Can't speak Italian?
Don't worry

get by without knowing italian

italian lessons in rome

italian translation

when you can't
speak italian:

Here we give a few tips on how to get by in Italy without knowing how to speak the Italian language well:

1. at least TRY

France is notorious for being totally snobbish and unforgiving of overseas visitors who try hard to speak their language but make mistakes. Italians however are much friendlier, and will forgive all mistakes in their language; They'll smile and help you along. Most can speak a good smattering of high-school English anyway, and they enjoy the opportunity to show it off to you. It's therefore well worth learning just a few basics of Italian if only to reciprocate the efforts they've made to learn your language - It's only polite.

2. get the basics

(pronunciation in brackets):

Please: Per favore (pear fahv-oar-ay)
Thank you: Grazie (grahtz-ee-ay)
Where: Dove (doav-ay)

Notice how words ending in 'e' are all pronounced 'ay'. Here is the pronunciation of the Italian vowels:

a: say it like 'ah'
e: say it like 'ay'
i: say it like 'ee'
o: say it like 'oh'
u: say it like 'oo' (not 'ew')

Here's some notes on consonants:

'c' and 'ch' are both pronounced the opposite to how we pronounce them. In other words, 'ch' is pronounced like our 'k', but 'c' or 'cc' is pronounced like our 'ch'. Confusing huh? Thus 'chiave' (meaning 'key', as in hotel key) is pronounced kee-ahv-ay. Picchio (meaning woodpecker, a word you'll be using a lot in Rome) should sound like 'peek-kee-oh'. Notice how we've hyphenated these phonetic pronunciations; it's important to insert a kind of 'micro-pause' between any pairing of two consonants within a word. Think of Pinocchio The correct pronunciation is Pee-nock(PAUSE)kee-oh. Actually the pause should be barely noticeable at all, but it should be there. Listen carefully to an Italian to see how they do it. Gee, this calls for a sound-file or two doesn't it? Watch this space, we'll get around to it soon. Try 'Latte' (milk) This should sound like 'laht-tay'. Don't forget the micro-pause.

And, as we already said, 'c', or 'cc' is pronounced like our 'ch', but ONLY when they appear before 'e' or 'i' - otherwise they are pronounced as 'k'. Easy way to remember this is to think of Gucci (gooch-ee) and Fiorucci (fee-oar-ooch-ee), but 'secco' (meaning 'dry') is pronounced sek-ko.

Here's some more (very) basic vocabulary:

Me: me (pronounced 'may')
I: io (ee-oh)
My: mio (mee-oh)
A bit tricky these three are, so just try them all and the Italians will get the gist.

You: lei (lay-ee. The 'ee' sound at the end is almost silent in this word though - Just say 'lay' for now, it's less complicated)
As in French, this is the polite, or 'courtesy' way of saying 'you'. The friendly, familiar way of saying 'you' is 'tu' (too), but you should never use this form with a stranger as it's considered discourteous, so to be safe, stick to 'lei' and you won't go wrong.
Left: sinistra (see-neece-trah)
Right: destra (dess-trah)
In, Inside: dentro, all'interno (al-[as in Gore]een-tear[as in rip]-noh)
Out (as in 'not at home') fuori (foo-oh-r-ee)
Outside: (not indoors) esterno (ess-stair-noh)
Money: soldi (sole-dee)
How much does it cost?: quanto costa (kwahnt-oh-coast-ah), or quanto vieni (vee-any).
I want: vorrei (voh-ray) And don't forget to say please.

That will do for now. This isn't supposed to be a lesson, more a confidence-builder, because above all, DON'T WORRY. Rome is a major tourist town, and because most tourists in Rome are from English-speaking countries, the Romans are experienced and patient in understanding you.

...click for next page on
speaking italian