Convenience Store

1. A che ora riaprite?

   What time do you reopen?

   Usage

   Italy has no Japanese-style convenience stores; the "alimentari" fills that role. Most shut for a long lunch break from about 1pm to 4pm, so ask when they reopen

   Grammar Note

   The prefix "ri-" means "again": aprire (to open) → riaprire (to reopen). Shops are addressed with the "voi" form

2. Siete aperti la domenica?

   Are you open on Sundays?

   Usage

   Italian independent shops commonly close on Sundays, and in smaller towns some stay shut from Saturday afternoon to Monday morning. Immigrant-run shops and station or motorway outlets are the exceptions

   Grammar Note

   A definite article on a weekday makes it habitual; bare "domenica" refers to this coming Sunday

3. Vorrei un biglietto dell'autobus

   I'd like a bus ticket

   Usage

   Italian bus tickets usually cannot be bought on board — you get them beforehand at a tabaccheria or newsstand, then validate them in the on-board machine

   Grammar Note

   "Di" fuses with the article into del / della / dell'. The conditional "vorrei" is politer than "voglio" and is the default shopping form

4. I biglietti li vendiamo solo in tabaccheria

   We only sell tickets at the tobacconist's

   Usage

   Said by staff. Tobacco is a state monopoly in Italy, sold only at a "tabaccheria" marked by a white T on blue. The same shop handles stamps, duty stamps and transport tickets

   Grammar Note

   Fronting the object and echoing it with a pronoun is standard spoken Italian. Shop types take no article: "in tabaccheria", "in farmacia"

5. Vendete francobolli?

   Do you sell stamps?

   Usage

   Italian post offices mean long queues and short hours, so buying stamps at a tabaccheria is the practical route for sending postcards

   Grammar Note

   Generic indefinite plurals can drop the article. Add the destination when ordering: "per il Giappone"

6. Vorrei una ricarica telefonica da dieci euro

   I'd like a ten euro phone top-up

   Usage

   Tabaccherie and newsstands handle prepaid SIM top-ups ("ricarica") for the main carriers — TIM, Vodafone and WINDTRE. You name the amount you want

   Grammar Note

   The preposition "da" marks value or capacity: "un caffè da un euro". Add the carrier too: "una ricarica TIM da venti euro"

7. Devo pagare prima alla cassa?

   Do I have to pay at the till first?

   Usage

   At Italian autogrills and bars you normally pay at the till first, then hand the receipt to the counter staff. Do it the other way round and you will be turned away

   Grammar Note

   "A" fuses with the article into al / alla / all'. "Dovere" expresses obligation, "potere" possibility

8. Prima paghi alla cassa, poi porti lo scontrino al banco

   Pay at the till first, then bring the receipt to the counter

   Usage

   Said by staff. This is the basic flow at an Italian bar or autogrill, followed even for a single coffee

   Grammar Note

   Commands to the formal "Lei" borrow the present subjunctive: paghi, porti. Masculine nouns starting with s + consonant or z take "lo"

9. Mi fa un panino con prosciutto e formaggio?

   Could you make me a ham and cheese roll?

   Usage

   Alimentari and motorway autogrills make panini to order. You name the filling, and it comes out fresher and cheaper than a pre-packed sandwich

   Grammar Note

   Italian makes requests with a plain present-tense question. "Panino" literally means "little bread"; the plural is "panini"

10. Glielo scaldo?

    Shall I heat it up for you?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Italian counters will press a panino or piadina on the "piastra" — a rare European example of a heating service. Decline with "No, così va bene"

    Grammar Note

    The indirect "Le" plus direct "lo" contract to "glielo". A first-person present used as a question functions as an offer

11. Mi dà un sacchetto, per favore?

    Could you give me a bag, please?

    Usage

    Since 2018 Italy allows only biodegradable carrier bags, all chargeable. Nothing comes free, so ask if you need one

    Grammar Note

    "Dà" needs its accent to distinguish it from the preposition "da". The suffix "-etto" is a diminutive

12. Il sacchetto costa dieci centesimi

    The bag costs ten cents

    Usage

    Said by staff. Free bags are illegal, so the charge is always announced. Decline with "No grazie, ho la borsa"

    Grammar Note

    "Costare" agrees with its subject, so plural items take "costano". The plural of "centesimo" is "centesimi"

13. C'è un minimo per pagare con la carta?

    Is there a minimum to pay by card?

    Usage

    By law every Italian shop must accept cards, yet small ones still post a floor such as "carta da 5 euro" in practice

    Grammar Note

    Plural nouns take "ci sono". Unlike English, Italian keeps the article on the payment method: "con la carta"

14. Posso vedere un documento?

    May I see some ID?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Alcohol and tobacco sales in Italy are 18+, and shops must check anyone who looks young. Travellers show a passport

    Grammar Note

    In context Italian "documento" means an ID; the full form is "un documento d'identità"

15. Fino a quando si conserva?

    How long does this keep?

    Usage

    Italian labels distinguish "da consumarsi entro" (a safety deadline) from "da consumarsi preferibilmente entro" (a quality date)

    Grammar Note

    The reflexive "si" yields an agentless, intransitive reading. "Quando scade?" means the same thing

16. Non dimentichi lo scontrino

    Don't forget your receipt

    Usage

    Said by staff. Italian shops are legally obliged to issue receipts, and customers are expected to carry them for a while after leaving — tax inspections are the reason staff insist

    Grammar Note

    Negative commands to "Lei" use "non" plus the present subjunctive. Only the "tu" form uses "non" plus the infinitive: "non dimenticare"

17. Mi dà due etti di prosciutto crudo?

    Could I have two hundred grams of prosciutto crudo?

    Usage

    An alimentari has a staffed deli counter where everything is sold by weight. Italians order in "etti" — units of 100 grams — rather than in grams

    Grammar Note

    "Etto" shortens "ettogrammo" and pluralises as "etti". For in-between amounts say "un etto e mezzo" (150g)

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