Learn Italian with ItalianPod101.com. A little Italian can go such a long way! Whether you’re traveling, visiting, or sightseeing, ItalianPod101.com has all the essential travel phrases just for you! Today we cover another high frequency phrase which will be sure to be of use on your trip, vacation or travels to Italy.
Today we will take a look at how to ask “Can You Speak English?” in Italian! Furthermore we offer polite Italian Phrases that are sure to make you look great!
This entry was posted on Monday, March 31st, 2008 at 6:30 pm and is filed under Survival Phrases. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Purtroppo non parlo svedese!
Unfortunately I don’t speak Swedish!
Nemmeno io parlo svedese!
Anche se mi piacerebbe
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I don’t speak swedish either, but I really like to…
Cinzia
I have always wondered about what the point is to ask someone whether he/she speaks English in.. a language which is not English! Surely asking the same in English will ALWAYS elicit the right information:
puzzled look=no
smile+yes/a bit = yes
Well, Marco said it: it is nice to show you are making an effort. And it is a good way to introduce parla/parli ecc..
However, I wonder whether the real survival phrase is:
C’e’ qualcuno qui che parla inglese ?
Is there anyone here who speaks English?
that can be shortened to:
Qualcuno parla inglese qui?
An English speaker will come forward and, if none is present, the locals will be able to direct to someone who can help you.
Qualcuno ha dei commenti ?
roma55i
Excellent observation, I agree that the real survival situation is when you are looking around for someone that speaks your language, so in Italian you would say:
Qualcuno parla inglese qui?
Hoping to find someone.
Marco
Category: Survival Phrases |
Function: asking is someone speaks english | Topic: Can You Speak English? | Politeness Level: Informal and Formal
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