They don't speak English here — how do I make myself understood?
'Capire' — ca-PI-re. Hard 'c' before 'a'; stress on the second syllable.
Say this when you are in a small Italian town or rural area where English is not spoken and you need strategies to communicate. This is especially common in southern Italy and inland regions.
'Come mi faccio capire?' (how do I make myself understood?) — 'farsi capire' (to make oneself understood) is a reflexive + infinitive construction. 'Faccio' is the first person of 'fare'. 'Capire' (to understand) here means to be understood — a subtle but important distinction.
Parla piano, per favore.
Please speak slowly.
Simple instruction if they are trying to speak some English.
Uso Google Traduttore.
I'll use Google Translate.
Point to your phone as you open the translation app.
Può scriverlo?
Can you write it down?
Written Italian is sometimes easier to understand than spoken.
English proficiency in Italy drops significantly outside major cities and tourist areas. In rural Sicily, Calabria, and Basilicata, English speakers are rare. However, Italian body language and facial expressions communicate a great deal — Italians are highly expressive communicators and respond well to polite, patient attempts in Italian.