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Designer brands and boutiques abound in Italy, but so do small, independent shops and vibrant, inexpensive street markets. The contrast between the types of shops is significant. The designer stores in Via Monte Napoleone in Milan, for example, are light years away from the markets you can find in small towns, where haggling is the norm. Whether you have a bunch of extra cash to spend or are surviving on a shoestring budget, these are some of the expressions you will hear and find useful when navigating your way through these stores and markets.

Shopping

  • La spesa   Shopping

  • Sconto   Discount

  • Saldo/Ribasso   Sale

  • Vestiti   Clothes

  • Scarpe   Shoes

  • Costoso/a   Expensive

  • A buon mercato   Cheap

  • Reparto….   Department… 

  • Generi alimentari   Groceries

  • Carrello della spesa   Shopping cart

  • Regalo   Present

  • Quanto costa...    How much is...

  • Reparto donna   Women's section

  • Reparto uomo   Men's section

  • Abiti da uomo   Men's suits

  • Trucco   Makeup

  • Portafoglio   Wallet

  • Mi potrebbe aiutare? / Mi potresti aiutare?                                   Could you help me please? (Formal / Informal)

  • Dove posso trovare…   Where can I find…

  • Mi piace…   I like…

  • Non mi piace…   I don't like…

  • A che ora apre?   What time does it open?

  • Grazie   Thank you

  • Buongiorno!   Good day!

  • Arrivederci!   Good bye!

  • Avete…   Do you have…

  • Piccolo   Small

  • Medi   Medium

  • Grande   Large

  • Taglia. / Misura   Size

  • La cassa    The checkout (counter)

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Slang/Commonly Used Expressions

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  • Sto solo guardando   I'm only browsing.

  • Che fregatura!   What a rip off!

  • Fammi uno sconto!   Give me a discount!

  • Posso pagare con la carta?   Can I pay with my card?

  • Non lo voglio   I don't want it

Listen

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​​Vocabulary​
Develop an Italian shopping vocabulary to gain a new cultural experience when traveling. Whether you're shopping for clothes, food, or souvenirs, you can use the following Italian phrases to help you find just the right thing.



  • Mi dica?   Can I help you?

  • Posso guardare?   May I just look?

  • Cosa sta cercando?   What are you looking for?

  • quanto   how much

  • Altro?   Anything else?

  • Nient'altro   Nothing else

In most Italian-speaking countries, it is customary to greet the store clerk with a polite Buon giorno when entering a store.

The following words can be used in a variety of shopping situations.



  • Soldi   money

  • cassa   the cash register

  • carta di credito [f]   credit card

  • cara, caro   expensive

  • grande [m/f] larga/o   big; tall; large

  • commessa/o   sales clerk

  • piccola, piccolo   small; short

  • borsa   bag

  • vendere   to sell

  • comprare   to buy

  • pagare    to pay

Places to shop​

The first step to a successful shopping expedition is to know where to shop. In Italy, there are open-air street markets (called mercato) where you can buy anything from fruits and vegetables to antiques and collectibles. But if you need to go to a specific kind of store, the following terms can help.​
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  • libreria   book store

  • pasticceria   pastry shop

  • alimentari    grocery store; general store

  • supermercato   supermarket

  • negozio   shop

​Grocery shopping

In Italy, people go grocery shopping every day to take advantage of the freshest produce and meats. The following words and phrases will come in handy if you need to shop for food.

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  • Salve, quanto costano le albicocche?   Hello, how much are the apricots?
  • Prendo due kili di pesche   I'll take two kilos of peaches.
  • Fermiamoci al forno   Let's stop at the bread shop.
  • cioccolata   chocolate
  • cena   dinner
  • crema   cream
  • formaggio   cheese
  • pane [m]   bread
  • acqua   water
  • vino   wine
  • verdure   vegetables
  • zucchero   sugar
  • fiore [m]   flower

​Shopping​

Clothes shopping

The Italian are known for their sense of style and the high quality of their clothing. So much so that many people travel to Italy just to shop for clothes. Clothing stores are generally called abbigliamento and department stores are called grandi magazzino). The following words and phrases can help you shop for clothing in Italy.

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  • Posso provare gli stivali neri in vetrina?                                             May I try on the black boots in the window?
  • Sono in svendita quei pantaloni rossi?                                                     Are these red pants on sale?
  • Si tutto è scontato al cinquanta per cento.                                        Yes, everything is 50 percent off.
  • camicia   shirt
  • cappello   hat
  • cappotto   coat
  • abito   suit
  • costume da bagno [m]   bathing suit
  • cravatta   tie
  • giacca   jacket; blazer
  • gonna   skirt
  • impermeabile [m]   raincoat
  • jeans [m]   jeans
  • pantaloni   pants
  • scarpa   shoe
  • vestito   dress

​​Clothes 1​



​Clothes 2​

​​​​​​​​​​Common colors​​​​​​​

​The following words describe the most common colore [m] (colors).​

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  • blu   blue
  • gialla/o   yellow
  • grigia/o   gray
  • marrone [m]   brown
  • nera/o   black
  • rossa/o   red
  • verde   green
  • bianca/o   white

​​Colours​

 

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