How long do I have to wait?
KWAN-to DE-vo as-pet-TA-re — stress on first syllable of each word. 'Aspettare' — five syllables.
Ask at reception after checking in, or when waiting has been unusually long. Polite and common question.
'Quanto' means 'how much' or 'how long'. 'Devo' comes from 'dovere' (must/have to). 'Aspettare' means 'to wait'. This phrase works in any waiting situation — doctor, bank, post office. For the formal version with a stranger: 'Quanto devo aspettare?' is already polite enough.
C'è molta attesa oggi?
Is there a long wait today?
'Attesa' is the noun for wait/waiting — polite way to ask
Mi può dire quanto manca?
Can you tell me how much longer?
Use when you have already been waiting a while
Posso andare a prendere un caffè e tornare?
Can I go get a coffee and come back?
Practical question for longer waits — very Italian!
Waiting times in Italian public healthcare can be very long, especially for specialist visits ('visite specialistiche'). The government priority system ('classi di priorità') assigns urgency codes: U (urgent, within 72h), B (short-term, within 10 days), D (deferred, within 30 days), P (planned, within 120 days). For a coffee, there is always a 'bar' nearby — it is part of Italian hospital culture.