Estimated read time: 5 minutes
How do you handle a trip to Italy without speaking any Italian? A guide
written byuser-imagePlay Italy

We are aware that a lot of people might not speak Italian as it’s basically only spoken in our Peninsula. But wouldn’t it be nice if people became more familiar with this language?

It’s not news that a lot of Italians are not proficient in English and that could cause some discomfort when traveling around, especially in the most rural areas.

Disclaimer: this is not to say that Italy is not an English-friendly country. People who work in tourism are usually trained to speak more than one language.

However … knowing a bit of Italian could really turn around your journey for the better, making you feel more immersed in the atmosphere and learning something fun.

So us from Play Italy will take the honor of teaching you some of the most common Italian words and phrases you could use.

Italian words in English: let’s get over the clichès

Let’s get this straight. We’re not here to talk about “buongiorno”, “cappuccino”, “espresso” and stuff like that. We already know these words are well integrated into English.

Nonetheless, it will give you the most advantage when visiting a local cafè or restaurant. Once you get passed over the trauma of drinking shots of coffee instead of americanos, everything will go down a slide for you.

Let’s run this scenario. You’re sitting down in a local “ristorante” and you open the menu. What things you might find?

●    Pizza, of course;
●    Pasta: spaghetti, maccheroni, fusilli, tortellini … you know these already, right?
●    Even the dolci section like tiramisù, babà etcetera etcetera.

We think this is all pretty comprehensible for people who are not fluent in Italian. Thankfully, when it comes to food, the Italians do have an impact worldwide.

But aside from food, we still think there are some nice Italian conversational words to use in your Esperienza Italiana.

What’s the realistic amount of Italian you’re going to use during your stay in Italy?

The key thing is that you certainly don’t need to be fluent, you just need to know the right words to use in the right context.

Here we’ve prepared some of the words or phrases that you might want to use around:

●    🇬🇧How are you? : 🇮🇹Come stai?
●    🇬🇧I’m good, thank you : 🇮🇹Sto bene, grazie
●    🇬🇧What’s your name? : 🇮🇹 Come ti chiami?
●    🇬🇧My name is Mario : 🇮🇹Mi chiamo Mario
●    🇬🇧Where is … the restaurant? : 🇮🇹Dov’è il ristorante?
●    🇬🇧Where is … the Colosseum? : 🇮🇹 Dov’è il Colosseo?
●    🇬🇧Where is … the bathroom? : 🇮🇹Dov’è il bagno?
●    🇬🇧I don’t know : 🇮🇹 Non lo so
●    🇬🇧I don’t speak Italian I’m a tourist: 🇮🇹Non parlo italiano sono un turista
●    🇬🇧Excuse me, where is the bathroom? : 🇮🇹Scusami, dov’è il bagno?
●    🇬🇧Excuse me (passing through a crowd) : 🇮🇹 Permesso
●    🇬🇧I’m sorry : 🇮🇹Scusami
●    🇬🇧I would like the … tortellini, please : 🇮🇹Vorrei i tortellini per favore
●    🇬🇧Could I get a glass of water please? : 🇮🇹Posso avere un bicchiere d’acqua per favore?

And if things really go well during your trip you might want to say

●   🇬🇧I love you (to a lover): 🇮🇹Ti amo
●   🇬🇧I love you (to a friend): 🇮🇹Ti voglio bene
●   🇬🇧 Friends: 🇮🇹Amici
●   🇬🇧See you soon: 🇮🇹A presto
●   🇬🇧I miss you: 🇮🇹Mi manchi

And we’re sure that after your journey to Italy you’d probably want to say a “mi manchi” or a “ti amo”. Or at least, we hope to share with you the love we have for our land.

So, do you really need to speak Italian to visit Italy?

The answer is … of course not. As we said, people that work in tourism are prepared to deal with people that come from all over the world.

So don’t you worry if you’re really bad at learning a new language.

However, if you feel like it, dabbling with some nice little words in Italian might make your trip just a little bit sweeter.

And with that, we salute you and we hope to see you in one of our tours.
🇮🇹 Arrivederci! (that’s Italian for 🇬🇧bye-bye)

Who’s Play Italy?

Another question you might have is … but why should we trust your word?
Well, not to brag but we know what we’re talking about.

We’re a travel company that designs exclusive trips to Italy for all those people like you that want to visit Italy and don’t really know where to start.

Do you want to travel to Italy? Feel free to see our offers and contact us for every question you may have.

We have tours that basically cover every single part of Italy!
Come Play with us and live your best Esperienza Italiana.

avatar-image
Sardinia: relax on the untouched, pristine paradise island

6 days 5 nights

2 Destinations


From 3225

Starting price per person
in double room
avatar-image
Florence: Medieval and Renaissance tour

3 days 2 nights

1 Destinations


From 412

Starting price per person
in double room
avatar-image
Sorrento: from the Amalfi Coast to Capri to Pompeii

4 days 3 nights

7 Destinations


From 1455

Starting price per person
in double room
avatar-image
Milan, Lake Como & Venice: landscapes and history from the North

6 days 5 nights

4 Destinations


From 2939

Starting price per person
in double room
avatar-image
The Italian dream: Venice, Maranello, Sorrento and Rome among the art, history, food and engines

11 days 10 nights

12 Destinations


From 5162

Starting price per person
in double room
avatar-image
Bologna: from food tours, cultural experiences to the Motor Valley

4 days 3 nights

4 Destinations


From 1549

Starting price per person
in double room
avatar-image
Florence: the cradle of Renaissance

4 days 3 nights

1 Destinations


From 525

Starting price per person
in double room
avatar-image
Rome: the classics views of Rome

4 days 3 nights

1 Destinations


From 1066

Starting price per person
in double room
avatar-image
Rome, Florence and Tuscany: the ultimate trip for history and art

6 days 5 nights

5 Destinations


From 1301

Starting price per person
in double room
avatar-image
Milan and Lake Como: the gems of Northern Italy

4 days 3 nights

3 Destinations


From 1391

Starting price per person
in double room
avatar-image
Italy: discover each side of the Country

13 days 12 nights

12 Destinations


From 4559

Starting price per person
in double room
avatar-image
Sicily: a full immersion into the enchanting Mediterranean Island

8 days 7 nights

8 Destinations


From 7673

Starting price per person
in double room
avatar-image
Rome: art, history and pizza

5 days 4 nights

2 Destinations


From 2079

Starting price per person
in double room

5

(1 reviews)

avatar-image
Venice: the city sitting on art and water

3 days 2 nights

1 Destinations


From 1254

Starting price per person
in double room
avatar-image
Lake Como and Bernina Express: a view from St. Moritz

4 days 3 nights

3 Destinations


From 1498

Starting price per person
in double room
avatar-image
Venice: the true Venetian experience

4 days 3 nights

1 Destinations


From 1450

Starting price per person
in double room
avatar-image
Under the Tuscan Sun: wine tours and excursions

5 days 4 nights

6 Destinations


From 758

Starting price per person
in double room
avatar-image
Tuscany: a cultural journey from Florence to Pisa

5 days 4 nights

4 Destinations


From 746

Starting price per person
in double room
avatar-image
A complete dive into the Amalfi Coast

8 days 7 nights

6 Destinations


From 2243

Starting price per person
in double room
avatar-image
Naples and the Amalfi Coast: the complete experience

4 days 3 nights

5 Destinations


From 710

Starting price per person
in double room

5

(1 reviews)

avatar-image
Sorrento and its surroundings: a complete immersion into relax, food and culture

6 days 5 nights

7 Destinations


From 1779

Starting price per person
in double room
avatar-image
Italy's art heritage: a trip for art connoisseurs

8 days 7 nights

8 Destinations


From 3596

Starting price per person
in double room
avatar-image
Florence: a combination of art and food traditions

4 days 3 nights

1 Destinations


From 698

Starting price per person
in double room
avatar-image
Puglia: dancing through traditions and local cuisine

9 days 8 nights

11 Destinations


From 6850

Starting price per person
in double room
avatar-image
Venice, the Prosecco Hills and the Dolomites: from the sea to the mountains

5 days 4 nights

5 Destinations


From 2751

Starting price per person
in double room
avatar-image
Rome: tour of the Eternal City

3 days 2 nights

1 Destinations


From 866

Starting price per person
in double room
avatar-image
The best of Southern Italy: from the Amalfi Coast to Puglia

11 days 10 nights

16 Destinations


From 5450

Starting price per person
in double room
avatar-image
Rome, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast: the core of Italian History

6 days 5 nights

7 Destinations


From 2275

Starting price per person
in double room
avatar-image
Italy in 17 days: culture, discoveries and surprises

17 days 16 nights

17 Destinations


From 5381

Starting price per person
in double room
avatar-image
Naples, Amalfi Coast and Pompeii: a tour among art, food and culture during Winter Time

6 days 5 nights

6 Destinations


From 2079

Starting price per person
in double room

Picture of the brochure