Italian for trade fairs
For three days on a stand in Milan, Bologna or Verona: greet visitors, introduce yourself and your product, ask about needs and delivery times, arrange a follow-up meeting and raise a glass at the evening aperitivo. All phrases use the polite Lei form and come with pronunciation.
Pronunciation in six rules
Italian is pronounced almost exactly as it is written. Learn these six rules and you will say company and product names correctly too.
c and g
Soft before e and i: ciao = “chow”, gelato = “jeh-LAH-toh”. Otherwise hard, as in cat and go.
ch and gh
The h makes c and g hard again: chiesa (church) = “KYEH-zah”, spaghetti = “spah-GET-tee”.
gn and gli
gn sounds like the ny in canyon (gnocchi = “NYOK-kee”), gli like the lli in million (biglietto = “beel-YET-toh”).
sc and z
sc before e and i is “sh” (uscita, exit = “oo-SHEE-tah”). z sounds like “ts” or “dz”: pizza = “PEET-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. Say the consonant twice, as in “bookcase”.
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”).
Welcoming visitors to your stand
- Buongiorno, benvenuto al nostro stand!bwon-JOR-noh, ben-veh-NOO-toh ahl NOH-stroh standHello, welcome to our stand. (To a woman: benvenuta)
- Posso aiutarla?POHS-soh ah-yoo-TAR-lahCan I help you?
- Mi chiamo Anna Smith, sono responsabile vendite.mee KYAH-moh · SOH-noh reh-spon-SAH-bee-leh VEN-dee-tehMy name is Anna Smith, I'm the sales manager.
- Di che cosa si occupa la sua azienda?dee keh KOH-zah see OK-koo-pah lah SOO-ah ahd-DZYEN-dahWhat does your company do?
- Che cosa cerca esattamente?keh KOH-zah CHEHR-kah eh-zaht-tah-MEN-tehWhat exactly are you looking for?
Presenting your product
- Le presento il nostro nuovo prodotto.leh preh-ZEN-toh eel NOH-stroh NWOH-voh proh-DOT-tohLet me show you our new product.
- È molto facile da usare.EH MOHL-toh FAH-chee-leh dah oo-ZAH-rehIt's very easy to use.
- Rispetto al modello precedente consuma il trenta per cento in meno.ree-SPET-toh ahl moh-DEL-loh preh-cheh-DEN-teh kon-SOO-mah eel TREN-tah pehr CHEN-toh een MEH-nohCompared with the previous model, it uses 30 per cent less.
- Vuole provarlo?VWOH-leh proh-VAR-lohWould you like to try it?
Prices and terms
- Quali sono i tempi di consegna?KWAH-lee SOH-noh ee TEM-pee dee kon-SEN-yahWhat are the delivery times?
- Il prezzo è IVA esclusa.eel PRET-tsoh EH EE-vah es-KLOO-zahThe price is excluding VAT.
- Per ordini più grandi possiamo fare uno sconto.pehr OR-dee-nee pyoo GRAHN-dee pohs-SYAH-moh FAH-reh OO-noh SKON-tohFor larger orders we can offer a discount.
- Le mando un'offerta via email entro venerdì.leh MAHN-doh oo-nof-FEHR-tah VEE-ah ee-MAYL EN-troh veh-nehr-DEEI'll email you a quote by Friday.
Meetings and contacts
- Ha un biglietto da visita?ah oon beel-YET-toh dah VEE-zee-tahDo you have a business card?
- Possiamo fissare un appuntamento?pohs-SYAH-moh fees-SAH-reh oon ahp-poon-tah-MEN-tohCan we arrange a meeting?
- Le va bene martedì alle dieci?leh vah BEH-neh mar-teh-DEE AHL-leh DYEH-cheeDoes Tuesday at ten suit you?
- Grazie per la visita, a presto!GRAH-tsyeh pehr lah VEE-zee-tah, ah PREH-stohThank you for coming, see you soon.
Evening aperitivo
In Milan people meet for an aperitivo between 6 and 9 pm. Drinks come with small snacks, often a whole buffet.
- Andiamo a prendere un aperitivo?ahn-DYAH-moh ah PREN-deh-reh oon ah-peh-ree-TEE-vohShall we go for an aperitivo?
- Offro io.OHF-froh EE-ohIt's on me.
- Alla nostra collaborazione!AHL-lah NOH-strah kol-lah-boh-rah-TSYOH-nehTo working together.
Getting around Milan
- Come arrivo alla Fiera?KOH-meh ahr-REE-voh AHL-lah FYEH-rahHow do I get to the trade fair?
- Un taxi per Piazza Duomo, per favore.oon TAHK-see pehr PYAHT-tsah DWOH-mohA taxi to Piazza Duomo, please.
- Mi può fare la ricevuta?mee PWOH FAH-reh lah ree-cheh-VOO-tahCould I have a receipt?
- Mi serve la fattura intestata alla mia azienda.mee SEHR-veh lah faht-TOO-rah een-teh-STAH-tah AHL-lah MEE-ah ahd-DZYEN-dahI need the invoice made out to my company.
Good to know
Titles matter
Italians like to address business contacts by their title: Dottor Rossi (for anyone with a degree), Ingegner Bianchi. If you're unsure, say Signor or Signora and the surname.
Take the metro to Fiera Milano
The exhibition centre is in Rho, outside the city. The red metro line M1 runs to Rho Fieramilano station, which is usually quicker than a taxi.
Lunch takes time
A business lunch often lasts more than an hour. The espresso afterwards is drunk at the bar, standing up.
Receipts for expenses
For your expenses claim, a ricevuta is often enough. If you need an invoice made out to your company (fattura), give the company name, address and VAT number.
A course for exactly your trade fair
A phrasebook can only guess what you're planning. In LingoTrip you tell it: three days at a trade fair in Milan, customers from the furniture trade, your product in two sentences. LingoTrip builds a course around exactly those conversations, with audio, speech recognition and spaced review until you leave.
Coming soon to the App Store and Google Play
FAQ
Is English enough at an Italian trade fair?
With large companies, usually yes. Many small and medium-sized firms prefer to speak Italian, though, and even a few phrases of greeting make a good impression.
Do I say “Lei” or “tu”?
With customers and business partners always Lei, the polite form, until the other person suggests tu. All phrases on this page use the Lei form.
How long will it take to learn these phrases?
For greetings, introductions and arranging meetings, one to three weeks at a few minutes a day is enough. A full sales conversation in Italian takes longer, but you will make a good start.
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