How to Ask for a Wake-Up Call in Italian (Sveglia in Hotel)
Learn to request a hotel wake-up call in Italian: ask for a sveglia at a specific time, confirm it, and distinguish it from a phone alarm.
By SofiaGetting around · Yapr Learn
If you are staying in an Italian hotel and want the front desk to phone your room in the morning, you need the word sveglia (wake-up call). This is different from the alarm on your phone, which Italians call la sveglia del telefono or la sveglia sul cellulare. In this lesson you will learn to ask for a wake-up call at a specific time, confirm it politely, and understand the reply. The key structure is vorrei una sveglia alle... (I would like a wake-up call at...). You will also learn the 24-hour clock, which Italian hotels normally use.
By the end, you can…
- ask for a wake-up call at a specific time using vorrei una sveglia alle...
- confirm a wake-up call and understand the receptionist's reply
- distinguish a hotel wake-up call from an alarm on my phone
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Vorrei una sveglia alle sette, per favore.
I would like a wake-up call at seven, please.
vor-RAY oo-na ZVAY-lya AL-lay SET-tay, per fa-VO-ray
Polite and standard. Vorrei is the conditional of volere and is the safest way to make a request in a hotel.
Potete chiamarmi alle sette?
Can you call me at seven?
po-TEH-tay kya-MAR-mee AL-lay SET-tay
Potete is plural 'you' and is used when addressing hotel staff as a group or politely. Chiamarmi means 'to call me'.
La sveglia è per le sette.
The wake-up call is for seven.
la ZVAY-lya eh per lay SET-tay
Use per le before a time to mean 'for' or 'at' when confirming a scheduled arrangement.
Va bene, grazie.
That's fine, thank you.
va BEH-neh, GRAT-tsyeh
A natural confirmation after the receptionist repeats the time.
Scusi, può ripetere l'ora?
Excuse me, can you repeat the time?
SKOO-zee, pwoh ree-PEH-teh-reh lo-RA
Può is the polite singular 'you can'. Use this if you did not hear the time clearly.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is vorrei una sveglia alle + time. Vorrei means 'I would like' and is more polite than voglio ('I want'). Use alle for one o'clock and later: alle sette (at seven), alle sette e mezza (at half past seven), alle otto (at eight). For midnight and one o'clock, use a mezzanotte and all'una. Hotels usually use the 24-hour clock: alle sette means 07:00, while alle diciannove means 19:00. If you want to be very clear, say alle sette del mattino (at seven in the morning).
When to use it
Use this pattern at reception, by phone from your room, or when checking in. A typical exchange: 'Vorrei una sveglia alle sei e mezza, per favore.' The receptionist may reply 'Va bene, alle sei e mezza' or 'Certo, la chiamo alle sei e mezza.' If you need to change it, say 'Posso cambiare la sveglia? Vorrei alle sette invece delle sei' (Can I change the wake-up call? I would like it at seven instead of six). Remember that la sveglia also means the alarm clock itself, so context makes the meaning clear.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Buonasera, vorrei una sveglia alle sette, per favore.
Good evening, I would like a wake-up call at seven, please.bwo-na-SEH-ra, vor-RAY oo-na ZVAY-lya AL-lay SET-tay, per fa-VO-rayCerto, alle sette del mattino. A che numero?
Of course, at seven in the morning. To which room number?CHER-toh, AL-lay SET-tay del mat-TEE-noh. a keh noo-MEH-rohCamera duecentocinque. La sveglia è per le sette.
Room two hundred and five. The wake-up call is for seven.KA-meh-ra doo-chen-toh-CHEEN-kweh. la ZVAY-lya eh per lay SET-tayPerfetto, la chiameremo alle sette. Buonanotte.
Perfect, we will call you at seven. Good night.per-FET-toh, la kya-meh-REH-mo AL-lay SET-tay. bwo-na-NOT-tayA little context goes a long way
Italian hotels commonly use the 24-hour clock, so 7 PM is alle diciannove, not alle sette. At reception, use the polite Lei form (può) or the plural voi form (potete) rather than tu with staff you do not know. Vorrei is standard and polite throughout Italy; in informal contexts friends may say mi svegli alle sette, but with hotel staff keep vorrei or potete.
One thing to watch for
Using voglio una sveglia alle sette, which sounds blunt, or confusing la sveglia with the alarm on your phone.
Try this instead: Say vorrei una sveglia alle sette, per favore for a hotel wake-up call. If you mean your phone alarm, say la sveglia del telefono or metto la sveglia sul cellulare. Vorrei is polite; voglio can sound demanding.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you politely ask for a wake-up call at 6:30 AM?
Show a sample answer
Vorrei una sveglia alle sei e mezza, per favore.
Vorrei is the polite conditional, alle sei e mezza means at 6:30, and per favore softens the request. Alle sei e trenta is also correct.
2The receptionist says 'Va bene, alle sette.' How do you confirm?
Show a sample answer
Va bene, grazie. La sveglia è per le sette.
Va bene, grazie confirms agreement, and la sveglia è per le sette restates the arrangement. Grazie mille is also fine.
3How do you say you want the alarm on your phone instead of a hotel wake-up call?
Show a sample answer
Metto la sveglia sul cellulare, grazie.
Metto la sveglia sul cellulare means 'I'll set the alarm on my phone'. La sveglia del telefono is also correct; both distinguish it from the hotel service.
Use vorrei una sveglia alle + time, per favore to request a hotel wake-up call, confirm with va bene, and remember that la sveglia can also mean your phone alarm.
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