Language in Venice - Useful phrases & expressions in Italian (2024)

The official language spoken in Venice and the rest of Italy is Italian, although Venetian is also spoken in the Veneto region.

Even though English is spoken in most hotels and restaurants, you might find some of the following words and expressions in Italian to be useful during your stay in Venice.

Courtesy

Hello/bye
Ciao
Bye
Arrivederci
Good morning
Buon giorno
Good afternoon
Buona sera
Good night
Buona notte
Welcome
Benvenuto
Please
Per favore
Thank you
Grazie
You're welcome
Prego
Sorry/excuse me
Scusi

Useful Expressions

Yes
Si
No
No
Maybe
Forse
What?
Che cosa?
When?
Quando?
Why?
Perchè?
Where?
Dove?
A lot
Molto
A little
Poco
Too much
Troppo
All
Tutto
Nothing
Niente
Do you speak English?
Parla inglese?
I don't understand
Non capisco

Numbers in Italian

Zero
Zero
One
Uno
Two
Due
Three
Tre
Four
Quattro
Five
Cinque
Six
Sei
Seven
Sette
Eight
Otto
Nine
Nove
Ten
Dieci

Days of the week

Monday
Lunedi
Tuesday
Martedi
Wednesday
Miercoledi
Thursday
Giovedi
Friday
Venerdi
Saturday
Sabato
Sunday
Domenica

At a restaurant

Do you have a table for?
Avete una tavola per...?
I would like to book
Vorrei riservare
Today's special
Piatto del giorno
Cutlery
Coperto
Starters
Antipasti
The bill, please
Il conto, per favore
Butter
Burro
Squid
Calamari
Lamb
Castrado
Onion
Cipolla
Vegetable garnish
Contorno di verdure
Ribs
Cotoletta
Mussels
Cozze
Fruit cake
Crostata
Dessert
Dolce
Liver
Fegato
Cheese
Formaggio
Strawberries
Fragole
Omelette
Frittata
Seafood
Frutti di mare
Mushrooms
Fungí
Prawns
Gamberi
Shrimps
Gamberoni
Ice cream
Gelato
Salad
Insalata
Pork
Maiale
Apple
Mela
Mustard
Mostarda
Hazelnut
Nocciola
Nut
Noce
Oysters
Ostriche
Peppers
Paperoni
Fish
Pesce
Chicken
Pollo
Tomato
Pomodoro
Mushrooms
Porcini
Rice
Riso
Risotto
Risotto
Veal escalope
Saltimbocca
Cream
Panna
Bakery
Pasticceria
Peppers
Paperoni
Cuttlefish
Seppia
Sole
Sogliola
Truffles
Tartufi
Tuna
Tonno
Trout
Trota
Egg
Uovo
Veal
Vitello
Clams
Vongole
Sugar
Zucchero
Soup
Zuppa

Curiosity

The word “ciao” derives from the old Venetian greeting “s’ciavo” (meaning “slave”, excluding “your”), which was used as a referential approach to another interlocutor. From “s’ciavo” to “s’ciao”, this word finally became “ciao”. Nowadays, it is one of the best-known Italian words in the world.

Language in Venice - Useful phrases & expressions in Italian (2024)

FAQs

What language is used in Venice Italy? ›

The official language spoken in Venice and the rest of Italy is Italian, although Venetian is also spoken in the Veneto region. Even though English is spoken in most hotels and restaurants, you might find some of the following words and expressions in Italian to be useful during your stay in Venice.

How do you say hello in the Venetian language? ›

Ciao (/tʃaʊ/ CHOW, Italian: [ˈtʃaːo]) is an informal salutation in the Italian language that is used for both "hello" and "goodbye". Originally from the Venetian language, it has entered the vocabulary of English and of many other languages around the world.

What are common Italian phrases? ›

Formal and informal translation of daily Italian phrases
ENGLISH PHRASEFORMAL ITALIANINFORMAL ITALIAN
Hello / Good morningBuongiornoCiao
Hello / Good eveningBuonaseraCiao
Excuse meScusaScusi
How can I help you?Mi dicaDimmi

How do you say thank you in Venice? ›

Grazie: Thank you. You may also hear “grazie mille” (literally “a thousand thanks”) to mean many thanks.

What is Hello in Venice? ›

The most common Italian greeting is Ciao (pronounced CHOW). Ciao is a simple, snappy way of saying hello and goodbye in Italian. It comes from the Venetian word sciavo—literally meaning servant or slave. It's the modern Italian version of signing off 'your humble servant'.

Can you live in Venice without speaking Italian? ›

Major tourist destinations such as Rome, Milan, Florence and Venice are best suited for English-only speakers. Thanks to the influx of international tourists, many inhabitants of these areas are accustomed to speaking English and often have a basic understanding of the language, if not fluency.

How do you say "I love you" in Venetian? ›

Romantic Ways to Say “I Love You” in Italian

Regarding ti amo and its variations, you would reserve it for serious, committed, romantic love. To express love for a family member or close friend, use ti voglio bene.

How is Venetian different from Italian? ›

For example, Venetian did not undergo vowel rounding or nasalization, palatalize /kt/ and /ks/, or develop rising diphthongs /ei/ and /ou/, and it preserved final syllables, whereas, as in Italian, Venetian diphthongization occurs in historically open syllables.

How do you say goodbye in Venetian? ›

Nowadays, ciao is widely used in many languages around the world (often to mean “goodbye” rather than “hello”), often spelled differently. But do you know where this term originated? (To summarize, it is Venetian in origin and means “I am at your service.”) Ciao is an informal Italian term that means “goodbye.”

How do you respond to ciao? ›

Although ciao is the most commonly heard greeting in Italy, it's important to notice who is saying it. Italians use this with people they are familiar with… people they know. If you are greeted first with a ciao then you can respond with ciao back.

What do Italians say when they are annoyed? ›

Arrabbiato means angry in Italian. It comes from rabbia (anger) and it can be used in all kinds of situations. A slang word for the same feeling is incavolato or the slightly more rude incazzato. If something 'makes you angry', use the construction “mi fa arrabbiare/incavolare/incazzare”.

How do you respond to Grazie? ›

8 Ways to Respond to Grazie in Italian
  1. Prego! This is the easiest and fastest way to answer to someone thanking you. ...
  2. Di niente! / Di nulla! ...
  3. Non c'è di che! ...
  4. Figurati! ...
  5. E di che?! ...
  6. Ma ti pare! / Ma che scherzi! / Ci mancherebbe! ...
  7. (È stato) un piacere! ...
  8. A te! (
Sep 24, 2023

What is Grazie Bello? ›

Translation of "grazie bello" in English

grazie. thanks thank you. bello. nice beautiful. Thanks, buddy.

Is Venetian closer to French or Italian? ›

The Venetian language is a Romance language but it is closer to French than to modern Italian. Venetian, like most other italic languages, descends from vulgar Latin. The Latin common people spoke in late antiquity was very simplified compare to classical Latin.

Does Venice have its own dialect? ›

The Venetian Language is also known as 'the language of the sea', partially because of Venice's location on the water, but also due to how words evolved so that they could be clearly understood from one boat to another. Similarly, this also goes for numerous phrases that also have some relation to the sea or water.

What are people from Venice Italy called? ›

Venetian often means from or related to: Venice, a city in Italy. Veneto, a region of Italy. Republic of Venice (697–1797), a historical nation in that area.

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