Whether you move to Italy or go to Italy just for a holiday, sooner or later you’ll sure enter some Italian shops.
Sure, in big cities commesse – shop assistants – can usually speak English. However, if you visit small towns this is not always the case and you’ll need to master at least some basic Italian to talk to them and get what you want.
The most visited shops both by tourists and Italians are clothes shops.
So, in this article, you’re going to learn some basic vocabulary and sentences related to Italian clothing.
BASIC ITALIAN VOCABULARY RELATED TO ITALIAN CLOTHING
Cappotto – Coat
Giubbotto – Jacket
Maglione – Sweater
Maglietta – T-shirt
Pantaloni – Trousers
Jeans – Jeans
Gonna – Skirt
Calze – Socks
Calze di nylon – Nylon stockings
Sciarpa – Scarf
Cappello – Hat
Guanti – Gloves
Cintura – Belt
BASIC ITALIAN SENTENCES TO USE IN CLOTHES SHOPS
If you enter a shop and start to look at clothes, one of the first sentences you can hear is:
Buongiorno, posso aiutarla? – Good morning can I help you?
If you entered the shop just out of curiosity and don’t need anything special, you can reply:
No, sto solo guardando, grazie – No, I’m just looking, thanks.
By contrast, if you’re searching for something in particular, let’s say a skirt, you can reply:
Sì, sto cercando una gonna – Yes, I’m looking for a skirt
From this point on, the shop assistant will ask you some questions to try to give you what you want:
1. Che taglia? – What size?
2. Che colore? – What color?
3. Che tipo? – What type?
And you can answer like this:
1. Ho una 44 – I’m a size 44
2. Non lo so – I don’t know
2. La vorrei grigia – I’d like it grey
3. Non lo so – I don’t know
3. Sì, la vorrei lunga – Yes, I’d like a long skirt
At this point the shop assistant will show you a certain number of skirts. You can say: questa mi piace – I like this – questa non mi piace – I don’t like this.
Once you’ve chosen a good number of skirts you’d like to try, you can ask:
Posso provarle? – Can I try them?
And the shop assistant will reply:
Ma certo, il camerino è là – Sure, the fitting room is there.
If after trying your skirt you feel it’s loose or tight, you can say:
E’ un po larga/stretta – It’s a little loose/tight
Posso provare una taglia in più/in meno? – Can I try the larger/small one, please?
Then, if you like some skirts in particular and have no idea about the price, it’s time to ask for it:
Quanto costa? – How much is it?
Finally, if you’re satisfied about both one of the skirts and its price you can say:
Prendo questa – I’ll take this
La prendo – I’ll take it
WHEN IT’S TIME TO PAY
When it’s time to pay, the shop assistant will usually ask you:
Paga in contanti o con carta? – Do you pay in cash or by credit card?
And you’ll reply:
Pago in contanti – I pay in cash
Pago con la carta – I pay by credit card
That’s all for today. I hope I’ve helped you learn some basic Italian vocabulary and sentences related to Italian clothing.
If you want to learn Italian with me, feel free to contact me. The first 30 minute lesson is free.
Credits
Original image by 3179289
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