Click play on the player at the bottom to listen to this podcast or find it on Apple Podcasts.

When you finally get a chance to go to Italy, one of the first things you want to do is use your budding Italian language skills and the best way to do that is by finding a friend. But how do you approach someone or initiate a chat in Italian?

In this podcast we’ll discuss the phrases you can use to make friends with local Italians, maintain a relationship with them, or even just ask someone to coffee. You don’t need to be in Italy for a long time to connect with Italians, so put all the Italian you’ve learned to good use and strike up a conversation!

Disclaimer: Making friends is tricky and can be different for everyone, so keep that in mind when listening to this episode. My experiences making friends may be different than yours, so take these phrases and tailor them to suit your own needs so you can make the most out of your Italian interactions.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

– What can you ask after you get through all the formalities (or what you can talk about after you know their name, age, etc.)
– Topics you can easily chat about in Italian
– How to bring up food and regional specialties – everyone’s favorite topic of conversation!
– How to use some tricky grammatical constructions (like ti va di…)
– Where the name of strozzapreti comes from

Phrases:

Da quanto tempo abita a (Roma)?


How long have you been living in Rome?

Qual è il gusto migliore?

What is the best flavor?

Cosa posso mangiare di buono mentre sono in Italia?

What type of food should I try while I’m in Italy?

Ti va di bere un caffè?

Do you want to grab a coffee?

Ti va di fare due chiacchierate?

Do you want to have a chat?

Magari davanti un aperitivo stasera?

Perhaps during an aperitivo tonight?

Ti va di prendere un aperitivo?

Ti va di fare una passeggiata?

A che ora?

What time?

Quando vuoi tu. (Informal)

Whenever you’d like.

Quando vuole lei. (Formal)

Whenever you’d like.

Sono libero/a dopo le 6.

I’m free after six.

Mi dà il suo numero di telefono? (Formal)

Can I have your phone number?

Dammi il tuo numero di telefono. (Informal)

Give me your phone number.

Il numero è…

The number is…

Ecco il mio numero.

Here is my phone number.

Mi faccia uno squillo più tardi!  (Formal)

Fammi uno squillo più tardi! (Informal)

Call me later!

Resources mentioned:

– The Not Your Typical Tourist Workbook

---

Listen to the Episode!