How to answer the phone
Italians have a peculiar way of answering the phone: unlike the English language, Italians don’t say “ciao” (hello), but rather “Pronto” – ready, as in “ready to speak”.
If you are making the call, after hearing “pronto”, you respond by saying:
Ciao or Buongiorno, sono (your name) if you know the person you’re calling, or mi chiamo (your name) if you need to introduce yourself.
e.g. "Ciao Danielle, sono Silvia" (Hi Danielle, it's Silvia) to a friend, or "Buongiorno, mi chiamo Silvia, chiamo per..." (Good morning, my name is Silvia, I'm calling to...".
To ask if you can speak to someone, you say: Posso/potrei parlare con + name, per favore?
If you are calling, say, the tourist office and want to talk to someone who speaks English, you say: Posso parlare con qualcuno che parli inglese, per favore? (Can I speak to someone who speaks English, please?)
How to say goodbye on the phone
Before you hang up, you say, ciao (informal) or arrivederci (formal) - bye.
If you called the tourist office and want to thank them for their help, you say, Grazie per l’aiuto. Arrivederci. (Thank you for your help. Goodbye.)
You can also sign off by saying, Buona giornata (Have a nice day).
