Phrases › Making Phone Calls › Come si fa una chiamata internazionale?

Come si fa una chiamata internazionale?

How do you make an international call?

Pronunciation

Stress 'in-ter-na-zio-NA-le'. 'Si fa' = it is done / you do.

When to use it

Ask this when you need to call abroad and are unsure of the correct dialling procedure, especially from a hotel room or landline.

What it means

'Come si fa' = how does one do it (impersonal). 'Chiamata internazionale' = international call. From Italy, dial: 00 + country code + number. Country codes: UK (+44), US (+1), Spain (+34), France (+33), Germany (+49). Mobile apps like WhatsApp have replaced traditional international calls for most Italians.

Variations

Qual è il prefisso per chiamare il Regno Unito?

What's the prefix to call the United Kingdom?

Asking for a specific country code.

Posso chiamare l'estero da qui?

Can I call abroad from here?

Asking if international calls are possible.

Quanto costa chiamare l'America?

How much does it cost to call America?

Asking about rates.

Mini Dialogue

— Come si fa una chiamata internazionale da questo telefono? — Deve fare lo zero, zero, poi il prefisso del paese e poi il numero. — E per la Gran Bretagna? — Zero, zero, quattro, quattro, e poi il numero senza lo zero iniziale.

— How do you make an international call from this phone? — You dial zero, zero, then the country code and then the number. — And for Great Britain? — Zero, zero, four, four, and then the number without the leading zero.

Cultural Note

International calls from Italy have become almost entirely replaced by internet-based calling. Most Italians use WhatsApp ('Whatsapp' is pronounced as one word, 'WHATS-app'), which has a penetration rate of over 80% in Italy — one of the highest in the world. 'Ti mando un messaggio su WhatsApp' (I'll message you on WhatsApp) has replaced 'ti chiamo' for much informal communication.

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