Money and shopping (i saldi)

I saldi

Twice a year Italian shops cut their prices: the sales (seasonal discounts)

i saldi, the seasonal sales — in January and in July. You scout them in the shop windowla vetrina, the shop window: guardare le vetrine is the national sport of not buying anything.

Come paghi?

At the register the question is paghi in contanti o con la carta? — the cash (in contanti = in cash)

i contanti is cash, always plural like i soldi. Cash comes out of the ATM; the debit cardil bancomat, the ATM; Italians also say il bancomat for the debit card itself. Paper money is the banknotela banconota; the small stuff is the centil centesimo, the cent — one hundred make one euro.

Pay with a big banknote and you get the change (money given back)

il resto — the change. Ecco il resto is what the cashier says handing it back.

Gratis e i dollari

The best price of all is free (of charge)

gratis — free. It never changes form: il caffè è gratis, i musei sono gratis. And for money talk beyond Europe there is the dollaril dollaro, the dollar.