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When you go shopping at a market in Italy, you’re going to need a handful of phrases so you can actually get what you’re looking for and avoid looking incredibly lost.
So I’ve compiled a short (but valuable) list of 7 key phrases + 22 vocabulary words to help make your trip that much easier.
— Dove posso comprare (del formaggio)?
DOH-veh POHS-soh kohm-PRAH-reh dehl fohr-MADJ-djeeoh
Where can I buy (some cheese)?
— Vorrei comprare (del pane).
vohr-REH-ee kohm-PRAH-reh dehl PAH-neh
I would like to buy (some bread).
— Quelli come si chiamano?
KWEHL-lee KOH-meh see kee-yah-MAH-noh
What are those called?
— Mi dà un chilo di (patate), per favore?
mee DAH oon KEE-loh dee pah-TAH-teh pehr fah-VOH-reh
Can I have one kilo of potatoes, please?
— Quanto costa al chilo?
KWAN-toh KOHST-ah ahl KEE-loh
What is the cost per kilo?
TRAVEL TIP: When you go to small stores or supermarkets in Italy and want to buy fruit or vegetables, it’s necessary that you grab a plastic glove to choose your fruit. You also need to take what you’ve chosen and weigh it on a scale. Once you choose the item from a list of buttons, a sticker with the item, its weight and its price will print out for you to put onto the bag. If you do not have this sticker when you get to the checkout counter, the cashier will be extra annoyed because they can’t ring up your produce.
— Avete (la pasta)?
ah-VEH-teh lah PAH-stah
Do you have (pasta)?
— Dove sono i (broccoli)?
DOH-veh SOH-noh ee BROHK-koh-lee
Where can I find the (broccoli)?
Basics
— il riso
eel REE-zoh
rice
— i fagioli
ee fah-DJOH-lee
beans
— le spezie
leh SPEH-tsee-eh
spices
— la frutta
lah FROOT-tah
fruit
— la carne
lah KAHR-neh
meat
— le verdure
leh vehr-DUR-eh
vegetables
— il pesce
eel PEH-sheh
fish
— i frutti di mare
ee FROOT-tee dee MAHR-eh
seafood
— le noci
leh NOH-tchee
nuts
— la frutta secca
lah FROO-tah SEHK-ka
dried fruit
— le erbe aromatiche
leh EHR-beh ah-roh-MAH-tee-keh
herbs
— il latte
eel LAHT-teh
milk
— il formaggio
eel fohr-MADJ-djeeoh
cheese
— il burro
eel BOOR-roh
butter
— lo yogurt
loh YOH-guhrt
yogurt
— le uova
leh WHOH-vah
eggs
— il pane
eel PAH-neh
bread
— la torta
lah TOHR-tah
cake
— le bevande
leh beh-VAHN-deh
drinks
— l’acqua
LAHK-wah
water
— il vino rosso
eel VEE-noh ROHS-soh
red wine
— il vino bianco
eel VEE-noh BEE-ahn-koh
white wine
Want to finally be conversational in Italian? Find Mango Languages at your library.
Mango’s online and mobile language-learning programs are available for free through thousands of libraries. That means free access to Italian courses online and on your phone or tablet.
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NOTE
These phrases are taken from the workbook and phrasebook package Not Your Typical Tourist. You can read more about how Not Your Typical Tourist will help you prepare for your trip to Italy here.
Curious about any other phrases/words related to shopping at a supermarket? Drop ’em in the comments below!
