A reader recently wrote to ask about the use of a word you'll hear at least a dozen times a day in Italy: prego (click here to hear it pronounced).
It's a great reminder that it's always important to get the basics right – and this word is one you need to master from the get-go.
It's every bit as fundamental as per favore ('please') and grazie ('thank you'), and arguably more versatile.
The most common translation is 'you're welcome'. Prego is essentially what you say in Italian when someone thanks you.
Grazie mille!
Prego.
Thanks a lot!
You're welcome.
Grazie per avermi aiutato con i compiti.
Prego. Quando hai bisogno di una mano, chiedi.
Thank you for helping me with my homework.
You're welcome. When you need a hand, just ask me.
But prego can also take on the sense of 'please' – for instance, when you're encouraging someone to make themselves at home or inviting them to follow you. Think of this version as 'you're welcome to [do something]'.
Ne prenda ancora, prego!
Please, have some more!
Prego, si accomodi.
Please, take a seat.
You can also use prego this same way to assent when someone asks you for permission – like 'yes, please do'.
Posso prenderlo?
Prego!
Can I take it?
Please do!
It all makes sense when you consider where prego comes from: the verb pregare, which means 'to pray' or 'to beseech'.
Prego is the first person singular in the present tense ('I pray'), but you might encounter it in other conjugations in formal Italian – for instance, in the conditional tense or the impersonal third person – when someone's making a really polite request.
La pregherei di spegnere la sigaretta.
I would kindly ask you to put out your cigarette.
Si prega di bussare prima di entrare.
Please knock before entering.
When you use a pronoun to address the request to someone in particular, it turns prego into more of a supplication: 'I beg you'.
Ti prego, non farlo!
Don’t do it, I beg you!
To go back to plain old prego, there's one final use that comes in very handy.
You can also use it to ask someone politely to repeat themselves when you haven't understood, much like saying 'pardon?' in English.
Le servirà un ombrello.
Cosa ha detto, prego?
Ho detto che le servirà un ombrello.
You'll need an umbrella.
Pardon?
I said you'll need an umbrella.
If you want to polish your Italian manners further, find out the difference between the phrases per favore and per cortesia here.
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