on avere, see here.
Do you have…?
| Avete informazioni su dove alloggiare? | Do you have any information about accommodation? |
| Avete camere libere? | Have you got any rooms free? |
| Avreste degli asciugamani, per favore? | Would you have any towels, please? |
| C’è accesso ad Internet? | Have you got internet access? |
If you want to ask for something, you can use Mi dà..? (Can I have…?).
Can I have…?
| Mi dà la chiave della stanza, per favore? | Can I have the key to my room, please? |
| Mi dà una ricevuta, per favore? | Can I have a receipt, please? |
| Ci dà una lista degli alloggi disponibili? | Can we have a list of available accommodation? |
| Mi potrebbe dare ancora due asciugamani? | Could I have two more towels? |
If you are asking someone whether they can do something for you, use Può…? (Can You…?) and Potrebbe…? (Could You…?) or, more informally, Puoi…? or Potresti…?. They all come from the verb potere (to be able). For more information on potere, see here.
Can you…?
| Può darmi conferma della prenotazione per posta elettronica? | Can You confirm the booking by email? |
| Mi può svegliare alle sette, per favore? | Can You give me an alarm call at seven o’clock, please? |
| Potrebbe cambiare gli asciugamani, per favore? | Could You change the towels, please? |
| Potrebbe farmi vedere la stanza, per favore? | Could You show me the room, please? |
Would you mind…?
| Le dispiacerebbe mostrarmi come funziona il forno? | Would You mind showing me how the oven works? |
| Le dispiacerebbe chiamarmi un taxi? | Would You mind calling a taxi for me? |
| Le dispiacerebbe portarmi la valigia in camera? | Would You mind taking my suitcases up to my room? |
When you are enquiring about somewhere to stay you will need to give information about yourself. Use sono (I am) to talk about yourself and siamo (we are) to include the people who are with you. These come from the verb essere (to be). For more information on essere, see here.
I’m…
| Sono una studentessa. | I’m a student. |
| Sono canadese. | I’m Canadian. |
| Sono del sud dell’Inghilterra. | I’m from the south of England. |
| Siamo in vacanza. | We’re on holiday. |
| Siamo i proprietari. | We’re the owners. |
My name is…
| Mi chiamo Brian Gallagher. | My name is Brian Gallagher. |
| Mi chiamo Olivia Green. | My name is Olivia Green. |
| Sono la signora Smith. Ho prenotato una stanza doppia per questa notte. | My name is Mrs Smith. I’ve booked a double room for tonight. |
| Il cognome è Morris… | My surname is Morris… |
| …e il nome è Emma. | …and my first name is Emma. |
| Si scrive M-O-R-R-I-S. | It’s spelt M-O-R-R-I-S. |
BUONO A SAPERSI!
Remember that the Italian alphabet is pronounced differently from the English alphabet. For more information on how to say letters of the alphabet in Italian, see here.
When you want to find something out about your accommodation, an easy way to ask questions is just to put È…? (Is…?) before what you want to know. Alternatively, you can simply make your voice go up at the end of the sentence.
Is it…?
| È caro? | Is it expensive? |
| È un hotel moderno? | Is it a modern hotel? |
| È lontano? | Is it far? |
| La colazione è compresa nel prezzo? | Is breakfast included in the price? |
| Le spese sono comprese nell’affitto? | Are bills included in the rent? |
You can use C’è…? in Italian to ask Is there…? and Ci sono…? to ask Are there…?.
Is there…?
| C’è un posto per mangiare qualcosa qui vicino? | Is there anywhere near here where we can get something to eat? |
| C’è un ascensore? | Is there a lift? |
| C’è un balcone? | Is there a balcony? |
| Ci sono toilettes per disabili? | Are there disabled toilets? |
Use cerco (I’m looking for) or cerchiamo (we’re looking for) to ask where something is. cerco comes from the verb cercare (to look for).
I’m looking for…
| Scusi, cerco il campeggio. | Excuse me, I’m looking for the campsite. |
| Cerco una pensione per stanotte. | I’m looking for a B&B for tonight. |
| Cerchiamo l’Hotel Bellini. | We’re looking for the Hotel Bellini. |
To get more specific information, you may need to ask Quale…? (What…?), Dove…? (Where…?) or A che ora…? (What time…?).
What…?
