Non-Italian Speakers

It's not too late to at least learn menu items! I find this extremely important, because I do not want to eat brains or intestines!

My first trip to Italy almost 20 years ago, the husband and I were invited to a relative's wedding in Northern Italy (Rimini). ONLY the Bride and Groom spoke English. One of the young guests came up to us at the reception and said, "I Speak Englisih!" We were so excited to be able to converse with someone. He said "Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey." That was the extent of the English!

I came home and on the advice of a friend got the Pimsleur Italian CD set. Through the years, off and on, I've worked my way through 16 levels. I always use the CDs before I go to Italy and I go just about every year.

NOW: Buy a small dictionary. Get Rick's Italian phrases book. If you can memorize some counting, that would be helpful.

But to answer your question, EVERYONE in the Tourist Industry will speak English to greater and lesser degrees. Touristy restaurants, yes. Smaller family owned Osterias, not so much! If you find yourself in a "jam" find a high school or college student. In Florence there are thousands of exchange students from the U.S. studying in Italy.

Millions of people go to Italy every year without speaking a word of Italian!.

TAXI's -- some yes, some no. Have your hotel names and addresses either in your cell phone, or written down on a small
notepad and hand it to the driver. I have a small notepad on a "key-ring' from Target, and before I leave I write the Hotel Name/Address on three pages just in case I have a brain-freeze on arrival due to jet lag. I tear the page off and hand it to the driver.

HAVE FUN!

Pick up an Italian phrase book (RS conveniently has a good one), and you should have little trouble.

All the Italian that I know I learned from the RS Italian Phrase Book. Making the attempt and repeating the same phrases every day is how you learn them. Before the internet, for instance, I had plenty of practice with "do you have a single room available for three nights?" It's an open-book test.

Patrice,

Before your trip check out Google Translate. Enter phrases you anticipate saying. When you are shown the phrase in Italian, press the speaker icon & you should hear the correct pronunciation. I do not know how well this works in Europe. You may need a translation app.

Barnes & Noble bookstores carry travelers' picture books. You just show the picture if you do not know the word.

My 2 cents worth.

Bon Voyage!

In my experience, it doesn't help at all to be able to "say" something unless you can "understand" the answer. Like dove via ghibbolina" (Where is Ghibbolina st.) unless you can understand the person's instruction!

Words like right, left, straight ahead, turn, corner, etc. North South...... numbers....... these are More than useful. Not only to say but to understand. Please, thank you. Learn these, and always, always say thank you when leaving a shop, whether or not you bought something. Good morning........good afternoon, evening. Unfortunately, most language programs don't start with this! They start with "I speak" and you definitely do not yet! Parla Englese? Is better to know first! "Io Sono Americana" helps -- that way they will speak English if they can.

Again, Patrice millions of people visit Italy every year. In the back of Rick's guide book he has menu items. He includes pronunciations. He also has numbers.

Patrice, I find it all part of the enjoyment of travel - not being able to speak the language. Yes, when there is an emergency it is important to be understood, but ordering food?

If it's any consolation, the first time we went to Italy (2003), I had taken a bunch of Italian classes and was eager to practice. We would walk into a restaurant or shop, I would say Buongiorno or Buona sera, and almost without fail, the Italians would respond in English. I would be very surprised if you have any problems. But do learn a handful of courtesy phrases, as discussed above. It's a great way of showing respect.

My favorite language tip to a first time traveler to Italy is not to bother with the "Buongiorno/Buona sera" distinction and just use "Salve" (SAHL-vay). It's an all purpose greeting used by Italians and very few tourists. (^_^)

Patrice,

As the others have mentioned, you should be fine with a good Phrasebook and some patience. You'll probably find that even in some of the smaller locations there will be a few people that can function in English to some extent. A Phrasebook that has a section on menu items is a good idea, so that you have some idea what you're ordering.

I also use the Pimsleur language series which donna mentioned. For me that's worked well and I've supplemented it with several night school Italian classes in the local college. I'm certainly not fluent but can get by fairly comfortably. Despite trying to use Italian whenever possible, my experience is the same as Michael mentioned. Sometimes when I ask a question in Italian, the locals will reply in English.

Just on the restaurant issue . . I believe there is a series of small books in various languages written just for this problem, lists of food words and ingredients of typical dishes. Sorry that I can't be more specific. General phrase books may be sufficient; but if you can find what I'm describing, you might feel more secure in a restaurant where no English is spoken. I empathize: I'm not into eating weird parts of animals.

Back in the 1970s, my sister joined me in Germany. When we went out to dinner, I ordered what I knew the food would be.My sister however, ordered something that turned out to be eel! Quite a shock for her when she saw it. Very nicely presented, all coiled up and of course with the head still attached! Brave girl, she ate it.
My point is that phrase books can be quite helpful but sometimes, just take a chance.

It's nice to have the travel language dictionary app on your cellphone to see what you're about to order on a menu.

I've never had any language problems when traveling. In tourist centers, most people will speak many languages. But when you get to rural Italy, you're more likely to find people in the service world that don't speak a single word of English.

All I say is go for it. Don't worry about language. Somehow, you'll get through it.

Thanks for all the words of encouragement and advice! With phrase book and phone app in hand, we will have a great trip I am sure.

In a Paestum restaurant last year, my friends and I were speaking in English, and one of the Italian diners at the next table came over, announced that he spoke English, and had a conversation with us for about 20 minutes (until their food arrived). He was seven.

Any high school or university student will speak English, with varying degrees of fluency, but at least enough to have a conversation.
Older people not so much.
My father grew up learning German because that's what they taught in school in those days in public schools. Guess whose idea was that.

In general, you should be able to get by pretty well in the major cities, although I do think it would be good to learn a few polite phrases: Buon Giorno, Buona Sera, Salve, Grazie, etc.

I had the same experience as Michael. I would speak in Italian, and for the most part the locals would respond in English. (Once, someone pegged me as French, which was interesting and unexpected. A quick "Sono americana" dispelled that notion in a hurry.)

The only place where I really had to rely on my meager Italian was around Lake Como and Lugano. There, I was glad I had learned some Italian basics, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to practice my Italian.

Oh, and if you encounter someone who doesn't speak English, speaking louder in English will not make him/her understand you any better. (My mother was guilty of that one.)

Really, in most cases, it isn't an insurmountable problem.

There's some good advice out there on speaking English in a foreign country:
Don't use slang.
Don't use contractions. (I mean, do not use contractions.)
Speak slowly and clearly but do not speak any louder than necessary to be heard.
If a native is speaking to you in English in the course of a transaction (paying a bill, buying a ticket, purchasing something in a store) do not explode into a yacky conversation assuming that they are fluent in English. They may well know just enough to get the transaction accomplished, and no more.

More advice. When choosing which English word to choose, always go for the more sophisticated English word of Latin or Greek origin. It's more likely to be similar to Italian.
Therefore use:
Automobile, not car
Photograph, not picture
Dense, not thick
Terrify, not frighten
Desire, not wish
Liberty, not freedom
Attempt, not try
Annual, not yearly
Obtain, not get
Construct, not build
Palace, not building
Expect, not wait
And so on.