Buying something at a newsstand in Italian
Buongiorno, mi dà un giornale?
“Good morning, can I have a newspaper?”
When: The very first thing you say at the newsstand
The moment
You stop at an edicola, one of the little street newsstands on a Roman pavement, on your way home. Greet the vendor, ask what a newspaper and a bottle of water each cost, buy one of them, thank the vendor and say goodbye.
A1 · Unit 1 · First words · Checkpoint
This is the unit’s checkpoint: one roleplay that puts the unit’s scenes together.
The lines
Opening the transaction
Every counter encounter in Italy starts with a greeting, not with what you want. Greet first, then ask: "Buongiorno, mi dà un giornale?"
Buongiorno, mi dà un giornale?
“Good morning, can I have a newspaper?”
When to use it: The very first thing you say at the newsstand
What you’ll hear back: Buongiorno! Quale vuole? (Good morning! Which one would you like?)
Asking the price
Point at each item in turn and name it: "Quanto costa questa bottiglia d'acqua?" Repeat the number back if you did not catch it the first time.
Quanto costa questa bottiglia d'acqua?
“How much is this bottle of water?”
When to use it: Checking each item before you decide which to buy
What you’ll hear back: Un euro e cinquanta. (One euro fifty.)
Words for this scene
| Italian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| Prendo questo | PREN-doh KWEH-stoh | I'll take this one |
Va bene, prendo questo. Okay, I'll take this one. Tip: Say "questa" for feminine things, like "una bottiglia" or "una rivista". | ||
| Grazie mille | GRAH-tsyeh MEEL-leh | Thank you very much |
Grazie mille, molto gentile. Thank you very much, that's very kind. Tip: Adding "molto gentile" sounds warm without a whole speech. | ||
| Arrivederci | ar-ree-veh-DEHR-chee | Goodbye |
Grazie e arrivederci! Thanks and goodbye! Tip: How you leave any Italian shop, even with empty hands. | ||
Your objective
Greet the vendor, ask what two things cost, buy one of them, then say thank you and goodbye.
- a greeting
- two prices
- thanks and a goodbye
Lines that get it done
- Buongiorno, mi dà un giornale?
- Quanto costa questa bottiglia d'acqua?
- Grazie e arrivederci! · Thanks and goodbye!
In the live scene the objective stays on screen, and the Replay afterwards says whether you got it done.
Check yourself
1. You reach the newsstand at eleven in the morning. What do you say first?
- Buongiorno
- Buonanotte
- Di niente
- Arrivederci
Show the answer
Buongiorno
You open with "Buongiorno" before asking anything; "buonanotte" is for going to bed.
2. The vendor says the water costs four euros twenty. Which price did you hear?
- Quattro euro e venti
- Quattordici euro
- Quattro euro e dodici
- Venti euro e quattro
Show the answer
Quattro euro e venti
"Quattro" is 4 and "venti" is 20, so €4.20; "quattordici" would be 14.
3. The vendor hands you the newspaper and your change. What do you say?
- Grazie mille
- Per favore
- Quanto costa?
- Buonanotte
Show the answer
Grazie mille
You thank them with "grazie mille" and then leave with "arrivederci".