How to Say Please in Italian: 12 Polite Expressions for Every Situation

The Short Answer

The most common way to say please in Italian is per favore (pehr fah-VOH-reh). It works everywhere: in a Roman café, a Milanese boardroom, or a Neapolitan taxi. But Italian offers a rich palette of polite expressions that let you fine-tune your request from casual to deeply formal.

Italian is spoken by approximately 85 million people worldwide, according to Ethnologue's 2024 data. As one of the world's most expressive languages, Italian has developed multiple ways to frame politeness, each carrying subtle cultural weight. The difference between per favore and La prego is not just about formality; it reflects centuries of Italian social etiquette.

"In Italian, the act of requesting is never purely transactional. The choice of politeness marker reveals the speaker's perception of social distance, power dynamics, and cultural belonging."

(Anna Wierzbicka, Cross-Cultural Pragmatics, Mouton de Gruyter, 2003)

This guide covers 12 essential Italian polite expressions organized by category: standard, formal, casual softeners, and indirect request patterns. Each one includes pronunciation, an example sentence, and cultural context so you know exactly when to use it.

Quick Reference: Italian Polite Expressions at a Glance

Standard Polite Expressions

These are the two most common ways to say please in Italian. According to the Treccani dictionary, both have been in continuous use since the 14th century and remain equally valid today.

Per favore

Per favore literally means "as a favor." You are framing your request as asking someone to do you a personal kindness. This etymology gives it a warm, human quality that a direct translation of "please" misses entirely.

You will hear per favore hundreds of times a day in Italy. It can come at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence. Italians use it when ordering food, asking for directions, requesting help at a shop, or softening any command. Placing it at the end of a sentence is the most natural pattern: Un bicchiere d'acqua, per favore (A glass of water, please).

Per piacere

Where per favore asks for a favor, per piacere asks someone to act "out of pleasure." The subtle distinction: you are suggesting that fulfilling your request would bring the other person satisfaction. In practice, most Italians use both interchangeably without thinking about the etymological difference.

A 2019 survey by the Società Dante Alighieri on Italian language usage patterns found that per favore is slightly more common in written Italian, while per piacere appears with equal frequency in spoken conversation, particularly in central and northern Italy.

Formal Polite Expressions

When the situation calls for extra respect (speaking to an elderly person, in a government office, at an elegant restaurant, or in professional correspondence), these expressions elevate your Italian.

Per cortesia

Per cortesia carries the weight of Italian courtly tradition. The word cortesia comes from corte (court), linking this expression to the refined etiquette of Renaissance courts in Florence, Milan, and Rome. Using it signals cultural sophistication and deep respect.

You will encounter per cortesia in formal announcements, museum signage (Per cortesia, non toccare, meaning "Please do not touch"), official letters, and upscale service environments. In everyday conversation, it adds a noticeable layer of formality that stands out from the standard per favore.

La prego

La prego is the most formal way to say please in Italian. It comes from pregare, meaning both "to pray" and "to beg," which reveals how deeply Italian politeness is rooted in humility and supplication. The La is a formal pronoun (Lei form), making this expression exclusively for formal address.

You will hear La prego from hotel staff welcoming guests, from doctors inviting patients to sit down, and in any context where maximum courtesy is expected. It can also stand alone as a response meaning "you're welcome" or "go ahead." For example, if someone thanks you, responding with Prego or La prego is a standard courtesy.

Gentilmente

Gentilmente works as a formal modifier that you insert into a sentence to soften a request. It is especially common in written Italian: business emails, official notices, and formal instructions. The phrase Le chiedo gentilmente di... (I kindly ask you to...) is a staple of Italian professional correspondence.

Casual Softeners

Among friends and family, Italians rarely use per favore in its full form. Instead, they rely on expressive softeners that function as casual versions of "please." These are essential for sounding natural rather than overly formal in everyday Italian.

Ti prego

Ti prego is the informal counterpart of La prego. Where La prego is reserved and dignified, ti prego is expressive and emotional. Italians use it for everything from genuine pleas (Ti prego, aiutami! "Please, help me!") to playful exaggeration (Ti prego, facciamo pizza stasera "Please, let's do pizza tonight").

The dramatic quality of ti prego is quintessentially Italian. You will hear it in Italian films constantly, often accompanied by pressed-together palms and an imploring expression. Check out our guide to the best movies for learning Italian to see these expressions in action.

Dai!

Dai! is one of those words you will hear every five minutes in casual Italian conversation. It comes from dare (to give) in its imperative form, but its modern meaning has evolved far beyond "give." Depending on tone, Dai! can mean "come on," "oh please," "go for it," or "stop it."

The key to Dai! is tone. Said with a smile and rising intonation, it is friendly encouragement. Said sharply, it can mean "enough already." Among friends, repeating it (Dai, dai, dai!) adds playful insistence, like saying "please, please, please!" in English.

Su!

Su! literally means "up" but functions as a gentle nudge. Parents say Su, mangia! (Come on, eat!) to children. Friends say Su, raccontami tutto! (Go on, tell me everything!). It is softer and more encouraging than Dai!, with less of the "come on already" energy.

Senti

Senti is not a direct translation of "please" but it functions as a polite opener that softens whatever request follows. By saying "listen" first, you are signaling that a request is coming and giving the other person a moment to prepare. The formal version is Senta (using the Lei form).

Indirect Request Patterns

Italian, like many Romance languages, favors indirect requests over blunt commands. According to Brown and Levinson's research on politeness universals, Italian speakers rank among the most elaborate users of indirect speech acts in European languages.

Potrebbe...?

Using the conditional tense (potrebbe rather than può) is one of the most important politeness strategies in Italian. It signals that you acknowledge the other person has the right to refuse. Combining Potrebbe with per favore at the end creates one of the most reliably polite request patterns in the language.

The informal equivalent is Potresti...? (could you, using tu). For example: Potresti chiudere la finestra? (Could you close the window?).

Le dispiacerebbe...?

This is the diplomatic peak of Italian politeness. By literally asking "would it displease you to...?", you frame the entire request around the other person's comfort. It is the Italian equivalent of the English "would you mind...?" but carries even more weight because of the formal Lei pronoun.

The informal version, Ti dispiacerebbe...?, works well among acquaintances when you want to be particularly considerate.

Sarebbe possibile...?

This pattern removes the personal element entirely. Instead of asking someone to do something, you ask whether the action is possible. It is a favorite in Italian service environments (restaurants, hotels, ticket counters) where you want to be polite without being obsequious.

When to Use Each Level of Politeness

Here is a practical guide to matching your polite expression to the situation.

Regional Nuances

While all these expressions are understood across Italy, the Società Dante Alighieri notes that regional tendencies exist. Italy's linguistic landscape is remarkably diverse, with 34 recognized regional dialects alongside standard Italian.

These are tendencies, not rules. A Milanese barista will understand ti prego just as well as a Neapolitan professor will understand per cortesia. The key takeaway is that southern Italians tend to be more expressive and emotionally direct in their requests, while northern Italians may lean toward a more restrained style.

Practice With Real Italian Content

Understanding polite expressions on paper is a good start, but hearing them in natural conversation is what makes them second nature. Italian cinema is one of the best resources for this. Films by directors like Paolo Sorrentino and Matteo Garrone showcase the full range of Italian politeness from street-level Dai! to aristocratic La prego.

Wordy lets you watch Italian movies and shows with interactive subtitles, tapping on any phrase to see its meaning, pronunciation, and cultural context in real time. Instead of memorizing expressions in isolation, you absorb them from authentic conversations with real intonation and gesture.

For more Italian content, explore our blog for guides including the best movies to learn Italian. You can also visit our Italian learning page to start building your vocabulary today.