Posso Avere: Guide to Ordering in Italian

Dear SOON(ER) to be traveler,

Many culture shocks come with traveling to another country, but for me, the biggest shock was the language barrier. Arezzo is a small, walled-in town in the heart of Tuscany with very few tourists or fluent English speakers. With that being said, if you ever hear someone speaking English in Arezzo, they’re probably a fellow Sooner.

The earlier you familiarize yourself with basic Italian phrases, the smoother transition you will face once you arrive in Italy. This post will help familiarize you with several common phrases to help teach you how to order in Italian.

When getting started, it's important to know the flow of conversation, along with simple words and phrases.

When you walk into a restaurant in Italy, you will be greeted by a friendly face and the words “Ciao, prego?” which means “Hi, how can I help you?” After hearing this, you can say one of two things. First, you can respond “Ciao, parla Inglese?” which means “Hi, do you speak English?” While this is a good saying to know, I wouldn't recommend saying this at every dining experience. Local Italians, especially in Arezzo, love when you try to speak Italian because it shows that you appreciate and respect their culture. Second, if you dare to continue the conversation in Italian or get the response of “no” to if they speak English, here is how you can respond…

Depending on what you need and the type of restaurant you walk into, there are an endless amount of possible Italian sayings.

“Posso avere,” the title of this post, means “Can I have.” This important saying will help you more than once during any dining experience in Italy. Want a table for four? Say, “Posso avere un tavolo per quattro?” Want the wine menu? Say, “Posso avere il menu vini?” Want a Margherita pizza? Say, “Posso avere la pizza Margherita?”

Knowing “Posso avere,” will get you far when it comes to ordering food in Italian, along with a smile and “Grazie” (which means “thank you”).

You don’t have to master Italian before you arrive in Italy, but it will benefit you if you are at least familiar with common requests and sayings. You will figure it out as you go and if you ever have questions or just want to practice your Italian, the interns at the Rooney Family Center are extremely helpful and enthusiastic to share their culture with others. Don’t be afraid to try, the locals will help you out!

To go above and beyond and learn more Italian requests/sayings click here

And that's the inside scoop to ordering in Italian, until next time!

BOOMER,

Sandra