Common Italian phrases – The StudentsVille Dictionary

Hey there StudentsVille readers we’ve come to the conclusion that you’re coming to Europe with the main intent of learning the language of the country you’re visiting. So this week why don’t we help you out with some phrases that can help you in your day to day life in a new country. We’re going to start with some common Italian phrases, well because you need basic Italian words while in Italy. Plus you know very well that this is where we’ve started and at this point, this is where most of the apartments of italy you can find are, so why not be a place where you can learn basic Italian ( read more about italian expression you need to know and 10 italian slang expressions you can’t live without).

Download Basic Italian Phrases pdf

So what are the most important things to know in Italian? What are Italian language basics? Well, we won’t be covering that in today’s article, but rather in many separate ones that’ll span across the year or more, and slowly but surely we’ll be adding other languages as time goes by. Today we’ll be talking about the basic Essentials to when you’re in the country, stuff like “do you speak English?”, “could you speak slower” and so on. So if you’re lost for words and don’t remember how to ask someone to repeat something for you, come back to our Italian Essentials guide on StudentsVille and you’ll find all the key Italian phrases and important italian wordsthat can help you in these situations.

Common Italian Phrases

Parla Inglese?

A classic really, an evergreen to any international student that sets foot in Italy, the most important of them all “Do you speak English?”, that’s what “Parla Inglese?” stands for, so when you’re in a bit of a conundrum and don’t know how to communicate in Italian (cause we still haven’t released most of our guides yet), fall back on the good old “Parla Inglese?”.

Non Capisco

Maybe should’ve put this one before “do you speak English” because here you have the classic answer I think most Italians have heard at least 10 times in their lives. From people that work in bars, to Italian guys trying to chat up a girl, and I’d like to add a special shout-out to those International Students that come to Italy to flirt and receive “Non Capisco” as an answer. It’s the get out of Jail card the “I can’t understand you” the “oh fuck this shit I’m out”.

C’è qualcuno che parla inglese?

After all the frustration of not knowing the language and having to say “NON CAPISCO” at least 5 times and looking like a madman/woman, a good thing to do is probably ask the people in front of if somebody speaks English. Say you’re in a store and want to buy a pair of jeans and need some help from the clerk, but alas the one you ask doesn’t speak English, at this point you can go down 2 routes: Go 100% Italian and start moving your hands at light speed and communicate like they do in the movies, or you can politely ask “C’è qualcuno che parla inglese?”.

Non Parlo Italiano

Now, “Non Parlo Italiano” can go great with the last paragraph because if you’re stuck in a situation where you have to ask for someone that speaks English, you can add to the phrase “C’è qualcuno che parla inglese?” a simple “perchè io non parlo italiano”. So add that to your request and you’ll also start sounding like someone that can speak the language, and make things really awkward.

Capisco/Non Capisco

The couple I love the most the Capisco/Non Capisco brothers, they’re the quick way of letting other people understand if you understood. If you were into any Italian-American Mafia inspired movies/shows you’ve no doubt heard “Capish” and you probably know that it means “Understood” — keep in mind that “capish” is not proper Italian it’s a dialect that formed in the Italian-American communities, my advice don’t go saying it around cause it’s cringey — in Italian “capisco” means “I Understand” and “non capisco” means “I don’t understand”.

Può ripeterlo per favore? (Piano, per favore)

Hey, maybe I’m wrong and you do know some Italian, most people say they do and speak Spanish, but that’s another story you’re not one of them (or maybe you are, I have no way of knowing). In case you do know some Italian and realize that someone caught that about you and starts speaking full-on pro to you, you might need them to slow down their Italian words and phrases a bit, that’s what this stands for once you drop the “Può ripeterlo per favore?” (this for a formal occasion) or “Piano” (for an informal occasion) they’ll know they need to slow down a bit and this will give you another chance at understanding what’s being said with some simple Italian phrases.

Come si pronuncia “….”?

How do you pronounce “Grazie”, a classic, that never-ending Z we have when trying to thank someone in Italy. “Come is pronuncia ….?” can help you get the knowledge you need in common Italian phrases, so you don’t sound like the classic exchange student that can’t be bothered to hone their accent skills. Usually, after such a question you’ll find yourself in a never-ending sequence of repeating the same word over and over, thinking you’ve got it every time, but your Italian counterpart will look at you in such a desperate manner that’ll you’ll slowly lose all hope in learning to speak as an Italian, that is until you’ll hear the “OOOOOOOOOOOOH” and some big hand gestures of approval.

Vorrei imparare un po’ del vostro dialetto

This, this will make you make a lot of friends, cause everybody that comes to Italy thinks: “well if I speak Italian that’s all I need”. That is correct in part, cause depending on where you are you’ll have different dialects, with different names for different objects or situations.“Vorrei imparare un po’ del vostro dialetto” will put you in a position of wanting to learn more and more about the local culture that is in front of you for the next semester and nothing makes an Italian happier than giving you a lesson on his/her local dialect.

Italian word for eat

The italian word for eat is “mangiare”. You can say the phrase: “io vorrei mangiare pasta or pizza or gelato”… Discover italian phrases to use when in Italy