Collins Dictionaries - Easy Learning Italian Conversation

Here are some key phrases which you are likely to hear in conversation.

Lifestyle Tips

• The polite you ( lei) is used to address people whom you don’t know. It’s also a way of showing respect to someone who’s older than you, or to someone who’s senior to you at work. People who work together on a daily basis usually say tuto each other ( darsi del tu– to say tu to each other ), but it is safer to wait a little before taking that step. Many people do not like to be addressed as lei, because they think it’s too formal. They will usually suggest you call them tu,saying mi puoi dare del tuor possiamo darci del tu. You can make the first move and ask Ci diamo del tu?, if you think that the other person will be more comfortable using the tuform.

• Like sir in English, signoreis a formal way of addressing a man. signora, however, is used much more in Italian than madam is in English. You can use it to address any woman you call lei, even if you know her well.

• When meeting someone for the first time, you usually shake hands ( darsi la mano), whether it’s a man or a woman. In the world of business, in meetings or in negotiations, shaking hands is very common. Men who are on friendly terms usually shake hands, while women kiss each other on both cheeks. Men kiss female friends and also male relatives. Young men on friendly terms might hug or slap each other on the shoulder if they haven’t seen each other in a long time. Bear in mind that habits may be different depending on where you are in Italy, as well as on the age group and formality of the situation.

• The words ragazzoand ragazzacan either mean boy/girl or boyfriend / girlfriend . If someone says il mio ragazzo, they are talking about their boyfriend. However, you stop using ragazzo/ragazzawhen you get older, perhaps after the age of 25. To say my partner, use il mio compagnofor a man and la mia compagnafor a woman.

• Italian people socialize in cafés, bars and restaurants as British people do. Italian bars serve both coffee and alcoholic drinks, so you can go to a bar both a prendere un caffèor a prendere l’aperitivo(a drink before lunch or dinner, which also includes a great selection of finger food).

If you’re going to be travelling to and around Italy, the phrases in this unit will help you ask for directions, find out how to get to places and talk to fellow travellers in everyday Italian.

When you’re travelling around, you will probably want to talk about what you’re going to do. You can use the future tense or the present tense to talk about your plans. For more information about the future and the present tenses, see here.

When you’re talking about what you intend to do, you can use ho intenzione di( I intend to ) followed by a verb in the infinitive.

Use salvo imprevistior se tutto va bene( if all goes to plan ) at the beginning of a sentence to talk about a plan that might have to be changed.