What do you need to know before going to Italy?

What do you need to know before going to Italy? 

What are the questions you might be asked or that you can ask? 

Hello! I’m Maria, and I’m a teacher of Italian, English, and Spanish. 

Today I want to show you some expressions you can use the first time you go to Italy. 

First of all, how do I say my name? “Ciao, mi chiamo Maria”, or, “Ciao, sono Maria”. And your nationality? “Sono italiana, vengo da un piccolo paese vicino a Verona”. 

“- Perchè sei in Italia? – Sono qui in vacanza” or “Sono qui per lavoro”. 

And if you need to ask for information? How do you do it? 

If you are in a museum, for example, you can ask: 

“A che ora apre il museo?” (What time does the museum open?) 

“A che ora chiude il museo?” (What time does the museum close?) 

“Quanto costa il biglietto?” (How much is the ticket?)

“C’è qualche sconto?” (Are there any discounts?)

“È possibile avere un’audioguida?” (Is it possible to have an audio guide?) 

To ask for directions in the street, you can say: 

“Qual è la direzione per andare al museo?” (What is the direction to go to the museum?)

“Dov’è la fermata dell’autobus più vicina?” (Where is the nearest bus stop?) 

“Dov’è la stazione?” (Where is the station?) 

But remember: if you take the train, you must always stamp your ticket before getting on the train. By doing so, the ticket will be valid. The same applies if you take the bus, with the difference that you can stamp the ticket on the bus. 

But let’s move on. What can you say in a restaurant? If you need to order, you can usually start the sentence with “Vorrei” (I would like). 

For example: “Vorrei un piatto di spaghetti alle vongole e un bicchiere di vino bianco” (I would like a plate of spaghetti with clams and a glass of white wine), “Può portare anche una bottiglia d’acqua naturale per favore?” (Can you also bring a bottle of still water, please?). 

In Italy, the bill is not always brought to the table at the end of the dinner. How do you ask the waiter for it? You say: “Il conto, per favore!” (The bill, please!). 

Another essential thing, to know where the bathroom is you can say, very simply: “Dov’è il bagno?” (Where is the bathroom?) 

After a dinner or a lunch, you will often find a charge of a few euros on the receipt. What is this charge? It is called ‘coperto’ and is used to pay for the waiter’s service and the bread brought to the table. 

For this reason, in Italy, unlike other places, it is not necessary to leave a tip for the waiter. But if you do so, know that you will make him happy. 

Finally, if you don’t understand something you can always ask: “Parlate inglese?” (Do you speak English?)