Can I get water in Italian? (2023)

Can I get some water please in Italian?

Potrei avere anche dell'acqua, per favore?

1. Posso avere una bicchiere di l'acqua frizzante?

The Italian word for water is acqua, and it is a feminine noun. Mi porti un bicchiere d'acqua per favore?

1. Posso avere del acqua?

If you want tap water, you should specify it to the waiting staff of the restaurant or bar, asking for a glass of “acqua di rubinetto”.

When ordering water in a restaurant, it will be assumed you want bottled water. If not, ask for acqua del rubinetto. In the U.S., most of us drink "flat" water, or naturale. About half the Italian population drinks aqua naturale, the other half drinks aqua gassata (pronounced gah-zah-tah), water with bubbles.

The water is perfectly safe to drink all over Italy, and you can ask for tap water if you want – it's just that no one usually does, and your waiter might not want to bring it to you.

Yes, you do have to pay for water. (You can ask for “acqua dal rubinetto,” tap water, but it's often seen as a bit rude. Plus, those glasses of tap water will take ages to get refilled by your waiter, if they're refilled at all!).

The word aqua is sometimes also used to mean "water," and in fact the Latin root means "water, the sea, or rain."

Can you have wet hair in Italy?

Literally translating to 'blow of air' in English, Colpo d'aria is a belief in Italy. Italians believe stepping out with wet hair can cause stiff neck or other neck-related ailments. On a very serious note, they believe going out with wet hair or wigs get wet may kill you.

Although most Italian tap water is perfectly potable, Italians insist on clinging to the bottle. There are a number of reasons for this. Firstly, Italians have a long history of using mineral water for medicinal and health purposes.

In Italy, if you go out without drying your hair, you'll risk getting a “colpo d'aria” – or, literally, a “blast of air”. This is said to cause anything from a sore neck to indigestion.

“Get” doesn't necessarily mean you are asking to get it yourself. “Can I get more water please” is an acceptable way to ask a server to bring you more water. But it is a bit informal.

“posso avere il conto per favore?”

The Italian word for cheers is either “Salute” or “Cin Cin”. This is usually followed by “alla nostra salute”, which means “to your health”. If you would like to make a toast, you would say “fare un brindisi”. Italians love to say “cin cin” because it recalls the sound of glass touching when making the toast.

Tap water in Rome is free and cafes do not charge for it, so if you ask for a glass of water in addition to your drink of coffee, that is usually not a problem. If you only ask for a glass of water, you will most likely asked to specify what type you prefer and the default would be bottles water.

While it's possible to get tap water, to do so you may need to be polite, patient, inventive, and know the correct phrase. Availability of (and willingness to serve) tap water varies from country to country; you'll pay for it in Belgium (and in Denmark, too, unless you order an additional beverage).

The most popular way of saying cheers in Italian is 'cin cin! ' (pronounced as 'chin chin') but of course, it's not the only one. We can also say 'salute!

Order your drink.

When ordering mixed drinks, say the liquor type or brand name first and then what kind of mixer you'd like. For example: “I would like a rum and Coke, please.” “Two Bacardi and sodas, please.”

Can I please have a coffee Italian?

“Can I have a coffee please?” in Italian

Here is the simplest way to order a coffee in Italian. “Un caffè per favore.” A coffee please. “Vorrei un caffè per favore.” I would like some coffee please.

It presumably is because of this original meaning (the verb “to pray”) that “prego” has become the instant reply to “grazie”, which means “thanks”. Once it presumably was an expression to wish someone well who had been nice to you, something like “I pray for your well-being”.

Dress Nicely

Let's just say that wearing shorts is a good way to advertise that you're a tourist. Steve suggests dressing “for the occasion” and making sure you present yourself neatly. “Italians take a lot of pride in their appearance and usually dress nicely for any kind of public outing.

Also, apparently, some cathedrals will not let you enter wearing shorts. I am here to tell you, that this is incorrect. You can wear shorts in Italy and look perfectly normal.