Italian for work

Phone calls, meetings, applications and interviews: Italian for everyday working life.

39 sentences · 3 dialogues · 17 words

Why this field

Italy is one of Europe’s major trading nations, and in many companies Italian customers, suppliers or colleagues are part of everyday life. English gets you a long way, but a phone call in Italian opens other doors.

Working language is more formal than everyday speech: Lei rather than tu, titles, fixed phrases in emails and on the phone. These phrases in particular are easy to learn as whole units.

What you will be able to do

Goals by level. Tick what you can already do — the tick stays in this browser only.

A1I can say what I do for a living and where I work.
A2I can make, move or cancel an appointment.
A2I can answer the phone and ask to speak to someone.
B1I can introduce myself at a job interview and talk about my experience.
B1I can give my opinion in a meeting and disagree politely.
B2I can discuss the terms of a contract and give reasons for what I want.

Core vocabulary

17 words from the word lists, ordered by level. A coloured edge shows what you have already practised.

il lavorothe work, the jobA1
lavorareto workA1
il collegathe colleagueA1
l’ufficiothe officeA1
la riunionethe meetingA2
lo stipendiothe salaryA2
il contrattothe contractA2
il capothe bossA2
l’esperienzathe experienceA2
il clientethe customerA2
il colloquiothe job interviewB1
il curriculumthe CVB1
la candidaturathe job applicationB1
il periodo di provathe probationary periodB1
a tempo pienofull-timeB1
il lavoro da remotothe working from homeB1
lasciare un messaggioto leave a messageB1

Practise as flashcards Card box Mixed round

Typical situations

Short dialogues to read along and repeat. Say one part first, then the other.

On the phone

You ring a company and want to speak to Ms Rossi.

Switchboard
Buongiorno, mi dica.Good morning, how can I help?
Caller
Buongiorno, sono Paul Weber. Potrei parlare con la signora Rossi?Good morning, this is Paul Weber. Could I speak to Ms Rossi?
Switchboard
Mi dispiace, in questo momento è in riunione.I’m sorry, she’s in a meeting at the moment.
Caller
Posso richiamare più tardi?Can I call back later?
Switchboard
Certo, verso le tre dovrebbe essere libera.Of course, she should be free around three.
Caller
Perfetto, grazie. Arrivederci.Perfect, thank you. Goodbye.

Moving a meeting

A colleague wants to reschedule your meeting.

Marta
Tobias, possiamo spostare la riunione di martedì?Tobias, can we move Tuesday’s meeting?
Tobias
Sì, certo. Che giorno ti va bene?Yes, of course. Which day suits you?
Marta
Giovedì alle undici?Thursday at eleven?
Tobias
Alle undici ho un cliente. Facciamo alle dodici?I’ve got a client at eleven. Shall we say twelve?
Marta
Va bene, alle dodici. Ti mando l’invito.Fine, twelve. I’ll send you the invitation.
Tobias
Perfetto, grazie.Perfect, thanks.

At a job interview

You are applying for a job in marketing.

Head of HR
Mi parli un po’ della sua esperienza.Tell me a little about your experience.
Applicant
Lavoro da quattro anni nel marketing, soprattutto con clienti stranieri.I’ve been working in marketing for four years, mainly with foreign clients.
Head of HR
Perché le interessa questo posto?Why are you interested in this position?
Applicant
Perché vorrei lavorare di più con il mercato italiano.Because I would like to work more with the Italian market.
Head of HR
Qual è secondo lei il suo punto debole?What do you think your weakness is?
Applicant
A volte faccio fatica a delegare, ma sto imparando.I sometimes find it hard to delegate, but I’m learning.
Head of HR
Bene. Le faremo sapere entro la prossima settimana.Good. We’ll let you know by next week.

Sentences to say aloud

The label says where a sentence belongs. The speaker next to it reads it aloud.

Che lavoro fai?What do you do for a living?
A1casual The usual question about someone’s job; formally Che lavoro fa?
Lavoro in un negozio.I work in a shop.
A1neutral
Oggi lavoro da casa.Today I’m working from home.
A1neutral
Comincio alle otto e finisco alle cinque.I start at eight and finish at five.
A1neutral
Scusi, arrivo subito.Excuse me, I’ll be right there.
A1polite
Hai un minuto?Have you got a minute?
A1casual
Buongiorno, c’è la signora Rossi?Good morning, is Ms Rossi in?
A1polite
Può ripetere, per favore?Could you repeat that, please?
A1polite
Il mio ufficio è al secondo piano.My office is on the second floor.
A1neutral
Faccio l’ingegnere e lavoro in una ditta tedesca.I’m an engineer and I work for a German company.
A2neutral
Piacere, sono Jonas, il nuovo collega di Anna.Nice to meet you, I’m Jonas, Anna’s new colleague.
A2neutral
Domani ho una riunione alle dieci.Tomorrow I have a meeting at ten.
A2neutral
Possiamo spostare la riunione a giovedì?Can we move the meeting to Thursday?
A2neutral
Chiamo da parte della signora Rossi.I’m calling on behalf of Ms Rossi.
A2neutral
In questo momento non c’è. Può richiamare più tardi?She’s not here at the moment. Could you call back later?
A2polite
Ti mando il file oggi pomeriggio.I’ll send you the file this afternoon.
A2neutral
La scadenza è venerdì.The deadline is Friday.
A2neutral
Ho lavorato tre anni in un albergo.I worked in a hotel for three years.
A2neutral
Ieri sono stato tutto il giorno da un cliente.Yesterday I spent the whole day with a client.
A2neutral
Il mio capo è molto disponibile.My boss is very helpful.
A2neutral
A che ora finisce la riunione?What time does the meeting finish?
A2neutral
Questo mese prendo qualche giorno di vacanza.This month I’m taking a few days’ holiday.
A2neutral
Ho visto l’annuncio e vorrei presentare la mia candidatura.I have seen the advertisement and would like to apply.
B1formal
Le invio in allegato il mio curriculum aggiornato.Please find attached my updated CV.
B1formal
Ho esperienza nell’assistenza clienti.I have experience in customer service.
B1neutral
Il mio punto di forza è l’organizzazione.My strength is organisation.
B1neutral
Il posto è a tempo pieno?Is the position full-time?
B1neutral
Quanti giorni di lavoro da remoto sono previsti?How many days of remote working are planned?
B1neutral
Volevo parlarti un attimo del progetto.I wanted to have a quick word with you about the project.
B1neutral The imperfect volevo makes the request softer than voglio.
Capisco il tuo punto di vista, ma io la vedo diversamente.I understand your point of view, but I see it differently.
B1neutral
Sono contenta che il cliente sia soddisfatto.I’m glad the client is satisfied.
B1neutral After a feeling such as sono contenta che comes the congiuntivo.
Mi ha detto che il rapporto sarà pronto lunedì.She told me the report will be ready on Monday.
B1neutral
Vuole lasciare un messaggio?Would you like to leave a message?
B1polite
Quando posso prendere le ferie?When can I take my holiday?
B1neutral
Durante il periodo di prova entrambe le parti possono recedere dal contratto.During the probationary period either party may withdraw from the contract.
B2formal
Le sarei grato se mi confermasse la data per iscritto.I would be grateful if you could confirm the date in writing.
B2formal
Se me l’avessi detto prima, avrei spostato la riunione.If you’d told me earlier, I’d have moved the meeting.
B2neutral
Considerata la mia esperienza, mi aspettavo uno stipendio un po’ più alto.Given my experience, I was expecting a somewhat higher salary.
B2formal
L’importante è che rispettiamo la scadenza.The important thing is that we meet the deadline.
B2neutral

What matters here

At work you start with Lei. You switch to tu when it is offered — often quickly among colleagues, later with managers and customers.
Titles are used a lot: dottore or dottoressa for anyone with a degree, plus avvocato or ingegnere.
A formal email begins with Gentile signora Rossi, and ends with Cordiali saluti.
On the phone you answer with Pronto?; the caller says Buongiorno, sono… or Chiamo da parte di…

Quick quiz

6 questions on the words and sentences of this field. The word questions count in your progress like any other exercise.

Try it yourself

Read the meaning, say the sentence aloud in Italian, then open it to compare.

What do you do for a living?
Che lavoro fai?
I’m an engineer and I work for a German company.
Faccio l’ingegnere e lavoro in una ditta tedesca.
Yesterday I spent the whole day with a client.
Ieri sono stato tutto il giorno da un cliente.
How many days of remote working are planned?
Quanti giorni di lavoro da remoto sono previsti?

Keep learning

The grammar behind it

Word lists that go with it

Practise

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Every sentence on this page was written for EveryLingua. There are no quotations from films, series, books or songs here, and no titles or names of artists — the page shows how people talk in this field, not what somebody once said.