Shopping in Italy and Speaking the Local Tongue
Learning Italian to Use in Stores and Markets
Oct 19, 2009
By learning some useful, shopping-specific Italian, visitors to Italy can avoid those lost in translation moments while perusing the finest of Italian goods.
Questions to Ask While Shopping in Italy
Every shopper in Italy should come equipped with several questions when entering that Italian shop. Perhaps the most common and useful questions deal with price. When visitors want to know what something costs, they can simply ask “Quanto costa per (questo/questa)?”, meaning “How much does this cost?”. Questo means the masculine of "this", while questa denotes the feminine "this". Generally if one does not know if shirt in Italian is feminine or masculine, store clerks and shop owners will not mind this minor slip up.
Another useful question to know while shopping in Italy, comes when you are ready to purchase an item. Asking “Posso compare?” meaning “Can I buy?” should simply allow shop owners to know the desired action of the shopper. Also if a clothing item needs to be tried on first, visitors can generally ask, “Posso provare?” or "Can I try?". Clerks will generally know what shoppers mean and respond with “Si” or "Yes" in Italian.
Italian to Know While Shopping in Italian Markets
Markets can be found in almost every town in Italy. Food markets present one of the best places to buy fresh Italian produce. However, confusion can set in when travelers do not know some Italian to let the vendors know exactly what Italian produce is desired.
Generally produce items can be sold individually, by half a kilogram, or by kilogram. If only one item is wanted, saying “uno di questo” or “one of this” will generally be understood. If visitors want half a kilo of something, saying “mezzo kilo” will achieve this goal. Finally if a whole kilo is desired, visitors can say “un kilo”. Fruit and vegetable vendors’ signs are normally set to the pricing of one kilo.
Other Useful Words to Know Found in Italian Stores
Many tourists do not understand words scattered throughout Italian stores. Perhaps the most beneficial word to a traveler’s wallet is saldi or “sale”. Generally two times a year, once at the end of summer and just after Christmas, Italian stores have huge sales on all of their merchandise. Saldi signs will appear in stores windows. Another common word used may be “mezzo prezzo" or half price. If visitors are looking for the cash register, signs will say cassa above the registers.
Italian stores and supermarkets will normally have a sign denoting open or closed. Aperto means open and chiuso is the Italian for closed.
For more on useful Italian for travel, read Learning Simple Italian No One Can Refuse
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