Italian All-in-One For Dummies (55 page)

gonna
(
gohn
-nah) (
skirt
)

impermeabile
(eem-pehr-meh-
ah
-bee-leh) (
raincoat
)

jeans
(jeenz) (
jeans
)

maglia
(
mah
-lyah) (
sweater
)

maglietta
(mahl-
yeht
-tah) (
T-shirt
)

pantaloni
(pahn-tah-
loh
-nee) (
pants
)

vestito
(veh-
stee
-toh) (
dress
)

Sizing up Italian sizes

When shopping for clothing, size matters. An item may be
piccolo
(
pee
-koh-loh) (
small
) or
grande
(
grahn
-deh) (
large
), and you need to be able to express the problem to get a size that fits.

Whenever you go to another country, and this is particularly true in Europe, the sizes — called
taglie
(
tah
-lyeh) or
misure
(mee-
zooh
-reh) in Italy — change and you never know which one corresponds to yours.
Table 8-1
helps you with this problem by giving you the most common sizes.

Table 8-1 Clothing Sizes

In Italy, you won't have any difficulties with sizes like S, M, L, and XL because they're used the same way —
S
for small,
M
for medium,
L
for large, and
XL
for extra large — beware, though, that an Italian
large
often corresponds to a North American
small.

Talkin' the Talk

Giovanna has found the skirt she's been looking for. She asks the saleswoman if she can try it on. (Track 15)

Giovanna:
Posso provare questa gonna?

pohs
-soh proh-
vah
-reh
kweh
-stah gohn-
nah?

May I try on this skirt?

Saleswoman:
Certo. Che taglia porta?

chehr
-toh. keh
tah
-lyah
pohr
-tah?

Sure. What size do you wear?

Giovanna:
La quarantadue.

lah kwah-
rahn
-tah-
dooh
-eh.

Forty-two.

Saleswoman:
Forse è un po' piccola.

fohr
-seh eh oohn poh
peek
-koh-lah.

Perhaps it's a little bit too small.

Giovanna:
Me la provo.

meh lah
proh
-voh.

I'll try it on.

Giovanna returns from the dressing room.

Saleswoman:
Va bene?

vah
beh
-neh?

Does it fit?

Giovanna:
È troppo stretta. Ha una taglia più grande?

eh
trohp
-poh
streht
-tah. ah
ooh-
nah
tah
-lyah pyooh
grahn
-deh?

It's too tight. Do you have it in a larger size?

Saleswoman:
Nella sua taglia solo in blu.

nehl
-lah
sooh
-ah
tah
-lyah
soh
-loh
een
blooh.

In your size, only in blue.

 

Italy is the leader in the shoe industry. You won't believe what good taste Italians have in
scarpe
(
skahr
-peh) (
shoes
). You may just find the shoes of your dreams, whether they be a regular
paio di scarpe
(
pah
-yoh dee
skahr
-peh) (
pair of shoes
),
pantofole
(pahn-
toh
-foh-leh) (
slippers
),
sandali
(
sahn
-dah-lee) (
sandals
), or
stivali
(stee-
vah
-lee) (
boots
).

When you try on footwear, you may need to use some of the following words:

stretta/e/o/i
(
streht
-tah/teh/toh/tee) (
tight
)