Ti mando un vocale.

I'll send you a voice message.

Pronunciation

Stress 'vo-CA-le'. 'Mando' = MAN-do.

When to use it

Say/write this when the message is too long or complex to type and you prefer to record a voice note. WhatsApp voice messages ('vocali') are enormously popular in Italy.

What it means

'Vocale' = voice message/voice note (short for 'messaggio vocale'). 'Mandare un vocale' = to send a voice message. Italy has one of the highest WhatsApp voice message usage rates in the world. Many Italians find typing too slow and prefer speaking.

Variations

Ho ascoltato il tuo vocale.

I listened to your voice message.

Acknowledging receipt.

Non riesco ad ascoltarlo adesso. Sono in riunione.

I can't listen to it now. I'm in a meeting.

Explaining you'll listen later.

Puoi mandarmi un vocale invece di scrivere?

Can you send me a voice message instead of writing?

Requesting voice over text.

Mini Dialogue

— È troppo lungo da spiegare per messaggio. Ti mando un vocale. — Ok! Ma non sono a casa. Lo ascolto quando arrivo. — Nessun problema. È per stasera cmq. — Perfetto.

— It's too long to explain by message. I'll send you a voice message. — Ok! But I'm not home. I'll listen when I get back. — No problem. It's for tonight anyway. — Perfect.

Cultural Note

The 'vocale' (voice message) is arguably Italy's most defining digital communication habit. Italians send voice messages of extraordinary length — 2, 5, even 10 minutes — on WhatsApp. There are countless Italian memes about receiving an unexpectedly long vocale from a family member, particularly mothers and grandmothers ('nonne').

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Cmq tvb! ❤️

Ti ho scritto ma non hai risposto.

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