Qualche parola in italiano
(A few words in Italian)
Have fun with us trying out a few words in Italian while there! Don't worry, generally Italians speak English, and everyone you will meet understands it. Duolingo is a good app for working on another language!
Buongiorno
Good day
Pronounced like
'bwon-jornO' with a long 'O'
Used up until early afternoon
Per Favore
Please
Pronounced like
'pear favor-eh'
with a soft 'a' as in 'fa'
(think do ri mi fa so la ti do)
Buonasera
Good evening
Pronounced like
'bwona - sara'
slight roll of the 'r'
Used once daylight is waning
Grazie
Thank you
Pronounced with a slight roll of the 'r' (don't worry if that's difficult), ends with 'ia', so may sound like
'gdazia'
Ciao!
Hello!
(also 'Goodbye')
Usually used once you know someone.
Pronounced like 'chow'
Prego
You're welcome
(or "of course")
No, it's not the pasta brand, lol
Pronounced with a slight roll of the 'r' and a long 'a' as in 'stay', so may sound like
'pdAgo'
Un Bicchiere
A Glass
Pronounced by slight roll of the 'r', sounds like
'bee-care-di'
Bagno
Bathroom
Pronounced like
'ban-yo'
And now that you will be going to Italy, you really ought to know how to pronounce a word you say often in an Italian restaurant:
Bruschetta
It's pronounced like
'brew-sketta'
(the 'r' is rolled, but most importantly, the 'ch' is hard, so not
'brew-shetta')
Sorry! It's a Dan pet peeve, hahaha. He bites his tongue in almost every U.S. Italian restaurant.
(queue the eye roll)
A few examples in context
May I have a glass of wine please?
Posso avere un bicchiere di vino, per favore?
​
A glass of water, please.
Un bicchiere d'acqua, per favore.
​
Hi. Where is the bathroom?
Ciao! Dov'è il bagno?
​
This is amazing! Thank you!
Questo è incredibile! Grazie!