How to Ask How Long Delivery Takes in Italian
Learn to ask 'How long will it take to arrive?' in Italian, understand express delivery options, and handle timing questions with couriers and shops.
By SofiaGetting around · Yapr Learn
When you order something in Italy, the key question is not just whether it will arrive, but when. In this lesson you will learn the standard ways to ask how long delivery takes, how to request express shipping, and how to understand the answer you get. The core structure uses the verb volerci (to take, of time) in the future: Quanto ci vorrà per arrivare? You will also learn the difference between consegna (delivery as an act or service) and spedizione (shipping or dispatch), and how to ask about express options without sounding rude or vague.
By the end, you can…
- ask how long a delivery will take using Quanto ci vorrà...? and Quanto tempo ci vuole...?
- ask for express or same-day delivery and understand the courier's reply
- distinguish consegna, spedizione and corriere in everyday delivery contexts
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Quanto ci vorrà per arrivare?
How long will it take to arrive?
KWAHN-toh chee vor-RAH per ar-ree-VAH-reh
Standard neutral question for a parcel or order. Use ci vorrà (future of volerci) when the delivery has not happened yet.
Quanto tempo ci vuole per la consegna?
How long does delivery take?
KWAHN-toh TEM-poh chee VWOH-leh per lah kon-SEH-nyah
General question about the delivery service, not a specific parcel. Present tense ci vuole is normal for habitual or stated delivery times.
C'è un'opzione express?
Is there an express option?
cheh oon op-TSYOH-neh ek-SPRESS
Express is widely understood in Italian commerce. You can also say spedizione express or consegna rapida.
Vorrei la consegna in giornata, se possibile.
I would like same-day delivery, if possible.
vor-RAY lah kon-SEH-nyah een jor-NAH-tah, seh pos-SEE-bee-leh
In giornata means 'within the same day'. The conditional vorrei keeps the request polite.
Il corriere mi ha detto che arriva domani.
The courier told me it arrives tomorrow.
eel kor-RYEH-reh mee ah DET-toh keh ar-REE-vah doh-MAH-nee
Il corriere is the courier or delivery driver. Use this when you are reporting what the delivery person said.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The verb volerci expresses time needed. Use ci vuole with a singular subject and ci vogliono with a plural one: Ci vuole un giorno (It takes one day), Ci vogliono due giorni (It takes two days). For a future delivery, use the future tense: Quanto ci vorrà? (How long will it take?). To name the thing, add per plus infinitive or noun: Quanto ci vorrà per arrivare? / Quanto ci vuole per la consegna? Do not use prendere for delivery time in this structure; prendere means 'to take' in the sense of grabbing or choosing. Note that volerci is used impersonally in the third person only: ci vuole, ci vogliono, ci vorrà, ci vorranno.
When to use it
Use Quanto ci vorrà per arrivare? when you already have a tracking number or a specific parcel in transit. Use Quanto tempo ci vuole per la consegna? when you are asking about a shop's or website's general delivery times before ordering. For express requests, say C'è un'opzione express? or Avete la consegna rapida? In a phone call to a courier, Quanto ci mette ad arrivare? is common and slightly more conversational; ci mette also expresses time taken and is very frequent in speech. With ci mettere, the subject is the thing or person doing the taking: Il pacco ci mette due giorni (The parcel takes two days), while volerci stays impersonal: Ci vogliono due giorni.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Buongiorno, ho ordinato un pacco ieri. Quanto ci vorrà per arrivare?
Good morning, I ordered a parcel yesterday. How long will it take to arrive?bwon-JOR-noh, oh or-dee-NAH-toh oon PAK-koh YEH-ree. KWAHN-toh chee vor-RAH per ar-ree-VAH-rehCon la spedizione standard ci vogliono tre giorni lavorativi.
With standard shipping it takes three working days.kon lah speh-dee-TSYOH-neh STAN-dard chee VOH-lyoh-noh treh JOR-nee lah-voh-rah-TEE-veeC'è un'opzione express? Vorrei la consegna in giornata.
Is there an express option? I would like same-day delivery.cheh oon op-TSYOH-neh ek-SPRESS? vor-RAY lah kon-SEH-nyah een jor-NAH-tahSì, con l'express arriva entro le diciotto, ma costa dieci euro in più.
Yes, with express it arrives by six p.m., but it costs ten euros more.see, kon ek-SPRESS ar-REE-vah EN-troh leh dee-CHOT-toh, mah KOS-tah DYEH-chee EH-oo-roh een pyooA little context goes a long way
In Italy, delivery estimates often use giorni lavorativi (working days), which exclude Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays; a 'three-day' estimate can therefore stretch across a week. Express couriers such as Bartolini, DHL and Poste Italiane usually give a window rather than an exact time, and entro le diciotto means 'by six p.m.' rather than at six. In shops, chiedere la consegna a domicilio (home delivery) is normal, and same-day service is more common in large cities than in small towns. Note that many couriers also offer consegna al piano (delivery to your floor) or ritiro in un punto di ritiro (pickup at a collection point), which can affect both timing and cost.
One thing to watch for
Quanto tempo prende per arrivare?
Try this instead: Prendere is not used for delivery duration. Say Quanto ci vuole per arrivare? or, for a specific future parcel, Quanto ci vorrà per arrivare? If you want a conversational alternative, Quanto ci mette ad arrivare? is correct and common.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1Ask a courier how long your specific parcel will take to arrive, using the future.
Show a sample answer
Quanto ci vorrà per arrivare?
Ci vorrà is the future of volerci and fits a parcel that has not arrived yet. Quanto ci metterà ad arrivare? is also correct and slightly more conversational.
2Ask whether a shop offers express delivery.
Show a sample answer
C'è un'opzione express?
This asks directly about an express option. Avete la spedizione express? is equally valid and a little more formal.
3Translate: 'Standard shipping takes two working days.'
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Con la spedizione standard ci vogliono due giorni lavorativi.
Ci vogliono is plural because due giorni is plural. Con la consegna standard ci vogliono due giorni is also acceptable, though spedizione focuses on dispatch.
For a specific parcel, ask Quanto ci vorrà per arrivare? For general delivery times, ask Quanto tempo ci vuole per la consegna? Add C'è un'opzione express? when you need it faster, and remember that giorni lavorativi excludes weekends and holidays.
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