Italian for Intermediate Learners: Reporting a Lost Passport and Saying 'Ho perso il passaporto'
Learn to say you have lost your passport in Italian, report it to police, and ask what to do next, with polite forms and regional notes.
By SofiaGetting around · Yapr Learn
If your passport disappears while you are in Italy, the first sentence you need is 'Ho perso il passaporto.' This lesson teaches that exact phrase, the follow-up questions you will hear, and the polite formulas for reporting the loss to police or a consulate. You will practise the passato prossimo with 'avere', the difference between 'smarrire' and 'perdere', and how to ask for help without sounding abrupt. The focus stays on passport loss, so you can handle the situation step by step.
By the end, you can…
- say that I have lost my passport using the passato prossimo.
- report the loss to a police officer and ask what to do next.
- understand and answer questions about when and where the passport was lost.
- ask for a replacement or emergency travel document at a consulate.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Ho perso il passaporto.
I have lost my passport.
oh PEHR-soh eel pahs-sah-POHR-toh
Standard neutral statement. 'Perso' is the past participle of 'perdere'; use 'ho' for 'I have'. In everyday speech this is the normal way to report the loss.
Mi hanno rubato il passaporto.
My passport has been stolen.
mee AHN-noh roo-BAH-toh eel pahs-sah-POHR-toh
Use this if the passport was taken, not simply misplaced. Literally 'they stole the passport from me'. 'Rubare' takes the indirect object 'mi'.
Devo fare una denuncia.
I need to file a police report.
DEH-voh FAH-reh OO-nah deh-NOON-chah
'Denuncia' is the formal report filed with police or carabinieri. This is the key step for replacing a passport.
Dove devo andare per la denuncia?
Where do I need to go to file the report?
DOH-veh DEH-voh ahn-DAH-reh pehr lah deh-NOON-chah
A polite, direct question. 'Dove devo andare' is more natural than a literal 'Where must I go' in this context.
Ho bisogno di un documento sostitutivo.
I need a replacement document.
oh bee-ZOH-nyoh dee oon doh-koo-MEN-toh sohs-tee-too-TEE-voh
Useful at a consulate. 'Documento sostitutivo' can mean an emergency travel document or temporary passport.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is 'Ho perso + object': Ho perso il passaporto, Ho perso il portafoglio, Ho perso la borsa. Use 'ho' with 'perdere' because it takes the auxiliary 'avere'. For theft, switch to 'Mi hanno rubato + object': Mi hanno rubato il passaporto. To ask what to do, use 'Devo + infinitive': Devo fare una denuncia, Devo andare alla polizia. These three frames cover most of the conversation.
When to use it
Use 'Ho perso il passaporto' when you simply cannot find it and do not know whether it was stolen. Use 'Mi hanno rubato il passaporto' only if you are reporting a theft; police will ask 'Quando?' and 'Dove?'. At a consulate, say 'Ho perso il passaporto e ho fatto la denuncia' to show you have already reported it. If you have not, say 'Non ho ancora fatto la denuncia'. In Italy the police headquarters is called the 'questura', and the report is normally filed with the Polizia di Stato or the Carabinieri; in everyday speech 'polizia' is also common.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Buongiorno, ho perso il passaporto.
Good morning, I have lost my passport.bwohn-JOHR-noh, oh PEHR-soh eel pahs-sah-POHR-tohMi dispiace. Quando e dove l'ha perso?
I'm sorry. When and where did you lose it?mee dee-SPYAH-cheh. KWAHN-doh eh DOH-veh lah PEHR-sohL'ho perso ieri in stazione. Devo fare una denuncia?
I lost it yesterday at the station. Do I need to file a report?loh PEHR-soh YEH-ree een stah-TSYOH-neh. DEH-voh FAH-reh OO-nah deh-NOON-chahSì, deve andare in questura. Le serve anche un documento sostitutivo.
Yes, you need to go to police headquarters. You also need a replacement document.see, DEH-veh ahn-DAH-reh een kwehs-TOO-rah. leh SEHR-veh AHN-keh oon doh-koo-MEN-toh sohs-tee-too-TEE-vohA little context goes a long way
In Italy, a 'denuncia' is normally filed with the Polizia di Stato or Carabinieri, and you may need to go to the 'questura' in the province where the loss occurred. Consulates often require the denuncia before issuing an emergency travel document. Address officials with 'Lei' forms such as 'deve' and 'le serve'; using 'tu' with an officer you do not know can sound too familiar.
One thing to watch for
Saying 'Sono perso il passaporto' by analogy with 'sono andato'.
Try this instead: Use 'Ho perso il passaporto', because 'perdere' takes the auxiliary 'avere'. 'Sono perso' means 'I am lost' (about a person), not 'I have lost something'. For theft, say 'Mi hanno rubato il passaporto', not 'Sono rubato il passaporto'.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'I have lost my passport' in standard Italian?
Show a sample answer
Ho perso il passaporto.
This uses the passato prossimo with 'avere' and the past participle 'perso'. 'Ho smarrito il passaporto' is also correct and slightly more formal.
2A police officer asks 'Quando l'ha perso?' What is she asking?
Show a sample answer
She is asking when you lost it. A suitable answer is 'L'ho perso ieri' or 'L'ho perso stamattina'.
'Quando' means 'when', and 'l'ha perso' is the polite third-person form. 'Ieri' and 'stamattina' are common time expressions.
3How would you ask where to file the police report?
Show a sample answer
Dove devo andare per la denuncia?
'Dove devo andare' asks where you need to go, and 'per la denuncia' specifies the purpose. 'Dove posso fare la denuncia?' is also correct and slightly softer.
Memorise 'Ho perso il passaporto' and 'Devo fare una denuncia'; these two sentences let you start the reporting process and ask for the next step.
Progress is saved on this browser.
Practice real time conversations on Yapr for faster learning.
Put today’s Italian into a conversation with an AI tutor. Speak, make mistakes, and try again.
Practice on Yapr