How to Ask for Local Recommendations in Italian: 'Cosa mi consiglia di vedere?'
Learn to ask Italians what they recommend seeing and understand their suggestions, using consigliare, vedere and related phrases at elementary level.
By SofiaGetting around · Yapr Learn
Asking for recommendations is different from asking for directions. In Italian, the key verb is consigliare (to recommend, to advise). You will learn to ask what someone recommends seeing, understand the answer, and respond naturally. This lesson focuses on polite questions such as Cosa mi consiglia di vedere? and on the vocabulary you need to make sense of the reply, including words like bello, vicino, and vale la pena.
By the end, you can…
- ask what someone recommends seeing in a town or area.
- understand simple recommendations and ask a follow-up question about them.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Cosa mi consiglia di vedere?
What do you recommend I see?
KOH-zah mee kon-SEEL-yah dee veh-DEH-reh
Polite form, used with someone you do not know well, such as a hotel receptionist or tourist office staff.
Cosa mi consigli di vedere?
What do you recommend I see?
KOH-zah mee kon-SEEL-yee dee veh-DEH-reh
Informal form, used with a friend, a peer, or someone you already know well.
C'è qualcosa che vale la pena vedere?
Is there anything worth seeing?
cheh kwal-KOH-zah keh VAH-leh lah PEH-nah veh-DEH-reh
A softer, open question. Vale la pena literally means 'it is worth the trouble'.
Lei cosa mi suggerisce?
What do you suggest?
lay KOH-zah mee sood-jeh-REE-sheh
Another polite option. Suggerire is a close synonym of consigliare and sounds natural in service situations.
È lontano da qui?
Is it far from here?
eh lon-TAH-noh dah kwee
A useful follow-up after you hear a recommendation, to check the distance before you decide.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is Cosa mi consiglia/consigli di + infinitive. Cosa means 'what', mi means 'to me', and di introduces the verb. Examples: Cosa mi consiglia di vedere? (What do you recommend I see?), Cosa mi consiglia di visitare? (What do you recommend I visit?), Cosa mi consigli di fare? (What do you recommend I do?). Use consiglia with a stranger or older person, and consigli with a friend.
When to use it
Use these questions when you want an opinion, not a route. If you need to find a place, ask for directions instead: Scusi, dov'è il museo? (Excuse me, where is the museum?). If you want a recommendation, ask Cosa mi consiglia di vedere? A natural reply may be Le consiglio il centro storico (I recommend the historic centre to you) or Vale la pena visitare la cattedrale (It is worth visiting the cathedral).
Understanding the answer
Listen for key words: bello (beautiful), interessante (interesting), vicino (near), lontano (far), and vale la pena (it is worth it). A common answer is Le consiglio di andare al mercato: è molto caratteristico (I recommend you go to the market: it is very characteristic). If you are not sure, ask Può ripetere, per favore? (Can you repeat, please?).
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Buongiorno, è la prima volta che visito questa città. Cosa mi consiglia di vedere?
Good morning, it is my first time visiting this city. What do you recommend I see?bwon-JOR-noh, eh lah PREE-mah VOL-tah keh VEE-zee-toh KWE-stah cheet-TAH. KOH-zah mee kon-SEEL-yah dee veh-DEH-rehLe consiglio il centro storico e la cattedrale. Vale la pena anche il museo civico.
I recommend the historic centre and the cathedral. The civic museum is worth it too.lay kon-SEEL-yoh eel CHEN-troh STOH-ree-koh eh lah kat-teh-DRAH-leh. VAH-leh lah PEH-nah AN-keh eel moo-ZEH-oh CHEE-vee-kohGrazie. È lontano da qui il museo?
Thank you. Is the museum far from here?GRAH-tsee-eh. eh lon-TAH-noh dah kwee eel moo-ZEH-ohNo, è vicino. Sono dieci minuti a piedi.
No, it is near. It is a ten-minute walk.noh, eh vee-CHEE-noh. SOH-noh DYEH-chee mee-NOO-tee ah PYEH-deeA little context goes a long way
In Italy, consigliare is common in tourist offices, hotels, and shops. With strangers or staff, use the polite Lei form: Cosa mi consiglia? With friends or people your age, use tu: Cosa mi consigli? Regional differences exist: in the south, people may recommend a festa or a sagra (local food festival); in the north, they may suggest a walk or a museum. Always thank the person with Grazie, and if you follow the advice, you can say Ci sono andato, grazie (I went there, thank you).
One thing to watch for
Using Come posso vedere? to mean 'What should I see?'
Try this instead: Come posso vedere? means 'How can I see?', which asks about the method, not a recommendation. Use Cosa mi consiglia di vedere? for a recommendation. Example: Cosa mi consiglia di vedere in centro? (What do you recommend I see in the centre?)
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you politely ask a hotel receptionist what they recommend seeing?
Show a sample answer
Cosa mi consiglia di vedere?
This uses the polite third-person form consiglia with the object pronoun mi. The informal Cosa mi consigli di vedere? is also correct with a friend, but not with a stranger.
2You hear: Le consiglio il centro storico. What does the speaker recommend?
Show a sample answer
The historic centre.
Le consiglio means 'I recommend to you' in the polite form, and il centro storico means 'the historic centre'. Other valid answers could mention the cathedral if the speaker adds it.
3Translate: Is it far from here?
Show a sample answer
È lontano da qui?
È lontano means 'it is far', and da qui means 'from here'. You could also ask È distante da qui? with a similar meaning.
Ask Cosa mi consiglia di vedere? with strangers and Cosa mi consigli di vedere? with friends, then listen for bello, vicino, lontano, and vale la pena to understand the recommendation.
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