Italian phrases for travel, and the conversations around them
Updated 2026-10-18
Travel phrases work best when you have already said them in the place they belong, with someone answering. Below are the situations a trip to Italy brings, the lines to have ready for each, and the scenes in the Convola app where you can rehearse them.
A phrase list is half of it
A phrase list gives you the line you say. It rarely gives you what comes back. At a hotel desk you say ho una prenotazione, the receptionist asks how to spell your surname, and the list has nothing more for you.
So for each situation below there is a line to open with, a question you may hear, and the scene to rehearse it in. Each scene is played by AI characters at your level, and you can speak or type.
At the bar
Ordering a coffee and a cornetto at the bar counter is an A1 scene with one barista. Three lines cover most mornings:
- Un caffè, per favore. An espresso, please. In Italy caffè on its own means espresso.
- Pago prima alla cassa? Do I pay at the till first? In many bars you pay first and take the receipt, lo scontrino, to the counter.
- Al banco o al tavolo? At the counter or at a table? Many cafés have one price for standing and another for sitting down.
Tickets and getting around
Three A1 scenes cover most first days: buying a bus ticket at the tabaccheria, a regional train ticket at the Trenitalia counter, and a taxi ride from the station.
| Situation | Line to have ready | What you may hear |
|---|---|---|
| Bus ticket | Un biglietto per l'autobus, per favore. | Quanti ne vuole? How many would you like? |
| Regional train | Un biglietto per Firenze, solo andata. One to Florence, one way. | Per quando? For when? |
| Taxi | Mi porta a questo indirizzo? Can you take me to this address? | Ha bagagli? Do you have luggage? |
City bus tickets are often sold at tabacchi and newsstands rather than on board, and you validate the ticket in a machine when you get on. That is why the bus scene happens at the counter, not on the bus.
At the hotel desk
Checking into a small hotel, with the tassa di soggiorno, is the scene recorded on the Italian page. Rome, for one, charges a tourist tax like this for each night, collected by the place you stay.
In that recorded Convola conversation the receptionist, Rosaria, asked Ha una prenotazione? The learner booked una camera per due notte, and the tutor noted:
due notte
due notti
Notte is feminine and ends in -e, so its plural is notti, not notte.
- Ho una prenotazione a nome Smith. I have a booking under the name Smith.
- La tassa di soggiorno è inclusa? Is the tourist tax included?
- A che ora è la colazione? What time is breakfast?
Eating out
Two quick A1 scenes are a slice of pizza al taglio for lunch and ordering a gelato with two flavours. At B1 there is a harder one with two people: arguing about the bill and the coperto with a waiter.
- Il conto, per favore. The bill, please. Waiters tend not to rush you, so you ask when you are ready.
- Paghiamo qui o alla cassa? Do we pay here or at the till? In many casual places you walk up to the till.
- Che cos'è il coperto? What is the coperto? It is a charge per person for the table, the bread and the cutlery.
- Due gusti: pistacchio e limone. Two flavours: pistachio and lemon.
When something goes wrong
The A2 scenes are where a trip gets harder: lost luggage at the airport desk, the farmacia with a cold, and a delayed regionale with a fellow traveller. Each has one or two people, and they ask questions you have to answer in more than one word.
- Impiegata
- Mi dà il talloncino del bagaglio? Di che colore è la valigia?Can you give me the baggage tag? What colour is the suitcase?
That line is an example of how the lost-luggage scene could start, not a recording. Lines to have ready:
- La mia valigia non è arrivata. My suitcase has not arrived.
- Ho bisogno di qualcosa per la tosse. I need something for a cough.
- Il treno è in ritardo? Is the train late?
If you are new to Italian, start with conversation for beginners. For a daily routine before you leave, see how to practise speaking Italian. All guides are on the Italian guides page.