In many European countries, it's not an unknown fact that people know two, three, and sometimes four different languages. However, in the United States, it will be a rare occasion that someone knows perhaps more than one or two languages. When people travel abroad to any foreign countries, it is helpful to know some passing or common phrases to make the journey easy. There are many travel books where there are formal or informal pronunciations from English to different languages. To help the transition to a completely unknown country and make your vacation that much enjoyable, you should definitely learn some simple words and phrases.
Learning a completely different language, when you haven't even heard a word before, can be frustrating at times. Which is why these somewhat funny phrases and words are mentioned below with proper pronunciation.
Misses, Miss » Signora, Signorina
seen-yoh-rah, seen-yoh-reen-ah
Mister » Signore
seen-yoh-reh
Please » Per favore
pehr fah-voh-ray
Thanks, Thank you » Grazie
grah-tseeay
Yes » Si
see
No » no
noh
Excuse me » Mi scusi
mee skoo-zee
Hello » Buon giorno
bwon jor-noh
Bad » Male
mah-lay
Bye » Arrivederci
ah-ree-vuh-dare-chee
You're welcome » Prego
Pray-go
Bless you» Salute
sah-loo-teh
Congratulations » Congratulazioni
kohn-grah-tsoo-lah-tsee-oh-nee
Welcome » Benvenuti!
behn-veh-noo-tee
That » Quello
kweh-loh
This/These » Questo/Questi
kweh-stoh/kweh-stee
Yesterday » Ieri
ee-air-ee
Today » Oggi
oh-jee
Tomorrow » Domani
doh-mah-nee
What? » Quale?
kwal-eh
Where? » Dove?
doh-ve
Breakfast » Colzaione
koh-lah-tsee-oh-neh
Lunch » Pranzo
prawn-tsoh
Dinner » Cena
che-nah
Waiter » Cameriere
cah-mair-ee-air-eh
Garlic » aglio
ah-lee-oh
Steak » la bistecca
lah-bee-steh-kah
Coffee » Il caffe
eel kah-feh
Cheese » Formaggio
eel for-mah-joh
Ice cream » Gelato
eel jeh-lah-toh
Milk » Latte
lah-tay
Bread » Pane
pah-neh
Knife » Coltello
kol-tell-oh
Fork » Forchetta
for-ket-tah
Spoon » Cucchiahio
koo-kee-eye-oh
One » Uno
ooh-noh
Two » Due
doo-eh
Three » Tre
treh
Four » Quattro
kwa-troh
Five » Cinque
cheen-kweh
Six » Sei
say
Seven » Sette
seh-teh
Eight » Otto
oh-toh
Nine » Nove
noh-veh
Ten » Dieci
dee-eh-che
Twenty » Dodici
doh-dee-chee
Thirty » Tredici
treh-deen-chee
Forty » Quattordici
kwah-tor-dee-chee
Fifty » Quindici
kwin-dee-chee
Sixty » Sessanta
seh-sahn-tah
Seventy » Settanta
seh-tahn-tah
Eighty » Ottanta
oh-tahn-tah
Ninety » Novanta
noh-vahn-tah
One hundred » Cento
Chen-toh
One hour » Un'ora
oon-oh-rah
One minute » Un minuto
oohn mee-noo-tah
Monday » Lunedi
loo-neh-dee
Tuesday » Martedi
mar-teh-dee
Wednesday » Mercoledi
mair-koh-leh-dee
Thursday » Giovedi
gee-oh-veh-dee
Friday » Venerdi
ven-aire-dee
Saturday » Sabato
sah-bah-toh
Sunday » Domenica
doh-men-ee-kah
Holiday » Vancaza
vah-cahn-zaa
I love you » Ti amo
tee ah-moh
How are you? » Come sta?
kome staa
I am good » Stoh behn-ay
stow benay
Alright » Va bene
vaa benay
Do you speak Italian » Parli italiano
paar-lee italia-noh
I don't know » Non lo so
non low so
Do you understand? » Capisce
kah-pee-sheh
What's your name » Come ti chiami
koh-meh tee kee-ah-mee
I would like » Vorrei
voh-ray
Where is... » Dov'è...?
doh-veh
What's the matter? » Cosa succede
ko-saa suck-see-day
Nice meeting you » Nizza incontrarvi
knee-za in-con-trar-vee
I love Italy » Amo I'ltalia
aa-mo ee-tah-lyah
Where are you from? » Di dove è
dee doh-veh eh
I am from... » Sono di...
so-no dee
What time is it » Che ore sono
chay oo-ray so-no
How much is this » Quanto è questo
kwan-toh a kwes-toh
Do you speak English » Lei parla inglese
lay par-la ing-leh-se
I'm just looking » Sto solo cercando
stoh solo sir-can-doh
Can I help you? » Posso aiutarti
poo-so aeu-taar-tee
Whenever you are facing with speaking or pronouncing these phrases or any other language for that matter, don't be embarrassed to point, mime, draw, or write them out. It's completely alright to make mistakes. What counts is the effort you put into it, and this will make you proud of yourself, that at least you tried to learn a new language and came out of your comfort zone. So, go ahead and have fun with it!