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PhrasesAt the TobacconistVorrei un Gratta e Vinci.
A1

Vorrei un Gratta e Vinci.

I would like a scratch card.

Pronunciation

GRAT-ta e VIN-chi — the 'ch' in 'Vinci' is a hard 'k' sound, as in 'king'.

When to use it

Use this to buy a scratch card (lottery). You can specify the price point — they range from €1 to €10 or more. Very common as a small gift or impulse purchase.

What it means

'Gratta e Vinci' literally means 'Scratch and Win' and is the brand name for Italy's official scratch-card lottery, managed by Lottomatica. The phrase 'vorrei' is a polite conditional. Specifying a price is the easiest way to select a card.

Variations

Un Gratta e Vinci da cinque euro.

A five-euro scratch card.

'Da' here indicates the denomination/price point

Ne prendo tre da un euro.

I'll take three one-euro ones.

'Ne' replaces 'di Gratta e Vinci' — a very natural Italian construction

Quale porta più fortuna?

Which one brings the most luck?

Lighthearted question often asked; shopkeepers enjoy the banter

Mini Dialogue

— Vorrei un Gratta e Vinci. — Da quanto? Abbiamo da uno, da cinque e da dieci. — Da cinque, grazie. — Buona fortuna!

— I would like a scratch card. — What denomination? We have one, five, and ten euro. — Five euro, thank you. — Good luck!

Cultural Note

Italy is one of Europe's largest markets for scratch cards and lottery games. 'Gratta e Vinci' cards are enormously popular across all age groups. It is traditional for the shopkeeper to wish 'Buona fortuna!' when handing them over.