Please in Italian is per favore (pehr fah-VOH-reh), literally "as a favour". Per piacere and per cortesia mean the same and are just as polite. It usually goes at the end: Un caffè, per favore. When you invite someone to go ahead, sit down or help themselves, Italian uses prego instead.
- Please
- per favore
- Also
- per piacere, per cortesia
- Please (go ahead)
- prego
- I beg you
- ti prego / La prego
- Level
- A1
Per favore, per piacere or per cortesia?
The three are interchangeable in most situations, and none of them changes for tu or Lei. Per favore is the one you hear most; per cortesia has a slightly more formal ring, common in announcements and service settings.
| Italian | Literally | Feel | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| per favore | as a favour | Neutral | Everything: ordering, asking, writing |
| per piacere | as a pleasure | Neutral | Same as per favore; some speakers prefer it |
| per cortesia | out of courtesy | A touch formal | Shops, offices, notices, emails |
| mi fa un favore? | will you do me a favour? | Polite (Lei) | Asking a stranger for help |
| mi fai un favore? | will you do me a favour? | Informal (tu) | Asking a friend |
| ti prego / La prego | I beg you | Strong | Pleading or insisting |
| prego | go ahead | Neutral | Offering, inviting, letting someone pass |
Per favore can also turn a single noun into a request. At a school reunion in a Contos B1 mystery, Giulia calls for applause as the class of 2004 opens its time capsule:
«Applausi, per favore!» disse Giulia, ma il coperchio era arrugginito e ci volle Matteo, il panettiere, con un cucchiaio da cucina.How do you make a polite request in Italian?
Per favore helps, but the verb does most of the work. Vorrei (I would like) and a question with può (can you, Lei) or puoi (can you, tu) sound polite even on their own; add per favore at the end for extra courtesy.
Vorrei un cappuccino, per favore.
I'd like a cappuccino, please.
Mi dà un etto di prosciutto, per favore?
Could I have a hundred grams of ham, please?
At a deli counter. Literally "Do you give me…?", with the Lei form dà.
Mi può aiutare, per cortesia?
Could you help me, please?
To a stranger (Lei).
Mi passi il sale, per piacere?
Could you pass me the salt, please?
At the table, to someone you call tu.
Potrebbe parlare più lentamente, per favore?
Could you speak more slowly, please?
Conditional: the most polite form.
An etto is 100 grams, the standard unit at Italian deli and market counters. Asking for the bill at the end of a meal has its own page: how to ask for the bill in Italian.
How do you say please when it's urgent?
On its own, with a pause before and after, per favore becomes a plea. In chapter 2 of a Contos A1 mystery, a 78-year-old woman brings pasta to a neighbour, a nurse, hoping to learn who left an apologetic note in the laundry room. The nurse begs her to stop:
"Signora, io non posso dire niente. Per favore. Non chieda."Ti prego, non dirlo a nessuno.
Please, I'm begging you, don't tell anyone.
Dai, per favore!
Oh, come on, please!
Dai (come on) makes it wheedling, as with a friend.
La prego, mi ascolti.
Please, listen to me.
Formal and earnest.
When do Italians say prego instead of please?
English uses please for both asking and offering: "please sit down", "please, go first". Italian splits the two. You ask with per favore; you offer or invite with prego.
Prego, si sieda.
Please sit down.
Formal, Lei.
Prego, serviti pure.
Please, help yourself.
Informal, tu.
Prego, passi pure.
Please, go ahead.
Letting someone through a door first.
Prego is also the standard reply to thanks: see how to say you're welcome in Italian and how to say thank you in Italian.
Read A1 Italian stories and tap any word you don't know to see it translated.
Read free in your browserFrequently asked questions
How do you pronounce per favore?
"Pehr fah-VOH-reh". Stress the vo, tap the r in both words, and sound the final e clearly. In fast speech the two words run together.
Is per favore different for tu and Lei?
No. Per favore, per piacere and per cortesia never change. The formality shows in the verb instead: mi può aiutare? (Lei) versus mi puoi aiutare? (tu).
What does fammi un favore mean?
Fammi un favore means "do me a favour", to someone you call tu. Said with a roll of the eyes it can also mean "oh, give me a break". The polite request to a stranger is mi fa un favore?
Is it rude to leave out per favore?
Not automatically. A warm tone and a polite verb form such as vorrei or potrebbe already carry a lot of the courtesy in Italian. Still, per favore costs nothing, and learners are never wrong to add it.