What if I don't speak any Italian?
 

I want to take a trip to Venice and Rome with my husband. We live in the US. We speak no Italian at all, only English. He says that it will be difficult to get around because of this and we should go to London instead where they speak english. Will it matter? I know that there are many tourists every day that don't speak Italian right.

It won't matter at all. I've been to Italy and speak no Italian.

That being said, it is good to learn a few small words...please/thank you, yes/no, some numbers, and small phrases (Good Morning, etc.)

In Rome and Venice everyone will speak Italian and English and probably 2 or so other languages :)

Kevin

If you don't speak Italian you will be the same as the tens of thousands of other tourists.

As alyssa said...learn a few words/phrases to be polite and you'll be fine.

It won't be problem, especially in Venice and Rome. Most people speak English, and are very friendly and helpful. You'll want to have a pocket size italian-english dictionary for just in case and menus.

We knew very little and had no trouble. Most used phrases were where is the bathroom, excuse me, thank you, good morning/evening and do you speak english. Of course it is always best to know more, but you'll be just fine with that.

Plus, there are a TON of American tourists in Italy. Especially in Venice.

Go to Italy!! It is simply amazing.

Whenever I visit a non English speaking country I make up a few "idiot cards" , maybe one for eating out, one for everyday use, eg thank you, hello excuse me etc. etc. I find that the locals are very appreciative if you at least make an effort to communicate in their language.

Even if you spoke Italian, everybody would speak English to you. So don't worry, you'll get along fine. Especially in Venice and Rome.

joelst:

I hear this comment/question from many of my friends and relatives who are in awe of our passion for travel. One couple in particualr have avoided all of Europe except the UK because they speak no other languages...how sad.
GO!

Sty T.

I agree with the other posters that though everyone speaks English, it is best to try to learn some Italian before you go. You will get so much more out of Italy if you understand a bit of the language..will be more prone to wander out of the tourist areas (who really wants to eat frozen pizza reheated at tourist bars and restaurants?).

I went to Italy last year (October 2005), and learned the standard phrases... Though people were polite, and spoke English to me, I felt bad that I couldn't communicate with them in their language (I AM in their country).

This time around (just returned on October 3rd) I learned a bit more, and was MUCH, MUCH more comfortable conversing and wandering around in the non-tourist places.

If you learn the gist of the language you can read menus, store fronts, signs, easedrop on conversations :) much easier.

Having said that..don't miss Italy just because your nervous about the lanuage...if you do the "deer in the headlights" look, the Italians will help. They are generous and warm if you make an effort.

Enjoy!!!!

Thank you! Hopefully this will show my husband that Italy is where we need to go!

Not everyone speaks English, and many of those who do, speak poorly or very little--as would be expected. BUT if you stay in the most tourist-intense areas, you won't have any problem.

And even in areas a little bit out of the way you will usually find someone around who speaks enough English to get you through any potential difficulties--especially if you have a few words of Italian memorized and a good phrasebook/dictionary.

If you get a bit more off of the mainstream tourist track, then a good phrase book or Italian/English dictionary combined with sign language, drawings, and facial contortions have always worked for us--more or less. At any rate we've always survived the ordeal.

Not Italy, but I remember just a few years ago on a train from Wurzburg to Bamberg, we shared seats with a pleasant, older German lady. She had about as much English as Mrs. Fly did German (basically: please; thank you; where's the WC; and Do you have ice tea?). By the end of that relatively short train ride, Mrs. Fly was able to pretty much fill me in on the woman's family history, the purpose of her train trip, and a detailed description of their shared enjoyment of various handcraft projects.

I will say that we have sometimes had unexpected culinary experiences when dining in places where no one spoke English--even though we usually have some sort of menu translating aid. It's part of the fun of travel.

I agree with everyone else....just try to learn a few key words/phrases and you'll be ok. Have a wonderful time!

I can only really communicate in English. I know a few words of Spanish. I have been to Spain, Italy, France, Switzerland and Morrocco and had a wonderful time. (Sometimes I was in the company of friends who did speak Spanish but not always) Sometimes, much of the time really, I could find someone who spoke some English and even when reduced to basically a tourist sign language of sorts I was able to find my way. Thank you to all the nice people in all those countries that tolerated and helped me. There are wonderful experiences to be had in all those countries and I'm sure all the other countries I didn't mention. I am looking forward to the day I wander around Prague and Budapest, guide book in hand, depending on the charity of the locals to indulge a wandering illiterate tourist. In other words, go, you and your husband should have a wonderful time. Venice and Rome are such spectacular places that I think everyone who has the opportunity and interest should visit.

Young people may speak some English in Italy but in general your conversation with the Italian people will be quite limited.You may be able to find out which bus goes to St Peters from Termini but you will be unlikely to discuss its artistic merits with any local.It reminds me of my time working with some Italians on Long Island,N.Y. in my youth.Even thogh they had lived in America for years many of them had little knowlege of English.If you want to have a real conversation with local people in Europe go to an English-speaking country or even Scandinavia. I would say the best interaction occurs in Irish pubs and B&Bs.

Agree with everyone else, I just came back from Venice and speak no Italian and had no problem.

In some of the less touristy areas, such as near my hotel in Castello, it was a bit more of a problem, but managed to communicate. In a flea market on Sunday next to Santa Maria dei Miracoli church, the lady didn't speak any English. But with hand gestures and writing the price down on paper, we again managed to communicate and even bargained so that I was able to add to my castiron iron collection and buy one.

They are used to people not speaking Italian, and it's not just Americans, British, Germans, etc..

You'll have no problems, plus, I think it's kind of fun to try and communicate other ways than words. :)

Sorry, with all due respect I have to disagree with Sandylan (except for the part about Irish pubs and B&Bs :) ).

In Rome and Venice virtually everyone you meet will speak English. From the little corner bistro to the entrance to whatever site you want to visit.

In fact, many people you meet will *want* to talk English to you so they can improve their speaking ability.

Also, to reiterate what many have said, don't let lack of language be a barrier. I've been in the smallest of towns in the middle of nowhere where there was *no* common language and been just fine. As Rufus said above "facial contortions" and "drawings" work fine :)

Also, sometimes not speaking the language can be fun. While in Venice, my wife and I met a couple. The guy was from Austrailia and spoke English and German. The woman was from Germany and spoke German and Italian. We ended up in a tiny bar being serenaded by these 80 year old Italian men (well, the women were serenaded :) ). We communicated by talking to the Aussie, who spoke in German to the German, who spoke in Italian to the others. Sounds complicated but believe me it was fun :)

Enjoy your trip. Italy is *not* to be missed.

Kevin

I had really good luck with Berlitz language CDs before our trip to Germany. The CDs are completely audio so I just listened in the car. I was amazed at how much I picked up. Between the CDs, the phrasebook and dictionary I had, I was able to get by in German pretty well. No in depth conversations or anything, but I could order food, check into hotels, buy tickets to museums, ask for directions, and so on.

We ran into a lot of English speakers, but it was nice to be able to speak to people in German. Plus, it really helped with the few people we found who didn't speak English.

I am sure Berlitz has an Italian CD set.

Don't worry, somehow you'll get by.

We were on a train in Italy and DH and an Italian man started talking. DH doesn't speak a word of Italian, and the man didn't speak any English. Yet somehow DH learned that the man was on his way to his new job with Fiat in Torino. He was really excited because it was a coveted job. Don't ask me how, but somehow they managed to understand each other. You'll be fine.

I am hopeless at languages, don't even speak Welsh and that's where I live. I was sent to work in Italy for 6 months in 1998. Within a couple of days we were what we called speaking "Fluid Italian", i.e. could order food and drink in Italian. Never had any problems being understood, or understanding, anyone. Most places that deal with tourists are used to dealing with us English speakers. As with earlier advice, just learn a few useful phrases, e.g. Please, Thank You, Yes, No and the numbers 1 to 10.
By the end of the 6 months I picked up enough Italian to report a problem with a 2 Megabit Circuit to Telecom Italia, if I can do it, and have fun, I'm sure you can.
Have a good time, Peter.

Agreeing with all these posts. Go and enjoy. I usually ask the desk clerks at the hotel for a few new phrases, and always like to learn how to ask for my room by number in the local language. They enjoy teaching and I enjoy learning.

I agree with everybody here. Like many others here, I have travelled in a number of non-English-speaking countries, and I have to say, Italians are the least "linguocentric" of just about any culture. I do speak a bit of Italian, and I enjoy being able to banter a bit (though I'm sure I've made some dreadful mistakes!) But my husband does not speak any Italian, and he is always amazed by how generous and helpful Italians are when he is unable to communicate with words. Shrugs and smiles (not to mention pointing to food!) are always understood in Italy. So is an open heart. GO!!

Just came back Saturday from Italy. We went to Firenze (Florence), Venetzia (Vencie) and Tuscany. Rarely had a person that could not speak English. We did use our limited Italian greetings and tried where possible to communicate in their tongue. It is only polite to try and do so. We went to London first for 2 nights to get over jetlag and then on to Italy for 12 days.

Have fun!

KP

You'll get by the same as the millions of other non-Italian speaking tourists who go to Italy every year.
;-)

Not that everyone speaks English, but really what all are you going to be talking about to strangers anyway?

We just returned from Rome, Venice, and Tuscany. You can certainly get by with no Italian at all, particularly in Rome and Venice. However, I took an Italian for Travelers course, 10 hours over 5 nights, at a local community college before we left, and consider it some of the best money I spent. It gave me loads more confidence while we were there, and it covered some useful topics like tipping, how to read a train ticket, some cultural differences, local culinary specialties, etc. And, it was just fun to spend a few evenings comparing notes and sharing enthusiasm with a group of other people preparing to visit Italy, too. Whatever you decide, definitely go. We had an amazing, incredible, fabulous, memorable time!

<i>Italian for Travelers course, 10 hours over 5 nights</i>

Gosh, that sound perfect! I like to know a little more than just the &quot;hello goodbye please thank you&quot; phrases.

I learned French several years ago and have been torn between whether to continue working on my French or start in on Italian (I chose French). But, before going to Italy, I learned a few phrases about the train, shopping, hotel, restaurants, etc. It wasn't hard and it just makes travelling more fun. \
Here's a basic list that also has sound so you can hear the pronunciation:
http://tinyurl.com/ydq29d

Joelst: Spend a little time, too, learning how Italian meals are structured (thus the menus as well).
Here are some places to start:
http://tinyurl.com/ygejug
http://tinyurl.com/ymqakh

There are many tourists from other non-Italian-speaking countries who visit Italy and enjoy it without difficulty. Your husband might be surprised at how well he gets along knowing (supposedly)absolutely no Italian yet recognizing many written words, signs, etc., thanks to exposure in the media, and so forth.

He won't need to know any Italian to recognize &quot;pizza&quot; for example. Good luck with the &quot;convincing&quot; arguments and if all else fails do the &quot;intimidation&quot; number on him: tell him you'll go without him (and act like you mean it).

We lived in Rome 17 years ago and spoke no Italian. Just go and enjoy. Remember to try a few words that you can learn online. Italians are warm and friendly. They understand what you are saying just very shy about their use of our language.

About 1/4 of Italy's people speak English to some degree--per 2006 survey. Of course, this would likely be more concentrated in areas serving large numbers of non-Italian tourists.

We've been to Europe MANY times and speak only English. NEVER had a problem communicating and look forward to going MANY more times.

About 40% of Germans; 26% of Frenchindividuals; 75% of the Dutch; 25% of Spaniards; 23% of Poles; 74% of Swedes; 50% of Belgians; 48% of Austrians; 21% of Czechs.

There is quite a lot of variance.