10 Useful Italian Phrases to Learn Before Visiting Italy as an American

1. Sono americano. / Sono americana.

The first useful phrase in Italian worth learning is also one of the most obvious.

Sono americano means “I am American” and the -o ending means it should be used by those who identify as male. The female equivalent is Sono americana with the -a ending.

In English, another way you can describe your Americanness is with the phrase “I am / come from America”.

In this case, the translation would be Vengo dall’America (“I come from America”) or Vengo dagli Stati Uniti (“I come from the United States”). However, keep in mind that Italians prefer to simply state their nationality. If you do come across this phrasing, it is normally in response to the question Da dove viene? (“Where are you from?”)

2. Sono di New York.

In order to specify exactly which city you live in, you can use the phrase Sono di [city name]. Di is a preposition that means “of” so it literally means “I am of [city name]”.

But what if you want to refer to the state you reside in? Well, here is where things get a little more complicated.

All states require a definite article in Italian, so the preposition (in this case di = “of”) must match the definite article in gender and number. These merged prepositions and definite articles are called prepositional articles.

For example, California is a feminine noun preceded by the definite article la, so in our phrase, di becomes della (di + la).

Here is a full list of all the prepositional articles formed with di:

di + il = del
di + la = della
di + lo = dello
di + i = dei
di + le = delle
di + gli = degli
di + l’ = dell’

3. Lei parla inglese?

If your knowledge of Italian is limited to the words ciao, pizza and pasta, one of the first questions you will want to ask as an American is Lei parla inglese? which is a formal way of asking Do you speak English?

We’ve suggested the formal rather than the informal version of this question since, more often than not, you will be addressing total strangers. With people you don’t know well, it is always best to err on the side of caution and use formal language.

Another way of posing this question is C’è qualcuno qui che parla inglese? which means Is there someone here who speaks English? It can be useful if you are in a room full of people and wish to ask them all at once.

4. Mi dispiace, non parlo italiano (molto bene).

This phrase kind of goes hand-in-hand with the previous one. Instead of asking if someone speaks English, you can simply inform them that you don’t speak any Italian.

If you do happen to speak some Italian, however, you can always include the words molto bene (very well) at the end of the phrase.

5. “Per favore” e “Grazie”

Learning your “pleases and thank yous” before visiting another country will always be appreciated by the locals, and Italy is no exception. And if you can get the pronunciation right, even better!

Americans tend to pronounce grazie (“thank you” in Italian) as grazii without the word-final e, and per favore (“please” in Italian) as if it were the Spanish por favor. So before you go, take some time to learn the correct pronunciation, and you can be sure to impress your new Italian friends.

6. Dove si trova l’ambasciata americana?

When you’re travelling, bad things can and do happen. I should know – my passport was stolen days into my two-year stay in Turin! When things take a turn for the worse, you may need to pay a visit to your closest American embassy, in which case you can ask:

7. Vorrei un americano per favore.

The first time my dad came to visit me in Italy, I remember him walking into an Italian bar and confidently ordering a caffè. He was expecting a large cup of coffee, the standard kind you’d get in America and most other English speaking countries, but what he ended up with instead was a teeny-tiny espresso. I’ll never forget the look on his face!

If you want a large cup of coffee in Italy, you need to order un caffè americano (or just un americano) – otherwise the barista will automatically assume that you want an espresso. An americano is basically an espresso with added water.

Also, don’t make the mistake of asking for a latte – all you’ll get is a glass of milk!

8. Quant’è in dollari?

In Italy, they use euros instead of dollars, so it is worth knowing how to ask about conversions:

• How much is that in dollars? = Quanto costa in dollari?

We can simplify all these questions by using the verb essere (to be):

Another alternative to this question is:

9. Vorrei cambiare i dollari in euro.

Despite the recent pandemic, many places in Italy still prefer cash to card. This being the case, you will probably want to have at least a few euros on hand in case of an emergency. And if you didn’t convert your American dollars beforehand, you’ll need to exchange them. The way to say this in Italian is:

10. Sono le 14

Whereas in the United States and other English speaking countries, we tend to use the 12 hour clock in conversation, in Italy almost everyone uses the 24 hour clock when they speak.

This means that, for example, 2 p.m. would be le 14 (le quattordici) whereas 11 p.m. would be le 23 (le ventitré).

When they do use the 12 hour clock, they always say le 2 del pomeriggio (2 in the afternoon) or le 11 di sera (11 in the evening).

Bonus: Buongiorno / Buonasera

Let’s end off with one of the most important things you can learn as an American visiting Italy, and that’s the two formal greetings buongiorno (good day) and buonasera (good evening).

When you meet someone you don’t know for the first time, it is considered polite to use these greetings, even if their English translations seem overly formal. Buongiorno is used until around 5-6 p.m. at which time they switch over to buonasera.