Italian Restaurant & Pharmacy Phrases: Real Dialogues (A1-A2)

Ever sat down at a restaurant in Italy, looked at the menu, and had no idea how to order? Or walked into a pharmacy with a headache and couldn’t explain what you needed? Here’s the vocabulary and two real dialogues to handle both situations with confidence.

Restaurant vocabulary

Before the dialogue, here are the six most useful words:

l’antipasto — the starter, eaten at the beginning of a meal, before the main course
il primo e il secondo — the two main courses: il primo is pasta or rice, il secondo is meat or fish (you can order just one if you’re not very hungry)
il contorno — the side dish you eat with il secondo, usually vegetables
da bere — when the waiter asks “da bere cosa desidera?” (“what would you like to drink?”), this is what they’re asking about
il conto — the bill, what you pay at the end of the meal
consigliare — “to recommend”: when the waiter recommends a dish, they’re telling you what’s best on the menu

Dialogue 1: at the restaurant

In the first dialogue, a customer dining alone orders a full meal, from starter to wine.

Starter ordered: tomato bruschetta (alternative offered: a mixed cold cuts and cheese board)
First course ordered: tagliatelle al ragù, the house specialty (lighter alternative: spaghetti al pomodoro)
Second course ordered: grilled steak with grilled vegetables (alternative: fresh fish of the day)
To drink: a bottle of still water and a glass of the house red wine
After the meal: the waitress also offers the dessert menu

Useful phrases from this dialogue:

Desidera un antipasto per iniziare? — “Would you like a starter to begin?”, how the waiter offers something before the first course
Cosa mi consiglia? — “What do you recommend?”, for asking the waiter’s opinion on the menu
Da bere cosa desidera? — “What would you like to drink?”, the standard question before ordering drinks

Comprehension questions

Is the customer alone or with someone?
What does she order as a starter?
What’s the restaurant’s specialty as a first course?
What does she order as a second course, and with which side dish?
What does she order to drink?

Answers: 1. She’s alone · 2. Bruschetta · 3. Tagliatelle al ragù · 4. Steak with grilled vegetables · 5. Still water and a glass of red wine

Pharmacy vocabulary

Six more words and expressions before the second dialogue:

ho mal di testa — “I have a headache”: the pattern mal di + [body part] also covers mal di gola (sore throat), mal di pancia (stomachache)
la ricetta — the prescription a doctor gives you; some medicines can’t be bought without it
le compresse / le pastiglie — tablets/pills you take by mouth with a glass of water
senza ricetta — “over the counter”: a medicine you can buy without a doctor’s prescription
ogni quante ore — “how often” / “every how many hours”: how frequently you should take a medicine (e.g. every 4 hours, every 8 hours)
pagare con la carta — “to pay by card”: paying without cash, by credit or debit card

Dialogue 2: at the pharmacy

In the second dialogue, a customer walks into a pharmacy with a headache and a sore throat and asks for advice.

Symptoms: a headache since yesterday and a bit of a sore throat
Medicines offered: tablets for the headache and lozenges to dissolve in the mouth for the throat — both over the counter
Allergies: none
Dosage: one tablet every 8 hours after meals (no more than three a day), the lozenges every 4 hours as needed
Pharmacist’s advice: drink plenty of water, rest, and only see a doctor if the headache doesn’t go away in two days
Total and payment: 10.50 euros, paid by card

Useful phrases from this dialogue:

Avete qualcosa senza ricetta? — “Do you have anything over the counter?”, for asking for a non-prescription medicine
Ha allergie a qualche medicina? — “Are you allergic to any medicine?”, the pharmacist’s standard question before recommending something
Ogni quante ore prendo le compresse? — “How often do I take the tablets?”, for asking about dosage

True or false?

The customer has a headache and a sore throat.
These medicines require a prescription.
The customer is allergic to a medicine.
She has to take one tablet every 8 hours and one lozenge every 4 hours.
The pharmacist tells her to go straight to the doctor.
The customer pays 10.50 euros in cash.

Answers: 1. True · 2. False (over the counter) · 3. False (no allergies) · 4. True · 5. False (only if the headache doesn’t go away in two days) · 6. False (pays by card)

📥 Download the complete dialogue transcript for free

Download the transcript →

Common mistakes to avoid

Thinking you have to order both a primo and a secondo: you can order just one if you’re not very hungry — it’s completely normal.
Not knowing how to answer “ha allergie?”: this is a standard question at Italian pharmacies before they give you a medicine — just answer no, nessuna allergia (“no, no allergies”) or sì, sono allergico/a a… (“yes, I’m allergic to…”).
Missing the formal register: both the waitress and the pharmacist use the formal Lei with the customer (“desidera”, “ha allergie”) — this is standard in this context, not unusually formal.

Practice it yourself

Try answering these as if you were the customer, first at the restaurant and then at the pharmacy:

At the restaurant, the waitress asks you three questions: what would you like to drink? What would you like as a first course? Would you like anything else?

At the pharmacy, the pharmacist asks you two questions: how can I help you? Do you have any allergies?

Write your answers in the comments under the video — Maria corrects them personally.

If you also want to brush up on grocery shopping vocabulary, check out Italian Supermarket Phrases, or go deeper on restaurant phrases with How to Order at an Italian Restaurant.

Recap and next steps

Today you learned the vocabulary and phrases you’ll actually need at an Italian restaurant and pharmacy. Next time you find yourself in either situation, try using what you learned today.

Don't lose today's vocabulary

Download the complete transcript of both dialogues (restaurant and pharmacy) for free.