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PhrasesAt the TobacconistFate fotocopie?
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Fate fotocopie?

Do you do photocopies?

Pronunciation

fo-to-CO-pie — four syllables; stress on the third. The 'ph' sound doesn't exist in Italian — it is always 'f'.

When to use it

Use this when you need to copy a document. Many Italian tabaccherie offer basic photocopy and printing services alongside their other administrative functions.

What it means

'Fate' (do you do) is second-person plural present of fare. 'Fotocopie' is feminine plural. This is a very common service at neighbourhood tabaccherie, which often also offer scanning (scansione), printing (stampa), and fax services — all of which are still used in Italian bureaucracy.

Variations

Posso fare una scansione qui?

Can I do a scan here?

Scanning documents is increasingly important for digital submissions

Stampate file da USB?

Do you print files from a USB drive?

USB printing — many tobacconists offer this service

Quanto costa una fotocopia?

How much does a photocopy cost?

Standard price is usually €0.10–0.20 per page

Mini Dialogue

— Fate fotocopie? — Sì. Fronte-retro o solo fronte? — Fronte-retro, sono tre pagine. — Allora sono tre fogli, sessanta centesimi in tutto. — Perfetto.

— Do you do photocopies? — Yes. Double-sided or single-sided? — Double-sided, it's three pages. — So that's three sheets, sixty cents in total. — Perfect.

Cultural Note

Italian bureaucracy requires physical copies of documents for many official processes — from school enrollment to residency registration. The neighbourhood tabaccheria fills a critical gap, offering photocopying and scanning at affordable prices, often serving as the only such facility in smaller Italian villages.