Italian for house viewings
For anyone buying a house or flat in Italy: booking a viewing with the estate agent, asking about the age of the house, the roof and damp on the tour, checking the energy certificate and running costs, talking about the price politely and understanding the steps up to the notary. All phrases use the polite Lei form, each with pronunciation.
Pronunciation in six rules
Italian is pronounced almost exactly as it is written. Learn these six rules and you can read listings, street names and the technical terms in the contract correctly first time.
c and g
Soft before e and i: cucina (kitchen) = “koo-CHEE-nah”, giardino (garden) = “jar-DEE-noh”. Otherwise hard, as in cat and go.
ch and gh
The h makes c and g hard again: chiave (key) = “KYAH-veh”, spaghetti = “spah-GET-tee”.
gn and gli
gn sounds like the ny in canyon (bagno, bathroom = “BAHN-yoh”), gli like the lli in million (famiglia = “fah-MEEL-yah”).
sc and z
sc before e and i is “sh” (piscina, pool = “pee-SHEE-nah”). z sounds like “ts” or “dz”: piazza = “PYAHT-tsah”.
Pure vowels, silent h
a, e, i, o, u are always “ah, eh, ee, oh, oo”, short and without the glide of English “day” or “go”. The h is silent: ho (I have) = “oh”.
Double letters
A double letter is held longer. pena is a penalty, penna a pen, and in tetto (roof) you clearly hear the double t, as in “hat trick”.
In the pronunciation below, the stressed syllable is in CAPITALS, syllables are joined with “-”, words are separated by spaces and “·” separates two sentences. ah, eh, ee, oh and oo are short, pure vowels; ch as in church, j as in jam, sh as in ship, ts as in cats, dz as in adze, y as in yes. Always roll the r, even before a consonant (parla = “PAR-lah”).
Calling the estate agent and booking a viewing
- Buongiorno, chiamo per l'annuncio della casa in via Roma.bwon-JOR-noh, KYAH-moh pehr lahn-NOON-choh DEL-lah KAH-zah een VEE-ah ROH-mahHello, I'm calling about the listing for the house on Via Roma.
- La casa è ancora disponibile?lah KAH-zah EH ahn-KOH-rah dee-spoh-NEE-bee-lehIs the house still available?
- Vorrei fissare una visita.vor-RAY fees-SAH-reh OO-nah VEE-zee-tahI'd like to arrange a viewing.
- Siamo in Italia dal dieci al diciassette marzo.SYAH-moh een ee-TAH-lyah dahl DYEH-chee ahl dee-chahs-SET-teh MAR-tsohWe're in Italy from 10 to 17 March.
Questions on the viewing
- Di che anno è la casa?dee keh AHN-noh EH lah KAH-zahWhat year was the house built?
- Quanti metri quadri sono?KWAHN-tee MEH-tree KWAH-dree SOH-nohHow many square metres is it?
- Il tetto è stato rifatto?eel TET-toh EH STAH-toh ree-FAHT-tohHas the roof been redone?
- Ci sono problemi di umidità?chee SOH-noh proh-BLEH-mee dee oo-mee-dee-TAHAre there any problems with damp?
- Che tipo di riscaldamento c'è?keh TEE-poh dee ree-skahl-dah-MEN-toh CHEHWhat kind of heating is there?
- Posso vedere anche la cantina?POHS-soh veh-DEH-reh AHN-keh lah kahn-TEE-nahCan I see the cellar too?
Paperwork and running costs
The most common surprise when buying in Italy is building work done without permission. So it pays to ask about the paperwork at the viewing.
- Qual è la classe energetica? C'è l'APE?kwah-LEH lah KLAHS-seh eh-nehr-JEH-tee-kah · CHEH LAH-pehWhat is the energy rating? Is there an energy performance certificate (APE)?
- La casa è conforme dal punto di vista urbanistico e catastale?lah KAH-zah EH kon-FOR-meh dahl POON-toh dee VEE-stah oor-bah-NEE-stee-koh eh kah-tah-STAH-lehDoes the house match the council's planning permits and the land registry (cadastre) records?
- Quanto sono le spese condominiali al mese?KWAHN-toh SOH-noh leh SPEH-zeh kon-doh-mee-NYAH-lee ahl MEH-zehHow much are the condominium fees (service charges) per month?
- Ci sono spese condominiali arretrate?chee SOH-noh SPEH-zeh kon-doh-mee-NYAH-lee ahr-reh-TRAH-tehAre there any unpaid condominium fees?
- Quanto si paga di IMU all'anno?KWAHN-toh see PAH-gah dee EE-moo ahl-LAHN-nohHow much property tax (IMU) do you pay a year?
Talking about the price
- Il prezzo è trattabile?eel PRET-tsoh EH traht-TAH-bee-lehIs the price negotiable?
- La casa ci piace molto, ma il prezzo è un po' alto per noi.lah KAH-zah chee PYAH-cheh MOHL-toh, mah eel PRET-tsoh EH oon POH AHL-toh pehr NOYWe like the house very much, but the price is a bit high for us.
- Bisogna rifare il tetto e il bagno.bee-ZOHN-yah ree-FAH-reh eel TET-toh eh eel BAHN-yohThe roof and the bathroom need redoing.
- Saremmo disposti a offrire duecentoventimila euro.sah-REM-moh dee-SPOH-stee ah ohf-FREE-reh doo-eh-chen-toh-ven-tee-MEE-lah EH-oo-rohWe'd be prepared to offer 220,000 euros.
- Quanto è la provvigione dell'agenzia?KWAHN-toh EH lah prohv-vee-JOH-neh del-lah-jen-TSEE-ahHow much is the agency's commission?
Offer, preliminary contract and notary
- Vorremmo fare una proposta d'acquisto.vor-REM-moh FAH-reh OO-nah proh-POH-stah dahk-KWEE-stohWe'd like to make an offer.
- La proposta vale solo dopo la verifica tecnica.lah proh-POH-stah VAH-leh SOH-loh DOH-poh lah veh-REE-fee-kah TEK-nee-kahThe offer is subject to a technical survey.
- Quando firmiamo il compromesso?KWAHN-doh feer-MYAH-moh eel kom-proh-MES-sohWhen do we sign the preliminary contract?
- A quanto ammonta la caparra?ah KWAHN-toh ahm-MON-tah lah kah-PAR-rahHow much is the deposit?
- Il notaio lo scegliamo noi.eel noh-TAH-yoh loh shel-YAH-moh NOYWe'll choose the notary ourselves.
- Ho già il codice fiscale.oh JAH eel KOH-dee-cheh fee-SKAH-lehI already have an Italian tax code.
The purchase has three stages: the offer (proposta d'acquisto), the preliminary contract (compromesso, formally contratto preliminare) with a deposit, and the deed (rogito) at the notary. Even the offer can be binding as soon as the seller accepts it in writing.
Following up by phone and WhatsApp
- Le scrivo su WhatsApp, va bene?leh SKREE-voh soo WOTS-ap, vah BEH-nehI'll message you on WhatsApp, is that all right?
- Mi può richiamare domani mattina?mee PWOH ree-kyah-MAH-reh doh-MAH-nee maht-TEE-nahCould you call me back tomorrow morning?
- Abbiamo deciso: vorremmo andare avanti.ahb-BYAH-moh deh-CHEE-zoh · vor-REM-moh ahn-DAH-reh ah-VAHN-teeWe've decided: we'd like to go ahead.
Good to know
Words from the listing
Da ristrutturare means in need of renovation, abitabile habitable, trattabile negotiable. A rustico is an old farmhouse, often with a lot of work to do.
Bilocale means two rooms
Flats are described by the number of rooms: a bilocale has two, a trilocale three, for example a living room and two bedrooms. The bathroom doesn't count, and a small kitchenette usually doesn't either.
Caparra is not acconto
Both words mean a payment before the notary appointment, but with different consequences: you lose a caparra confirmatoria if you pull out without good reason, while an acconto is in principle refunded. Check which word is in the contract.
Confirm figures in writing
Large numbers are easily muddled on the phone: mille is a thousand, but two thousand is duemila. After the call, send the price and date again by WhatsApp or email.
How buying a house in Italy works
Our sister project Heimweit has a step-by-step guide to buying property in Italy: the process, the costs and the usual pitfalls.
A course for exactly your house purchase
A phrasebook can only guess what you're planning. In LingoTrip you tell it: viewing a flat on Lake Garda, buying a rustico in Tuscany, talking price with the estate agent. LingoTrip builds a course around exactly those conversations, with audio, speech recognition and spaced review until your viewing.
Coming soon to the App Store and Google PlayFAQ
Do I need an interpreter?
Not necessarily for the viewing, many agents speak some English. For the deed you do: if you don't speak Italian, an interpreter must be present when you sign at the notary.
Do I say “Lei” or “tu”?
English has only “you”, Italian has two. Use Lei, the polite form, with the agent, the seller and the notary until they offer tu. On WhatsApp things sometimes become informal faster. All phrases on this page use the Lei form.
How long does it take to learn these phrases?
For booking the viewing, questions on the tour and a few phrases about the price, one to three weeks at a few minutes a day is enough. You should still have contracts translated, but your conversations with the agent will go smoothly.
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