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PhrasesAt the TobacconistVorrei giocare al Lotto.
A2

Vorrei giocare al Lotto.

I would like to play the Lottery.

Pronunciation

LOT-to — the double 't' is a geminate stop; stress on the first syllable; do not voice the final 'o' too heavily.

When to use it

Use this to start a lottery transaction at an authorised tabaccheria. The shopkeeper will provide a form for you to fill in your chosen numbers.

What it means

'Vorrei' is polite conditional. 'Giocare al Lotto' uses 'al' (a + il) because Lotto is masculine. The Italian Lotto is one of the oldest lotteries in the world, dating to 16th-century Genoa. Players choose 1–5 numbers from 1–90 and select from ten regional 'ruote' (wheels).

Variations

Quante estrazioni ci sono a settimana?

How many draws are there per week?

There are three weekly draws: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday

Vorrei giocare una schedina del 10eLotto.

I'd like to play a 10eLotto slip.

10eLotto is a variant where you choose 10 numbers and draws happen every 5 minutes

Come si compila la schedina?

How do you fill in the form?

Asking for help — staff are accustomed to explaining to first-time players

Mini Dialogue

— Vorrei giocare al Lotto. — Ecco la schedina. Scelga i suoi numeri e la ruota. — Come si fa? — Scelga da uno a cinque numeri tra l'uno e il novanta, poi scelga una ruota — Napoli, Roma, Milano... — Prendo Napoli e i numeri 7, 13, 77.

— I would like to play the Lottery. — Here's the form. Choose your numbers and the wheel. — How do you do it? — Choose one to five numbers between one and ninety, then choose a wheel — Naples, Rome, Milan... — I'll take Naples and numbers 7, 13, 77.

Cultural Note

The Italian Lotto is deeply embedded in popular culture, particularly in Naples where 'la smorfia napoletana' (a dream-interpretation book) assigns numbers to dreams and events. Many Italians choose their numbers based on life events, recurring dreams, or superstition rather than random selection.