Any Italians around?

[scarletlatitude]

Hey!  I got accepted to speak at a conference in Rome. Exciting!  But also I don't speak any Italian. At all. Not even one word. (Well maybe if you include things like "spaghetti"...  ) 

 

Any Italian aces around here? 

[Caterina Agap F.]

Hello!  I am Italian, so maybe I could help? Just to make sure, do you need help to translate your speech for the conference or would you like to learn the language? Because it's a really hard one  In any case, just rest assured most people speak English too, in Italy, so I'm sure you're going to be fine!

Have a nice day!

[scarletlatitude]

Hi!  I'm just trying to learn the language a bit. The conference is in English. What words and phrases do you think I should know? 

[Caterina Agap F.]

Okay, so the biggest problem in learning Italian are usually the verbs, because every person requires a different form of the verb (so not just "have, has", but six different forms) and every verb has them differently so that's definitely tricky. I'd suggest you prepare some sentences you know you'll probably be using. Also, adjectives and nouns change the last letter depending on whether you're referring to someone or something female/male and singular/plural. The general rule would be -a (singular fem), -e (plural fem), -o (singular male) and -i (plural male), but it's no big deal if you butcher that up.

Italian people gesticulate lots, so keep an eye on that and you can usually infer a good part of the conversation from the gestures.

 

  Greetings are pretty easy: "Good morning" = "Buongiorno", "Good afternoon" = "Buon pomeriggio", "Good evening" = "Buona sera", "Good night" = "Buona notte". A more relaxed way to say Hello is either "Salve", which is slightly more formal, or our famous "Ciao". They're interchangeable, don't worry.

  Useful sentences are:

    "Hello, my name is __________, I'm here for the XXX conference." = "Salve, il mio nome è ___________, sono qui per la conferenza XXX."

  You might want to have some safety phrases like "Excuse me, I don't speak Italian" which would be "Chiedo scusa, non parlo Italiano", or "Is there someone who speaks English here?" so "C'è qualcuno che parla Inglese, qui?", just in case you find yourself in a pinch ^^"

 

I don't know which sentences you might need, but some could be:

  for eating:

     "Is there anywhere to eat?" = "C'è un posto dove poter mangiare qualcosa?";

     "I'll have ________" = "Io prendo ____________";

     "Can I have some water/wine/beer?" = "Posso avere dell'acqua/del vino/della birra?";

     "What is ________?" = "Che cos'è ______";  "What's in ___________?" = "Cosa c'è in ___________?"

     "It's delicious!" = "È squisito!"; "I don't like it" = "Non mi piace";

     "I'm allergic to ________" = "Sono allergica(female)/allergico(male) a ___________";

     "May I have the bill, please?" = "Posso avere il conto, prego?"

  for the hotel:

    "Could you show me the way to my room?" = "Potrebbe farmi vedere come arrivare alla mia camera?"

    "How do I get to ____(X place)_____" = "Come faccio ad arrivare a ___________?"

 if you are lost:

    "Excuse me, I'm lost" = "Chiedo scusa, mi sono persa(female)/perso(male)"

    "Where am I?" = "Dove sono?"

    "Could you tell me how to get back to ________?" = "Potrebbe dirmi come tornare a _________?"

if you get a taxi:

    "Could you take me to ________?" = "Mi potrebbe portare a _________?"

    "How much is it?" = "Quanto le devo?"

 

Just to be on the safe side, the phone number for the taxi service in Rome is 060608, just in case of emergency ^^" There's lots of beautiful stuff to see in Rome, also! If you have time, you should really hit some things up, they're gorgeous and worth your time!

 

Uh, I can't think of much else you might need, to be honest ^^" If anything comes to your mind, just tell me and I'll be happy to translate for you!

I hope you have a nice stay in Italy! Good luck!

[scarletlatitude]

Thanks!  I do speak French and some Spanish so it's all similar... problem with that is it is way too easy to slip into French.  I start doing Italian then slip into French ha. *copies and pastes info for trip*

 

One that got me by in France when I got lost with the language was "parlez-vous Anglais?" So I'm sure "C'è qualcuno che parla Inglese, qui?" will be helpful!

 

 

 

Are there a lot of pickpockets in Rome? That's a big problem in the tourist-y parts of France. 

[Caterina Agap F.]

French is largely known too so you're going to be fine with that too!

 

I can't really tell you about pickpockets, but you should definitely be careful if you are in crowded public spaces. I have to say, I've been to Rome more than once and nothing ever happened, so I think you can rest assured. Also, there often are policemen patrolling the most visited areas so you should be safe 

[Verb]

On 1/30/2018 at 11:00 PM, scarletlatitude said:

Are there a lot of pickpockets in Rome? That's a big problem in the tourist-y parts of France. 

I spent a few days a Roma a couple of years ago. Didn't encounter any pickpockets myself, but it's best to stay vigilant. Like any other city in that respect, really.

 

The food is amazing.

 

My grasp of Italian at the time was less than basic at best, my friends and I would debate over who got to use pretty much our only phrase whenever we ate ("Il conto, per favore", "The bill, please"), and we were easily understood by the locals, and understood them in turn. It's a beautiful language though, é una lingua piú bella*. Try doing a few lessons on Duolingo, that'll set you up with some very solid basics.

 

*My translation still needs work, mi dispiace.

[scarletlatitude]

Always! I walk around with that gonna murder someone look on my face.  I'd assume people wouldn't be so naughty that close to the Pope. Seems like bad mojo to me.

 

I am seriously soooooo excited for the food. I'm saving all my moneys for that. 

 

1 hour ago, Verbosoul said:

Try doing a few lessons on Duolingo, that'll set you up with some very solid basics.

I've been doing that! I think I can read it pretty well because it's similar to French and I know French. Speaking though... kinda rough. Hopefully they take pity on my American self.