How do Italians answer the phone?

Q: What does 'pronto' mean in Italian?

'Pronto' means 'ready' in Italian. When answering the phone, Italians use 'pronto' to let the person on the other end know that they are ready to talk.

Q: How do you answer the phone in Italian?

To answer the phone in Italian, you can say 'Pronto,' 'Ciao' (informal), 'Salve' (formal), 'Buongiorno' (good morning), 'Buonasera' (good evening), or 'Chi parla?' (who's calling?).

Q: What are some ways to end a call in Italian?

Some ways to end a call in Italian include saying 'Grazie/ Grazie mille' (thanks/ thanks a lot), 'Ciao' (bye), 'Arrivederci' (see you soon), 'Buona giornata' (have a good day), or 'Buona serata' (have a good evening).

Italian culture

Stefano

Italian language tutor, course author. MEng, MBA. Member of the International Association of Hyperpolyglots (HYPIA). After learning 12 languages, I can tell you that we all master languages by listening and mimicking. I couldn’t find an app to recommend to my students, so I made my own one. With my method, you’ll be speaking Italian from Lesson 1.

My best articles

Spaced repetition | Innovative Method to Learn Italian

Struggling with new words? An Italian polyglot has valuable advice about spaced repetition. A quick guide to memorize vocabulary fast, from pain to joy!

Communication Skills in a Foreign Language: Achieve Fluency by Solving Tasks

Activities to improve communication skills in a foreign language shift the focus of teaching from the language itself to actually doing things in that language.

Italian for beginners: top 8 Pains of learning + solutions

Italian for beginners can be a pain to learn. Not with this polyglot's video guide with 8 solutions to get started! The best way to survive and avoid pitfalls.

How long does it take to learn Italian?

Here is the blog post with formatting applied: How Long does it Take to Learn Italian? Learning a language is a complex process that is different for each individual based...

How to use active recall in language learning (no passive repetition!)

What is active recall? In the last years, there has been so much hype around active recall as it is believed to improve your study results and get you better...

Why people still use bad study methods and language apps

What makes a good method of learning a language? To me, a study method is good if it delivers results. Typically, people want to learn Italian to communicate. Thus, progress...

Comprehensible input for the Italian language

Struggling with listening? An Italian polyglot has valuable advice about comprehensible input. A quick guide to master any language fast. From pain to joy!

Speaking practice: talk to yourself

How to practice speaking alone? For best results, turn virtually any study time (reading, listening, writing) into speaking practice for language immersion!

Language learning for communication: acquisition is best

Language learning is an artificial exercise that occupies time, money, and effort that could be better spent doing language acquisition. Learn to communicate!

Answering the Phone in Italian

How to Answer the Phone in Italian?

How to End a Call in Italian?

What does “pronto” mean in Italian?

Italian Phone Conversation | Example

Summary

Get ready to chat like a local! Our guide will turn you into a phone convo pro in Italian, teaching you the essential phrases to start and end calls with ease. Say ‘ciao’ to phone jitters! 📞🇮🇹

Answering the Phone: Start with a confident “Pronto” (Hello?) to show you’re ready to talk. Keep it casual with friends using “Ciao” or “Salve” for a more formal touch.
Who’s Calling? Curious about the caller? Ask “Chi parla?” (Who’s calling?) or state your name with “Mi chiamo…” to introduce yourself.
Connecting Callers: Want to talk to someone specific? Use “Potrei parlare con…?” (Could I speak with…?) to get directed to the right person.
Wrapping Up: End on a high note with a polite “Grazie” or “Arrivederci” (See you soon) to leave a good impression. 🌟
Pronto 101: Remember, “pronto” is your go-to regardless of gender. It’s like saying “Ready!” but way cooler because, well, it’s Italian.

My thoughts

One of the first things you need to know if you’re considering going to Italy is how to answer the phone in Italian.

Talking on the phone in a foreign country can be intimidating, especially if you’re not fluent.

Don’t worry, though. In today’s post, you’ll learn all about how Italians answer the phone so that you can learn how to do it too.

Let’s find out!

Answering the Phone in Italian

First of all, you need to learn some basic vocabulary in Italian about calling.

Here are some important words and expressions:

chiamare

to call

chiamata

a phone call

numero (di telefono)

phone number

cellulare

Quick facts

mobile phone

telefono

telephone

How to Answer the Phone in Italian?

Let’s now focus on how to answer the phone in Italian.

Overcome your barriers in 3 minutes

What's holding you back from becoming fluent?
Find out with this free checklist!

FREE DOWNLOAD

Here are some expressions to start with:

Pronto

Hello?

Ciao (informal)

Salve (formal)

Hello

Buongiorno/ Buonasera

Good morning/ Good evening

Chi parla?

Who’s calling?/ Who’s this?

Sono…

It’s…

Mi chiamo…

My name is…

Potrei parlare con…?

Could I speak with…?

Con chi parlo?

Who am I talking to?

Glielo/ Gliela passo subito.

I’ll pass it on to him/ her straight away.

There are three very informal ways to answer the phone in Italian.

We use them if we know the person who’s calling:

Oi!/ Hey!

Hey!

Dimmi!

Tell me!

How to End a Call in Italian?

And here are some expressions to end the call:

Grazie/ Grazie mille

Thanks/ Thanks a lot

Ciao (informal)

Bye

Arrivederci

See you soon

Buona giornata

Have a good day

Buona serata

Have a good evening

What does “pronto” mean in Italian?

Interestingly, in Italian when we answer the phone we don’t say ciao.

Instead, we say pronto.

Pronto literally means “ready”. So, when we answer the phone, we let the person on the other end know that we are ready to talk.

Free Guide

How to Learn Languages Fast

This is why we say pronto to answer the phone.

By the way, if you’re wondering whether you should say pronta if you’re a woman, the answer is no.

You always say pronto.

Italian Phone Conversation | Example

Let’s now have a look at an example of a phone call in Italian:

A: Pronto?
B: Salve, buongiorno. Potrei parlare con Marco?
A: Certo, chi parla?
B: Sono Eleonora.
A: Glielo passo subito.
B: Grazie, arrivederci.
A: Buona giornata.

A: Hello?
B: Hello, good morning. Could I speak with Marco?
A: Sure, who’s calling?
B: It’s Eleonora.
A: I’ll hand it on to him right away.
B: Thanks, see you soon.
A: Have a nice day.

Learn more about Phrasal Verbs in Italian.

FAQs

What does "pronto" mean in Italian?

"Pronto" means "ready" in Italian. When answering the phone, Italians use "pronto" to let the person on the other end know that they are ready to talk.

How do you answer the phone in Italian?

To answer the phone in Italian, you can say "Pronto," "Ciao" (informal), "Salve" (formal), "Buongiorno" (good morning), "Buonasera" (good evening), or "Chi parla?" (who's calling?).

What are some ways to end a call in Italian?

Some ways to end a call in Italian include saying "Grazie/ Grazie mille" (thanks/ thanks a lot), "Ciao" (bye), "Arrivederci" (see you soon), "Buona giornata" (have a good day), or "Buona serata" (have a good evening).

Italian word of the day

passeggiata

Example

Hai voglia di fare una passeggiata?

Do you feel like going for a walk?

Follow me to fluency

Create a free lifetime account to get access to all the free courses and other resources.

Comments

2 Responses

Rose says:

10/26/2022 at 4:42 AM

Is “Pronto” considered formal or informal?I have a friend who answers this way, and I’ve always had this doubt.

Log in to Reply
1. Julieta says:
  
  10/26/2022 at 5:56 AM
  
  Ciao Rose!
  
  “Pronto” is a standard line when you pick up the phone. Then you can say “Ciao”, a bit more informal, or “Salve” + good morning/good night, a bit more formal.
  
  I hope to have answered your question 🙂 so please let me know

How do Italians answer the phone?

Contents

Summary

My thoughts

Answering the Phone in Italian

How to Answer the Phone in Italian?

How to End a Call in Italian?

What does “pronto” mean in Italian?

Italian Phone Conversation | Example

FAQs

What does "pronto" mean in Italian?

How do you answer the phone in Italian?

What are some ways to end a call in Italian?

Comments

2 Responses

Leave a Reply Cancel reply