Top 10 Things I Wish I Knew How To Say Before Moving to Perugia
An opinion piece by Lindsey Cottle
Before I moved to Perugia to intern with The Umbra Institute, I didn’t speak a word of Italian. Well, actually, that’s not true… I could sing along with Dean Martin’s Italian Love Songs, but I was not prepared to navigate daily life in the Italian language. I speak French and Spanish, so basic Italian has come relatively quickly since August. However, there are a few phrases that are a bit too advanced for my Italian 101 course, but that I’ve found myself leaning on pretty heavily this past month. So, if you’re coming to study abroad with us here in Perugia and your most recent Italian immersion program was watching Luca in 2021, here are the 10 things that I wish I had known how to say before I got here:
1. GREETINGS
- Ciao → Hello / Goodbye (informal)
- Buongiorno → Hello (before noon, literally “good day”)
- Buonasera → Hello (after 3 PM, literally “good evening”)
- Arrivederci → Goodbye
We’ll start with the basics. Walk into any establishment in the morning and you’ll hear the owner call out “Buongiorno!” – the appropriate response is, of course, to say “Buongiorno!” right back. Same thing from late afternoon into the night: a greeting of “Buonasera!” should always be met with another “Buonasera!” from you. And no matter the person or time of day, you can always use arrivederci to say goodbye!
I’ll be honest, I have no idea what greeting to use between about noon and 3 PM. Usually I just avoid talking to anyone during those three hours, or I wait for them to greet me first and then just repeat whatever they said back to them. What I do know is that ciao is an informal way to say hello and goodbye, so while the locals (Perugini) will probably cut you some slack as a foreigner, it’s more polite to use the above-mentioned formal alternatives with people you don’t know.
2. MANNERS
- Per favore → Please
- Grazie → Thank you
Manners go a long way, both at home and abroad. Whether you’re saying sì (yes) or no (obviously, no), throwing a please and thank you in there never hurts.
3. ORDERING
- Vorrei… → I would like…
- Questo → This / That
Use the word vorrei to politely order food and drinks in a cafe, bar, or restaurant. For example, if you want to order a croissant, you can say “Vorrei un cornetto per favore!” Unfortunately, the most difficult part of ordering in Italy is knowing the Italian name of the thing you want! Pizza, pasta, and gelato are self-explanatory, but if you don’t know the name, you can point at the menu, through the display cabinet, or even pull up a photo on your phone and say “Vorrei questo” – meaning simply, “I would like THIS.” Facile!
4. FIRST IMPRESSIONS
- Piacere! → Nice to meet you!
This is a good word to keep in your back pocket for when you meet an Italian for the first time. When I arrived in Perugia, I felt guilty about my lack of Italian. I hate the feeling of being a foreigner somewhere and yet requiring the locals to speak to me in English. However, upon meeting my Italian colleagues and roommates, I told them “nice to meet you” in their native language to show that I was making a cross-cultural effort. It’s a small thing, but it doesn’t go unnoticed!
5. EXCUSES, EXCUSES
- Scusa / Scusi → Excuse me (interjection, to get someone’s attention)
- Scusa / Scusi → Excuse me (trying to get past someone)
- Scusa / Scusi → I’m sorry (apologizing for a minor inconvenience)
- Mi dispiace → I’m sorry (apologizing for a more serious transgression)
These terms are easy to mix up. In English, we tend to apologize as a reflex, even when we’re not really sorry. Sometimes, I even announce my entrance into a room by saying, “Sorry, I just have a quick question…” or “Sorry, do you have a sec?” The word has lost a lot of its weight. But in Italian, using the direct translation of “I’m sorry,” mi dispiace, is generally reserved for when you have actually done something wrong for which you need to apologize and ask forgiveness. For the above examples – and for most everything else, from “Sorry, can I squeeze past you?” to “Sorry, I don’t speak Italian” – using scusi is just fine.
6. DIRECTIONS
- Può aiutarmi? → Can you help me?
- Sto cercando… → I’m looking for…
- Dov’è…? → Where is…?
Whether you’re asking for directions, trying to find a restaurant, or even looking for a place to charge your rapidly dying phone (using Google Translate 24/7 will catch up with you real quick), the best way to get a local to help you out is by saying “Scusi, può aiutarmi?” Once you have their attention, you can get more specific: “Dov’è il bagno?” to ask where the bathroom is, or “Sto cercando un buon ristorante” if you’re looking for advice about a good place to eat.
7. LANGUAGE BARRIER
- Sto imparando l’italiano. → I am learning Italian.
- Non parlo italiano. → I do not speak Italian.
- Parla inglese? → Do you speak English?
Since you’ll be studying Italian here in Perugia, I hope you’ll try to practice your Italian as often as possible with the locals in shops and restaurants. If they see you struggling with the language, Perugini might switch into English as a gesture of goodwill and welcome… But this doesn’t help your language skills! If you’re feeling brave, you can say “Sto imparando l’italiano” to let them know that you are learning Italian. They will understand that you want to practice, and will usually switch back into Italian, speaking a bit more slowly and clearly to help you understand.
“Non parlo italiano” means that you don’t speak Italian, which will not be true after your Italian Immersion Week here at Umbra! However, this phrase can be really useful if you don’t want to talk to someone, like vendors or solicitors who might approach you on the street. And lastly, if you really need to communicate a complex idea or talk with emergency/medical personnel about a serious issue, you can always use “Parla inglese?” to ask if someone speaks English. Many Italians, especially the younger generation, have at least a basic level of English and will make every effort to understand you and communicate back.
8. HUH?
- Non ho capito. → I didn’t understand.
- Può ripetere? → Can you repeat?
- Può parlare più lentamente? → Can you speak more slowly?
Since I know that everyone will take my above advice and practice Italian with locals as much as possible, there will certainly be situations where you have no clue what the waiter told you about the specials or what the grocer asked you about your tomatoes. In these cases – especially if you have already told the person in question that you are imparando italiano – there is no shame in admitting that you didn’t understand. If it’s just a sentence, you can ask the person to repeat themselves: “Può ripetere, per favore?” However, if you’re having trouble understanding an Italian friend or language partner during a longer conversation, you can request that they speak more slowly in general: “Può parlare più lentamente, per favore?” Good luck, you’ve got this!
9. HOME SWEET HOME
- Vengo dagli Stati Uniti. → I come from the United States.
When they realize that you aren’t Italian, locals may be curious about where you’re from. This is often one of the first topics that comes up in conversation, so it’s nice to know how to say the name of your country in Italian! If you’re an international student at a U.S. university, check the gender and plurality of your country in Italian, as this will influence which article you use. For example: the United States is masculine plural, but the Philippines is feminine plural… And while China is feminine singular, Vietnam is masculine singular!
Vengo dagli Stati Uniti.
Vengo dalle Filippine.
Vengo dalla Cina.
Vengo dal Vietnam.
10. GREAT!
- Tutto bene! → All is well!
This expression was my crutch when I first arrived in Italy. I didn’t know how to say most of the things that I wanted to say – Dinner is really delicious! I’m so excited to be here! Thank you for showing me how to turn on the shower! – so I relied on a lot of exaggerated facial expressions and hand gestures to communicate the gist. But whenever everything was all good at home, school, work, or with friends, I would demonstrate as much with a wide smile, two big thumbs up, and an enthusiastic “Tutto bene!” It quickly became an inside joke between myself and my roommates, who chose to view it less as a linguistic shortcoming and more as a philosophical statement about life: even when things get difficult, we’re still living our best life in Italy. All is well!
BONUS: Each region in Italy has its own distinct dialect, separate from the traditional Italian language. Perugia’s dialect is very unique, and although not many people speak perugino in their daily lives, a few words of it have made their way into the local vernacular. Work them into your own vocabulary to impress the locals!
- Gimo! (Italian: Andiamo!) → Let’s go!
- Bulo! (Italian: Figo!) → Cool!
- Freghi (Italian: Ragazzi) → Guys (in reference to a group of people, male and female)