How to Send a Package at the Italian Post Office: "Vorrei spedire questo pacco a..."
Learn to say you'd like to send a package to a destination in Italian, choose between posta ordinaria, raccomandata and corriere, and handle a real conversation at the sportello.
By SofiaGetting around · Yapr Learn
At an Italian post office (ufficio postale), the counter clerk will ask what you need before you have time to rehearse. This lesson gives you one core sentence — "Vorrei spedire questo pacco a..." — plus the vocabulary for destinations, speed, tracking and payment. You will practise the polite conditional vorrei, the prepositions used with cities and countries, and the questions you are likely to hear back. Everything here is standard contemporary Italian; where usage differs between Italy and other regions, that is noted.
By the end, you can…
- say I would like to send a package to a specific city or country using vorrei spedire questo pacco a...
- ask about and understand delivery options such as posta ordinaria, raccomandata and corriere
- answer the clerk's questions about contents, value, weight and payment
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Vorrei spedire questo pacco in Italia.
I'd like to send this package to Italy.
vor-RAY speh-DEE-reh KWEH-sto PAK-ko een ee-TA-lya
The core sentence. Vorrei is the polite conditional of volere; use it instead of voglio at any counter. In is used with countries and regions.
Vorrei spedire questo pacco a Milano.
I'd like to send this package to Milan.
vor-RAY speh-DEE-reh KWEH-sto PAK-ko a mee-LA-no
With cities and towns, use a, not in: a Roma, a Napoli, a Firenze. This is the single most common slip for learners.
Qual è l'opzione più economica?
Which is the cheapest option?
kwal eh lop-TSYO-neh pyoo eh-ko-NO-mee-ka
Qual is written without an apostrophe before è. Useful when you want the price before choosing a service.
Quanto costa la spedizione?
How much does shipping cost?
KWAN-to KOS-ta la speh-dee-TSYO-neh
La spedizione means both the act of sending and the shipping charge. The clerk may answer with a figure plus euro.
Posso avere il codice di tracciamento?
Can I have the tracking code?
POS-so a-VEH-reh eel KO-dee-tcheh dee trat-cha-MEN-to
Tracciamento is standard; Italians also say tracking informally. You receive it for raccomandata and courier services, not ordinary mail.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The frame vorrei + infinitive is the safest polite request at any Italian counter: Vorrei spedire questo pacco a Londra (I'd like to send this package to London). To name the service, add the noun after the verb: Vorrei spedire il pacco con la raccomandata (with registered mail) or con il corriere (by courier). For destination, remember the split: a + city (a Torino), in + country or region (in Germania, in Sicilia), and per + a person or address (per mia sorella, per via Roma). If you only need a price, the shorter Quanto costa? is perfectly polite.
When to use it
Use vorrei at the start of the transaction, when the clerk says "Mi dica" or "Prego". If you are unsure which service fits, ask directly: Qual è la differenza tra posta ordinaria e raccomandata? Ordinary mail is cheapest but untracked; raccomandata gives a receipt and tracking; a corriere is faster and often used for heavy or valuable parcels. For international parcels, the clerk may ask "Cosa c'è dentro?" (What's inside?) and "Qual è il valore?" (What's the value?). Answer plainly: Ci sono dei libri (There are some books) or È un regalo (It's a gift).
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Buongiorno, vorrei spedire questo pacco a Bologna.
Good morning, I'd like to send this package to Bologna.bwon-JOR-no, vor-RAY speh-DEE-reh KWEH-sto PAK-ko a bo-LO-nyaCerto. Cosa c'è dentro e qual è il valore?
Certainly. What's inside and what is the value?CHER-to. KO-za cheh DEN-tro eh kwal eh eel va-LO-rehCi sono dei vestiti. Il valore è circa cinquanta euro. Qual è l'opzione più economica?
There are some clothes. The value is about fifty euros. Which is the cheapest option?tchee SO-no day veh-STEE-tee. eel va-LO-reh eh TEER-ka tcheen-KWAN-ta EH-oo-ro. kwal eh lop-TSYO-neh pyoo eh-ko-NO-mee-kaLa posta ordinaria costa otto euro, ma senza tracciamento. La raccomandata costa dodici e ha il codice di tracciamento.
Ordinary mail costs eight euros, but without tracking. Registered mail costs twelve and has a tracking code.la POS-ta or-dee-NA-rya KOS-ta OT-to EH-oo-ro, ma SEN-tsa trat-cha-MEN-to. la rak-ko-man-DA-ta KOS-ta DO-dee-tchee eh a eel KO-dee-tcheh dee trat-cha-MEN-toA little context goes a long way
In Italy the post office is also where people pay bills, top up phones and collect pensions, so queues can be long and the clerk works fast. A brief buongiorno on arrival and grazie at the end are expected. In Switzerland and parts of the north, some services are handled by partner shops rather than a full ufficio postale, and terminology may follow local practice; when in doubt, ask which service is available.
One thing to watch for
Vorrei spedire questo pacco in Milano.
Try this instead: Use a with cities, not in: Vorrei spedire questo pacco a Milano. Reserve in for countries and regions (in Italia, in Toscana). Saying in Milano sounds foreign and can momentarily confuse the clerk about whether you mean the city or the province.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How would you say you'd like to send a package to Naples?
Show a sample answer
Vorrei spedire questo pacco a Napoli.
Cities take a. Vorrei keeps the request polite; you could also say Vorrei mandare questo pacco a Napoli, since mandare is a common synonym for spedire.
2The clerk asks "Cosa c'è dentro?" You are sending books. What do you reply?
Show a sample answer
Ci sono dei libri.
Ci sono is the plural of c'è. Dei libri uses the partitive article for an unspecified quantity; if it is one book, say C'è un libro.
3You want tracking. Which service do you ask for, and what question do you use?
Show a sample answer
Vorrei una raccomandata. Posso avere il codice di tracciamento?
Raccomandata includes a receipt and tracking. A courier also offers tracking; ordinary mail does not, so asking for tracking with posta ordinaria will get a negative answer.
Lead with Vorrei spedire questo pacco a... — a plus city, in plus country — then ask Qual è l'opzione più economica? and request the codice di tracciamento if you need it.
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