In Italy the first conversation about a small job is almost always on the phone and lasts under a minute. Below are ten common questions in Italian, what they mean, a short reply, and how to say it. The last sentence is the one to use when you cannot follow.
Parli italiano?
Do you speak Italian?
PAR-lee ee-tah-LYAH-noh?
You say:
Un po'. Piano, per favore.
A little. Slowly, please.
oon POH. PYAH-noh, per fah-VOH-reh.
Hai i documenti?
Do you have documents?
eye ee doh-koo-MEN-tee?
You say:
Non ancora. Possiamo scriverci su WhatsApp?
Not yet. Can we write on WhatsApp?
non an-KOH-rah. poss-YAH-moh skree-VER-chee soo WhatsApp?
Hai esperienza?
Do you have experience?
eye es-peh-RYEN-tsah?
You say:
Sì, tre anni. Le mando il curriculum.
Yes, three years. I will send you the CV.
see, treh AH-nee. leh MAN-doh eel koo-REE-koo-loom.
Dove abiti?
Where do you live?
DOH-veh AH-bee-tee?
You say:
Abito a {città}. Posso venire con l'autobus.
I live in {city}. I can come by bus.
AH-bee-toh ah … POSS-oh veh-NEE-reh con LOW-toh-boos.
Quando puoi iniziare?
When can you start?
KWAN-doh PWOY ee-nee-TSYAH-reh?
You say:
Anche domani, se vuole.
Tomorrow, if you like.
AN-keh doh-MAH-nee, seh VWOH-leh.
Hai la patente? Hai il motorino?
Do you have a licence? A scooter?
eye lah pah-TEN-teh? eye eel moh-toh-REE-noh?
You say:
No, ma posso venire con i mezzi.
No, but I can come by public transport.
noh, mah POSS-oh veh-NEE-reh con ee MED-zee.
È part-time. / È tempo pieno.
It is part time. / It is full time.
eh part-time / eh TEM-poh PYEH-noh
You say:
Va bene. Quante ore alla settimana?
All right. How many hours a week?
vah BEH-neh. KWAN-teh OH-reh AH-lah set-tee-MAH-nah?
Puoi venire domani alle nove?
Can you come tomorrow at nine?
PWOY veh-NEE-reh doh-MAH-nee AH-leh NOH-veh?
You say:
Sì. Mi manda l'indirizzo su WhatsApp?
Yes. Will you send the address on WhatsApp?
see. mee MAN-dah leen-dee-REET-tsoh soo WhatsApp?
Mandami il curriculum su WhatsApp.
Send me the CV on WhatsApp.
MAN-dah-mee eel koo-REE-koo-loom soo WhatsApp
You say:
Glielo mando subito. Grazie.
I'll send it right away. Thank you.
LYEH-loh MAN-doh SOO-bee-toh. GRAH-tsyeh.
Ti richiamo io.
I will call you back.
tee ree-KYAH-moh EE-oh
You say:
Grazie, resto in attesa.
Thank you, I will wait.
GRAH-tsyeh, RES-toh een at-TEH-zah.
When you cannot follow
Mi scusi, il mio italiano è basico. Può scrivermi su WhatsApp, per favore?
Sorry, my Italian is basic. Could you write to me on WhatsApp, please?
mee SKOO-zee, eel MEE-oh ee-tah-LYAH-noh eh BAH-zee-koh. pwoh skree-VER-mee soo WhatsApp, per fah-VOH-reh?
Learn this sentence. In writing you can use a translator and you get time to think about the answer.
Common mistakes
- Claiming documents you do not have. In Italy they are checked before you start, and the lie surfaces at once.
- Saying “sì, sì” when you have not understood. The employer takes it as agreement.
- Agreeing without asking the pay and the hours. Both are ordinary first-call questions.
- Agreeing to work “in nero” (off the books) without understanding what it means. Read the rights page below.
Next step
After the call you will be asked for a CV. Our free CV builder writes one in Italian, with the form in your own language.
Free CV BuilderSources
Everything on this page is written from what we could confirm. Where a phrase is a suggestion rather than a rule, it says so.
Last verified: 2026-09-04
