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ITALIAN WORD OF THE DAY

Italian word of the day: ‘Permesso’

May we introduce you to this very polite Italian word?

Italian word of the day: 'Permesso'
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond

Here’s another example of an Italian word that sounds a lot like its most direct English translation – but doesn’t have a perfect English equivalent.

Permesso (pronunciation available here) sounds a lot like “permission” or “permit”, and that’s exactly what you’re asking for when you use it.

In fact, most of Italy’s foreign-born residents will first encounter this word in the phrase permesso di soggiorno – the Italian residence permit. The phrase can be translated as “permit to stay.”

In everyday Italian, the most common usage of permesso is really simple.

It’s the “excuse me” for when you need to get past someone in a crowded place (but not the “excuse me” for attracting attention in a restaurant. More on Italian apologies here.)

But the most Italian way to use permesso is for asking permission to enter a room, a shop, an office, or someone’s home.

Imagine being invited to a new Italian friend’s apartment for lunch for the first time. You enter the building, walk upstairs, and find the apartment door left ajar for you. What would be the polite thing to do? Knock, or just walk straight in?

Italians would most likely hover in the doorway for a moment while calling out “permesso?”.

Some of my Italian friends also do this jokingly, despite knowing very well they have permission.

I have been told that it’s not that widely used anymore because, as one Italian friend put it, “Italians are pretty rude.” (No comment.)

But if you’re erring on the side of politeness, especially if your Italian friend’s parents are home, you really can’t go wrong with permesso.

And it’s definitely recommended if you visit a doctor or any kind of office where the door has been left slightly ajar.

Just remember it’s only for asking permission to enter a space, or excusing yourself when moving around a space.

If you’re asking permission to do something, such as pouring yourself more coffee, you might want to use posso? (“can I/may I?”) instead.

Do you have a favourite Italian word you’d like us to feature? If so, please email us with your suggestion.

Don’t miss any of our Italian words and expressions of the day by downloading our new app (available on Apple and Android) and then selecting the Italian Word of the Day in your Notification options via the User button.

Member comments

  1. We moved to Sicily last year and noticed that many people use this word when entering our house or a room. The people in Sicily are very polite, hospitable and genuinely friendly and helpful.

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For members

ITALIAN WORD OF THE DAY

Italian expression of the day: ‘Al volo’

We’re sure you’ll learn this Italian phrase in no time.

Italian expression of the day: ‘Al volo’

If you’ve ever found yourself at an Italian airport and looked up at the departure board, there’s a good chance you’re already familiar with the word volo, which is the Italian equivalent of ‘flight’ – but also the first person singular of the verb volare (to fly) in the present tense.

And if you’re a fan of classical music, you may of course have heard of Italy’s famous opera trio Il Volo (‘The Flight’).

But what do Italians mean when they say they’re going to do something al volo (hear it pronounced here)? 

Much like its closest English equivalent, ‘on the fly’, al volo has very little to do with aircraft or flying as it’s one of the most common Italian phrases to say that you’re doing something ‘quickly’ or ‘readily’, often without having prepared it or thought about it much beforehand.

Facciamoci una pasta al volo e poi usciamo.

Let’s cook some pasta on the fly and then get out.

Ho dovuto preparare la presentazione al volo perché non mi avevano avvisato della riunione.

I had to put the presentation together on the fly as I’d not been notified of the meeting. 

But usage of al volo is not limited to practical actions or tasks you may do quickly and without much thought. 

In fact, you can also pair it with the verb capire (understand), comprendere (comprehend) or imparare (learn) to say that you grasped something ‘immediately’ or ‘in no time’, meaning you won’t need any further explanation. 

Tuo figlio capisce tutto al volo. Ha un grande futuro davanti a lui, a mio parere.

Your son understands everything in no time. He’s got a great future ahead of him, in my opinion.

And if you haven’t fully understood or grasped something on your first try (which is painfully likely when dealing with Italy’s infamous red tape, even for locals), don’t worry: you’ll always have the option to ask a domanda al volo, or a ‘quick question’, to clear up your doubts. 

Another popular way to use the phrase is in relation to big opportunities, whether that be in life, in education or at work. So an opportunity that va presa al volo must be seized immediately as it’s too good to be missed. 

Finally, if you’re planning on watching Euro 2024 matches on Italian TV over the next month, you may hear football commentators use al volo multiple times while analysing a match as colpire la palla al volo means to strike it while it’s in the air, or ‘volley’ it.

Do you have a favourite Italian word you’d like us to feature? If so, please email us with your suggestion.

Don’t miss any of our Italian words and expressions of the day: download our app (available on Apple and Android) and then select the Italian Word of the Day in your Notification options via the User button.

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