sono
Although seemingly insignificant, you just canât get around in Italian without the essential terms câè (cheh) ( there is ) and ci sono (chee soh -noh) ( there are ) that are useful both for asking and answering questions. Just remember that both have a âchâ sound!
Cosa câè nel frigo? ( koh -zah cheh nehl free -goh?) ( Whatâs in the fridge? )
Câè un esame domani? (cheh oohn eh- zah -meh doh- mah -nee?) ( Is there an exam tomorrow? )
Si, câè italiano. (see, cheh ee-tah-lee- ah -noh.) ( Yes, there is the Italian one. )
Ci sono ancora dei ravioli? (chee soh -noh ahn- koh -rah dehy rah- vyoh- lee?) ( Are there any ravioli left? )
Sì, ci sono. (see, chee soh -noh.) ( Yes, there are. )
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Taking care of basic needs
Sometimes you just need to ask for something very basic but necessary. Here are a few phrases that will take you far:
Scusi, dovâè il bagno per favore? ( skooh -zee, doh- veh il bah- nyoh pehr fah- voh -reh?) ( Excuse me, where is the bathroom please? ) Some people get fancy and ask for la toilette with a Frenchified accent; however, bagno gets you where you need to go (no pun intended).
Scusi, dovâè la farmacia più vicina? ( skooh -zee, doh- veh lah fahr-mah- chee -ah pyooh vee- chee -nah?) ( Excuse me, whereâs the nearest pharmacy? )
Scusi, dovâè una banca? ( skooh -zee, doh- veh ooh -nah bahn -kah?) ( Excuse me, where is a bank? )
Ho bisogno di/Mi serve / Mi servono (oh bee- zoh -nyoh dee/mee sehr -veh/mee sehr -voh-noh) ( I need [singular/plural])
⢠un parucchiere (oohn pah-rooh- kyeh -reh) ( a hairdresser )
⢠unâestetista (per fare la ceretta) (oohn-eh-steh- tee -stah [pehr fah -reh lah chehr- eht -tah]) ( an esthetician [for waxing] ) (Itâs uncommon for Italian women to shave with a razor.)
Sto cercando (stoh chehr- kahn -doh) ( Iâm looking for )
⢠il dentifricio (il dehn-tee- free -choh) ( toothpaste )
⢠la crema solare (lah kreh -mah soh- lah -reh) ( sun protection lotion )
⢠i tamponi (ee tahm- poh -nee) ( tampons )
⢠la carta igienica (lah kar -tah ee- jehn -ee-kah) ( toilet paper )
⢠qualcosa per le zanzare (kwahl- koh -zah pehr leh dzahn- zah -reh) ( something for mosquitoes )
⢠qualcosa per il mal di testa (kwahl- koh -zah pehr eel mahl dee tehs -tah) ( something for a headache )
Vorrei (vohr- rey ) ( Iâd like )
Mi può/potrebbe consigliare . . . ? (mee pwoh/poh- trehb -beh kohn-seel- yah -reh . . . ?) ( Would you be able to recommend . . . ? )
Può ripetere lentamente, per favore? (pwoh ree- peh -teh-reh lehn-tah- mehn -teh, pehr fah- voh -reh?) ( Would you repeat slowly, please? )
Non capisco. (nohn kah- pees -koh.) ( I donât understand. )
Non lo so. (nohn loh soh.) ( I donât know. )
Italians use boh (boh) to express doubt and uncertainty. Despite its colloquialism, itâs what most people use and would use to answer a question. However, avoid its use in a more formal setting, like in school, talking with a professor, in a business meeting, or during a job interview.
Scusi, sa a che ora arriva il treno da Siena? ( skooh -zee, sah ah keh oh -ra ahr- ree -vah eel treh -noh dah syeh -nah?) ( Excuse me, do you know at what time the train from Siena arrives? )
Boh, dovrebbe essere gà qui. (boh, doh- vrehb -beh ehs -seh-reh jah kwee.) ( Well, it should be here already. )
Pronto ( prohn -toh) means more than just hello when you pick up the phone. It frequently means ready, in which case it functions as an adjective and, therefore, changes according to the noun it describes. In other words, when the noun it modifies is masculine, the adjective ends in -o â pronto. If the noun is feminine, it ends in -a â pronta ( prohn -tah). When modifying plural nouns, it ends in -i (-ee) (masculine, plural) and -e (-eh) (feminine, plural). Consider these examples:
Ragazzi, siete pronti? (rah- gats -zee, syeh -teh prohn
Shirley Rousseau Murphy
Peggy Holloway
Andrew P. Mayer
Mason Elliott
Pauline Lawless
Don Gillmor
Cecilia Galante
Gayle Rosengren
Jackie Braun
Jeffery Deaver