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PhrasesAt the Post OfficeVorrei dei francobolli per cartoline.
A1

Vorrei dei francobolli per cartoline.

I would like some stamps for postcards.

Pronunciation

car-TO-li-ne — four syllables; stress on the second. The 'c' before 'a' is a hard 'k' sound.

When to use it

Use this as a tourist sending postcards home. The post office sells stamps at regulated prices — the same as at the tabaccheria but with more variety of denominations.

What it means

'Dei francobolli' uses the partitive (di + i) for an unspecified number of stamps. 'Per cartoline' specifies the purpose — postcard postage costs less than letter postage. The clerk will ask about the destination country to provide the correct stamps.

Variations

Quanti francobolli ci vogliono per una cartolina in America?

How many stamps do I need for a postcard to America?

Typically one stamp of the appropriate international value

Avete francobolli da collezione?

Do you have commemorative stamps?

Poste Italiane regularly issues collector-edition stamps for events and anniversaries

Vorrei cinque francobolli da uno euro.

I'd like five one-euro stamps.

Specifying exact denomination and quantity

Mini Dialogue

— Vorrei dei francobolli per cartoline. — Per dove? — Tre per l'Australia e due per la Germania. — Australia è zona tre — questi da due euro dieci. Germania è Europa — questi da uno e quaranta. — Grazie.

— I'd like some stamps for postcards. — To where? — Three for Australia and two for Germany. — Australia is zone three — these two-ten ones. Germany is Europe — these one-forty ones. — Thank you.

Cultural Note

Poste Italiane divides the world into postal zones with different tariff rates. Zone 1 is Europe, Zone 2 is certain Mediterranean countries and North Africa, Zone 3 is the Americas and Asia, and Zone 4 is the most remote destinations. Postcard postage is always cheaper than letter postage for the same zone.