? [sai doh-veh see-too-ah-toh/a…?]
• The beach – La spiaggia [lah spee-ah-jah]
• The museum – Il museo [eel moo-zeh-oh]

Basic Italian Phrases related to using Public Transport

• I would like a ticket for… – Vorrei un biglietto per… [vor-ray oon bee-lyet-toh pair]
• One-way ticket – Biglietto di sola andata [bee-lyet-toh dee soh-lah an-dah-tah]
• Round Trip Ticket – Biglietto di andata e ritorno [bee-lyet-toh dee an-dah-tah eh ree-tor-noh]
• What is the fare? – Qual è il prezzo del biglietto? [kwahl eh eel preht-soh del bee-lyet-toh]
• Can I pay with card? – Posso pagare con la carta? [pos-so pah-gah-reh kon lah kar-ta]
• Excuse me, where is the metro station? – Mi scusi, dov’è la stazione della metropolitana? [mee skoo-zee, doh-veh lah stah-zee-yoh-nay del-lah meh-troh-po-lee-tah-nah]
• When does the train/bus/metro arrive? – Quando arriva il treno/autobus/metro? [kwan-doh ah-ree-vah eel treh-noh/ow-toh-boos/meh-troh]
• Is this the right platform for the train to (destination)? – Questo è il binario giusto per il treno in direzione di (destination)? [kwe-stoh eh eel bee-nah-ree-oh gwyo-stoh pair eel treh-noh een dee-re-tsee-oh-neh dee…]
• Excuse me, can you tell me when to get off for (destination)? – Mi scusi, può dirmi quando scendere per (destination)? [mee skoo-zee, pwoh deer-mee kwan-doh shen-deh-reh pair…]
• Is this the right stop to go to…? – Questa è la fermata giusta per andare a…? [kwe-stah eh lah fer-mah-tah gwyo-stah pair an-dah-reh ah…]
• Where is the exit? – Dove si trova l’uscita? [doh-veh see troh-vah loo-shee-tah]

Common Italian Phrases related to Food: Eating, Drinking, Ordering, etc.

• How much does it cost? – Quanto costa? [kwahn-toh koh-stah]
• The menu, please – Il menu, per favore [eel meh-noo, pair fa-vo-reh]
• Can I see the menu, please? – Posso vedere il menu, per favore? [pos-so veh-deh-reh eel meh-noo, pair fa-vo-reh]
• I would like to order, please – Vorrei ordinare, per favore [vor-ray or-dee-nah-reh, pair fa-vo-reh]
• What do you recommend? – Cosa consiglia? [koh-sah kon-seel-ya]
• I would like… – Vorrei… [vor-ray]
• Enjoy your food – Buon appetito [bwon ap-pe-tee-toh]
• A glass of red/white wine, please – Un bicchiere di vino rosso/bianco, per favore [oon bee-kyeh-reh dee vee-no ros-so/byan-ko, pair fa-vo-reh]
• A jug of tap water please – Una caraffa d’acqua [oo-nah ka-raf-fa da-kwa]
• The bill, please – Il conto, per favore [eel kon-toh, pair fa-vo-reh]
• Excuse me, could we have the check/bill? – Mi scusi, possiamo avere il conto? [mee skoo-zee, pos-see-ah-mo ah-veh-reh eel kon-toh]
• Do you have a reservation? – Ha una prenotazione? [ah oo-nah pre-no-ta-tsee-oh-neh]
• Could we have a table for two, please? – Possiamo avere un tavolo per due, per favore? [pos-see-ah-mo ah-veh-reh oon ta-vo-lo pair doo-eh, pair fa-vo-reh]
• For putting these words and phrases into action, make sure you follow these 8 Italian food rules.

Basic Italian Phrases related to Booking and Staying in a Hotel

• I have a reservation, please. – Ho una prenotazione, per favore. [oh oo-nah pre-no-ta-tsee-oh-neh, pair fa-vo-reh]
• Can I see the room first? – Posso vedere la camera prima? [pos-so veh-deh-reh lah ka-meh-rah pree-ma]
• What time is breakfast served? – A che ora viene servita la colazione? [ah keh o-rah vyeh-neh sehr-vee-tah lah koh-la-tsee-oh-neh]
• Can I have a wake-up call at [time]? – Posso avere una sveglia alle [ora], per favore? [pos-so ah-veh-reh oo-nah sve-glee-ah al-leh o-rah, pair fa-vo-reh]
• What time is check-out? – A che ora si effettua il check-out? [ah keh o-rah see ef-feh-too-ah eel check-out]
• I need an extra pillow/blanket/towel. – Ho bisogno di un cuscino/coperta/asciugamano extra. [oh bee-zoh-nyoh dee oon koo-see-no/koh-per-tah/ah-shoo-ga-ma-no ek-stra]
• Where is the elevator/stairs? – Dove si trova l’ascensore/le scale? [doh-veh see troh-vah lah-shen-so-reh/leh skah-leh]
• Is there a safe in the room? – C’è una cassaforte in camera? [cheh oo-nah kas-sah-for-teh een ka-meh-rah]
• Can you recommend a good restaurant nearby? – Può consigliarmi un buon ristorante nelle vicinanze? [pwoh kon-see-lyar-mee oon bwon ree-stoh-ran-teh nel-leh vee-chee-an-tseh]

Final Thoughts on 70+ Basic Italian Words and Phrases for Travel

We hope these simple Italian words and useful phrases in Italian for travel help you do more than just introduce yourself, ask the time or say hello in Italian (although the basics are a great place to start.) Having a little bit of Italian language on your side while you are traveling in Italy (or any county where Italian is spoken) can be one of your best assets and as such, we hope these useful Italian phrases can help you in a variety of situations and make your travels easier, safer and more enjoyable.

If you liked learning these common Italian phrases, or know someone heading to Italy that needs to learn Italian, please be sure to share on social media: Facebook, Flipboard, and Twitter or grab the image from below for Pinterest. And remember – sharing is caring (and we thank you in advance!)

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