Language

Rome

The purest Italian is found in Florence, home of Dante and Boccaccio, whose writings were the basis for standard Italian. Rome, however, is the centre for one of Italy's two most distinctive dialects (the other is in Naples). Even the Romans will admit to the harshness of their accent, but the sound of the language is made up for by the liveliness of the local expressions, many of which are too rude to find a place in this guide. There is even a restaurant in Rome, La Parolaccia in the Trastevere district, where insults in dialect are exchanged after the repast.

There are plenty of local terms – the metropolitan police are referred to as 'pizzardone', and the name of the Rome football team 'Lazio' is often used as a strong term of abuse. Even without the wealth of confusing expressions, Roman dialect is hard to understand, as not all syllables are pronounced. Fortunately, most professionals will minimise their use of dialect for the sake of foreigners (including Italians from other regions) and some speak French or English.

Phrases

Yes - Si
No - No
Hello - Buon giorno / Buona sera (after 1500)
Goodbye - Arrivederla (formal) / Arrivederci (informal)
Please - Per favore
Thank you - Grazie
My name is … - Mi chiamo …
How are you? - Come sta?
I'm very well - Sto molto bene
I feel ill - Non mi sento bene
How much does it cost? - Quanto costa?
Do you speak English? - Parla inglese?
I don't understand - Non capisco
Where is …? - Dov'è …?
Entrance - Entrata
Exit - Uscita
Danger - Pericolo
Open - Aperto
Closed - Chiuso
Toilets - Bagno / Servizio
Doctor - Medico
Hotel - Albergo
Restaurant - Ristorante
Beer - Birra
Wine - Vino
Menu - Menù
Today - Oggi
Tomorrow - Domanì
Monday - Lunedì
Tuesday - Martedì
Wednesday - Mercoledì
Thursday - Giovedì
Friday - Venerdì
Saturday - Sabato
Sunday - Domenica
One - Uno
Two - Due
Three - Tre
Four - Quattro
Five - Cinque
Six - Sei
Seven - Sette
Eight - Otto
Nine - Nove
Ten - Dieci
Twenty - Venti
Thirty - Trenta
Forty - Quaranta
Fifty - Cinquanta
Sixty - Sessanta
Seventy - Settanta
Eighty - Ottanta
Ninety - Novanta
One Hundred - Cento
One Thousand - Mille