Living in Italian · Season 1 · Episode 6

At the post office: collecting and sending

26 October 2026 · 6 min

A slip of paper in your mailbox means a letter is waiting for you. Learn how to collect a registered letter, send a parcel abroad, and fill in the customs form, all in Italian.

The sentences you need

Devo ritirare una raccomandata.
I need to collect a registered letter.
Ecco l'avviso.
Here's the notice.
Già che ci sono…
While I'm here…
Vorrei spedire questo pacco in Inghilterra.
I'd like to send this parcel to England.
Cosa devo scrivere?
What do I need to write?
Quanto ci mette ad arrivare?
How long does it take to arrive?

Chapters

Full transcript

Italian lines are highlighted. Tap a time to listen from there.

Host
Can you follow this? Don't worry if you can't. By the end of this episode, you will.
Voice 2
Buongiorno, prego.
Voice 1
Buongiorno. Devo ritirare una raccomandata. Ecco l'avviso.
Voice 2
Mi dà un documento, per favore?
Voice 1
Ecco la carta d'identità.
Voice 2
Ecco la sua raccomandata. Firmi qui, per favore.
Voice 1
Già che ci sono, vorrei spedire questo pacco in Inghilterra.
Voice 2
Per l'Inghilterra deve compilare anche la dichiarazione per la dogana.
Voice 1
Cosa devo scrivere?
Voice 2
Cosa c'è dentro e quanto vale. Qui, e poi la firma in fondo.
Voice 1
Fatto. Quanto ci mette ad arrivare?
Voice 2
Più o meno una settimana. Le do il codice per seguirlo online.
Voice 1
Perfetto. Posso pagare con la carta?
Voice 2
Certo. Ecco la ricevuta. Buona giornata!
Voice 1
Grazie, altrettanto!
Host
"Ciao!" And welcome to Living in Italian, by Adesso Italian. One real situation from life in Italy, in under ten minutes.
Host
Today: the post office, "l'ufficio postale", or just "la posta". Sooner or later you'll find a little slip of paper in your mailbox, "l'avviso di giacenza": a notice that a letter or a parcel is waiting for you.
Host
By the end, you'll be able to collect it, and send a parcel abroad while you're there.
Host
Quick note: the voices you hear are AI-generated. Every script is written for real life in Italy and checked by a native Italian speaker.
Host
Let's go, line by line.
Host
At the counter you'll hear: "Buongiorno, prego." Go ahead. And you say:
Voice 1
Devo ritirare una raccomandata. Ecco l'avviso.
Host
"Ritirare" is to collect, to pick up. Not "collezionare": that's collecting stamps as a hobby. "Una raccomandata" is a registered letter, the way Italians send anything official. "Ecco l'avviso": here's the notice.
Host
They'll ask for ID: "Mi dà un documento, per favore?" In Italy, "un documento" almost always means an ID document. You answer: "Ecco la carta d'identità." Or "il passaporto".
Host
Then: "Firmi qui, per favore." Sign here, please. And now, the most useful little phrase at any Italian counter:
Voice 1
Già che ci sono, vorrei spedire questo pacco in Inghilterra.
Host
"Già che ci sono": while I'm here. Use it at the bank, at the pharmacy, anywhere you've already waited in the queue. "Spedire" is to send, and "il pacco" is the parcel.
Host
Notice: "in Inghilterra", no article. But "per l'Inghilterra", with the article. After "in", countries lose it.
Host
Since the UK left the EU, parcels need a customs form: "la dichiarazione per la dogana". So you ask:
Voice 1
Cosa devo scrivere?
Host
What do I need to write? The answer: "Cosa c'è dentro e quanto vale." What's inside and what it's worth. Then "la firma in fondo": your signature at the bottom.
Host
And the classic question:
Voice 1
Quanto ci mette ad arrivare?
Host
How long does it take to arrive? "Ci mette" is the everyday way to ask how long something takes. The answer: "Più o meno una settimana." More or less a week. And you get "il codice per seguirlo online", the tracking code.
Host
Your turn. I'll say a sentence in English. In the pause, say it in Italian, out loud. Then listen to the answer.
Host
I need to collect a registered letter.
Voice 1
Devo ritirare una raccomandata.
Host
Here's the notice.
Voice 1
Ecco l'avviso.
Host
While I'm here, I'd like to send this parcel to England.
Voice 1
Già che ci sono, vorrei spedire questo pacco in Inghilterra.
Host
What do I need to write?
Voice 1
Cosa devo scrivere?
Host
How long does it take to arrive?
Voice 1
Quanto ci mette ad arrivare?
Host
Italy, decoded. The slip in your mailbox.
Host
The "avviso di giacenza" tells you which post office has your letter and how many days you have to collect it. If you don't go in time, it goes back to the sender. Bring the notice and your ID.
Host
Can't go yourself? Someone else can collect it with a signed authorisation, "una delega", a copy of your ID, and their own ID. The notice often has a space for it on the back.
Host
And skip the queue: in the post office app you can book a time at the counter.
Host
Now, the full conversation again. This time, you'll understand all of it.
Voice 2
Buongiorno, prego.
Voice 1
Buongiorno. Devo ritirare una raccomandata. Ecco l'avviso.
Voice 2
Mi dà un documento, per favore?
Voice 1
Ecco la carta d'identità.
Voice 2
Ecco la sua raccomandata. Firmi qui, per favore.
Voice 1
Già che ci sono, vorrei spedire questo pacco in Inghilterra.
Voice 2
Per l'Inghilterra deve compilare anche la dichiarazione per la dogana.
Voice 1
Cosa devo scrivere?
Voice 2
Cosa c'è dentro e quanto vale. Qui, e poi la firma in fondo.
Voice 1
Fatto. Quanto ci mette ad arrivare?
Voice 2
Più o meno una settimana. Le do il codice per seguirlo online.
Voice 1
Perfetto. Posso pagare con la carta?
Voice 2
Certo. Ecco la ricevuta. Buona giornata!
Voice 1
Grazie, altrettanto!
Host
That's it for today. There's a printable booklet for the bank and the post office, with audio for every line, and there's Studio, where Unit 1 is free. The links are in the show notes.
Host
Next episode: the bank, and opening your first Italian account.
Host
This was Living in Italian, by Adesso Italian. See you next time.

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