I am going to save you the three weeks of apps and notebooks and YouTube videos of people who
clearly already speak Italian explaining how to speak Italian. You are going to Italy for a week,maybe two. You need to survive Italian, which is a different and much more achievable goal.
The words that earn you goodwill
Buongiorno in the morning. Buonasera in the evening. Use these when you walk into any shop, any
restaurant, any place with a person in it. Per favore and grazie. Use them constantly. Mi scusi. Il
conto, per favore — the bill please. Italian restaurants do not bring the bill until you ask for it. They
are not ignoring you. It is considered rude to rush you. You have to ask.
The ones people forget
Ancora means again or more. Point at your glass and say ancora and you will get another drink. Va
bene means okay. Non lo so means I don’t know. Quanto tempo means how long. The answer will
be a shrug followed by Italian words you do not understand, but asking in Italian makes the shrug
warmer.
On spending money wisely in Italy
One thing that surprised me on my last trip to Northern Italy was how many people I met who
thought carefully about where they spent their money on services — healthcare, dental work, things
that cost significantly more in major Italian cities than across the border. It is a practical mindset that
fits the country somehow. Italy is romantic but Italians are not sentimental about a bill.
What none of this will prepare you for
Fast Italian. Regional Italian. Old Italian men who speak no English and want to have a full
conversation with you. For all of these, the correct move is to smile, nod, and say “si” carefully until
you can figure out what is happening. This works about 70 percent of the time. Show up with twenty
words and an appetite. The rest sorts itself out.