# Pronto? (conversazione telefonica)



## Gemelle

Quando io telefono in Italia e la persona dice "Pronto" come devo rispondere io?  Devo dire anche "Pronto" prima e poi "Ciao/Buongiorno"?

Al telefono, in inglese si dice "It's Anna" ma in italiano si dice "Sono Anna" oppure "E' Anna."

Grazie,
Gemelle.


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## winnie

no, normalmente si usa dire solo 'ciao/buongiorno sono...'
alcuni esempi fra amici
-pronto?
-buongiorno/salve! sono winnie e vorrei parlare con Gemelle (se chi risponde non è Gemelle)

-pronto?
ciao Gemelle! sono winnie

in un contesto più formale:
-pronto?
-buongiorno/salve! sono winnie, vorrei parlare con la signora Gemelle

- pronto?
-buongiorno/salve! parlo con la signora Gemelle? sono winnie della ditta XXX


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## stanfal

Gemelle said:
			
		

> Quando io telefono in Italia e la persona dice "Pronto" come devo rispondere io? Devo dire anche "Pronto" prima e poi "Ciao/Buongiorno"?
> 
> Al telefono, in inglese si dice "It's Anna" ma in italiano si dice "Sono Anna" oppure "E' Anna."
> 
> Grazie,
> Gemelle.


 

Dopo che ti viene detto 'pronto', puoi proseguire con 'Ciao, sono...', oppure 'buongiorno, sono....'. 

In caso ti riponda una voce che non riconosci, puoi dire 'Sono ...., con chi parlo?' oppure ' sono...., sto cercando / potrei parlare con....?'

Se la linea è disturbata o non hai sentito se qualcuno ha risposto, non esitare a dire a tua volta 'pronto!!'. 

L'importante - dopo che la persona che hai chiamato ti ha risposto - è NON dire a tua volta e subito 'pronto chi parla?'; sei tu che hai chiamato, quindi sei tu che ti devi presentare al telefono!! io personalmente mi irrito da morire quando sollevo il ricevitore e la voce dall'altra parte mi chiede 'chi sei?' 

ciao
s.


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## Gemelle

Grazie Winnie!  Non posso trovare queste cose nei miei libri italiani!

Gemelle.


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## Max.89

What do you English people use to say "pronto" on telephone?
How do you say "rispondere al telefono"?

-Il telefono squilla.
Vai tu a rispondere al telefono io non posso.

-The telephone rings.
Go you to reply...(It sounds too odd to me...)

-We as first word say "pronto chi e'?".
"pronto" who is it?

I wonder what you say,maybe the answer is easier than I think.

(please if I made some mistakes,correct them)

Edit:Sorry,I've mistaken again.This topic is supposed to be post in Italian-English. <Mod note: I've moved it here from English-only>
I'm distracted.


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## Nunty

An individual would probably just say "Hello" or "Good morning" etc. 

It is a bit rude in English to say "Hello, who is this?". It sounds as though you are quite irritated at the interuption.

If I were answering the phone in my monastery I would say "Hello, Saint Claire's Monastery". Institutions usual answer the telephone by identifying themselves. A business might have its representatives answer with a fairly long phrase, "Hello, Widgets International, Claire speaking. How may I help you?"

If you are the caller, it is polite to identify yourself in most cases: "Hello, this is Sister Claire Edith. May I speak with Max, please?"

I hope this helps.


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## Sierra

>>> -The telephone rings.
Go you to reply...(It sounds too odd to me...)  <<<

"Go you..." is wrong because of the subject-verb order.  You'll have to say "You go (and do something)".

In this case though, "vai to a rispondere, io non posso" would best be said as "Could you pick it up please, I can't...".


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## Girino

Max.89 said:
			
		

> What do you English people use to say "pronto" on telephone?
> How do you say "rispondere al telefono"?
> 
> -Il telefono squilla.
> Vai tu a rispondere al telefono io non posso.


There could be several ways to say this, but they usually involve "answer the phone" or "get the phone."

"Answer the phone--I can't get it right now. (usually you would say this more politely, something like "Could you answer the phone? I can't do it/I'm busy right now."

"Can you get that?" or, "Could you get that?"


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## 1947_roswell

If the caller is looking for you own, the answer would be “speaking”.
 
Eg. *Caller*: “May I speak to Roswell, please?”
 *Roswell*: “Speaking”.
 
I heard it in a movie. 
Is it correct?


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## Sierra

1947_roswell said:
			
		

> If the caller is looking for you own, the answer would be “speaking”.
> 
> Eg. *Caller*: “May I speak to Roswell, please?”
> *Roswell*: “Speaking”.
> 
> I heard it in a movie.
> Is it correct?


 
Yes, "speaking" is the correct response - it is equivalent to "sono io".  

Also when you introduce yourself on the phone, you would say "*This* is Roswell" and not "_*I am*_ Roswell".


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## brian

In America, just about 99% of regular home telephone answerers say, "Hello?"  There is no "Hello, who's this?"  Instead, the _hello_ is asked as a question, even though it's one word.  There is a rising intonation that sounds the same as if you were knocking on someone's door or window trying to see if they're home..."*Hello?? *Anyone there?"

Some times when it's more than hello are when a family has a maid, babysitter, etc. answer the phone.  This is often, "Hello.  Smith residence."  Some families, especially ones with like six kids, still teach the children to answer this way since they get so many calls I suppose.

As was mentioned above, businesses never answer with "Hello."  It's always longer and more polite and informational.  "Hello" may also be substituted:

_Hello.  Thanks for calling X.  This is Y speaking.  How may I help you?
Hi, and thanks for calling X.  This is Y speaking.  How may I help you?
Good morning/afternoon.  Thank you for calling X..._

Sometimes you won't even hear a greeting and it'll just be "Smith residence" or "Central Movie Rental. (How can I help you)."

I've noticed that with the big cell phone & caller ID trend these days, more and more people know who's calling them at any given time even before answering.  The big reason for "Hello?" is because you don't yet know who the person is.  But nowadays, you often do know, so it's common to answer the phone "Hey, what's up?" or "Hi, Joe."--the same greetings you'd give if you saw that person face to face.


Brian


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## 1947_roswell

Sierra said:
			
		

> Yes, "speaking" is the correct response - it is equivalent to "sono io".
> 
> Also when you introduce yourself on the phone, you would say "*This* is Roswell" and not "_*I am*_ Roswell".


 
Yes, should be better introduce myself answering.
Thank you for the tip.


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## 1947_roswell

brian8733 said:
			
		

> In America, just about 99% of regular home telephone answerers say, "Hello?" There is no "Hello, who's this?" Instead, the _hello_ is asked as a question, even though it's one word. There is a rising intonation that sounds the same as if you were knocking on someone's door or window trying to see if they're home..."*Hello?? *Anyone there?"
> 
> Some times when it's more than hello are when a family has a maid, babysitter, etc. answer the phone. This is often, "Hello. Smith residence." Some families, especially ones with like six kids, still teach the children to answer this way since they get so many calls I suppose.
> 
> As was mentioned above, businesses never answer with "Hello." It's always longer and more polite and informational. "Hello" may also be substituted:
> 
> _Hello. Thanks for calling X. This is Y speaking. How may I help you?_
> _Hi, and thanks for calling X. This is Y speaking. How may I help you?_
> _Good morning/afternoon. Thank you for calling X..._
> 
> Sometimes you won't even hear a greeting and it'll just be "Smith residence" or "Central Movie Rental. (How can I help you)."
> 
> I've noticed that with the big cell phone & caller ID trend these days, more and more people know who's calling them at any given time even before answering. The big reason for "Hello?" is because you don't yet know who the person is. But nowadays, you often do know, so it's common to answer the phone "Hey, what's up?" or "Hi, Joe."--the same greetings you'd give if you saw that person face to face.
> 
> 
> Brian


 

Great answer!

I'll print it.


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## moodywop

Sierra said:
			
		

> Yes, "speaking" is the correct response - it is equivalent to "sono io".
> 
> Also when you introduce yourself on the phone, you would say "*This* is Roswell" and not "_*I am*_ Roswell".


 
You've obviously dealt with Italians on the phone . When I first went to England I kept replying "it's me" or "I'm Carlo" until I was told I should have said "speaking" and "this is Carlo".

By the way, is it true that one of the differences between BE and AE is that in Britain people say "is that John?" whereas Americans say "is this John"?


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## mimitabby

We definitely ask "Is this John?" in the USA


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## hohodicestu

"is this John?" is correct


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## Potter John

Hi

In Britain it's "is that John"

or even "John?" in a questioning voice

John


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## Sierra

... or "Is that you, John?"


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## brian

"Is that John" sounds funny to my ears, but upon reflection, it can't have much to do with whether the person I'm talking to is this or that, or here or there:

_Hello? Is this John? Hello?? Are you still there, John?_

I never say on the phone, "Are you here?"


Brian


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## dylanG3893

Ciao a tutti!
È vero che molti italiani dice 'Sì?' quando loro rispondono al telfono invece di 'Pronto' ora?

Grazie!


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## fitter.happier

dylanG3893 said:


> Ciao a tutti!
> È vero che molti italiani dic*ono* 'Sì?' quando loro _(no need to say "loro" as there's already a subject: molti italiani )_ rispondono al tel*e*fono invece di 'Pronto' ora?
> 
> Grazie!



Sì, è vero! 

P.S. 
I can't understand "ora"... what did you mean?


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## dylanG3893

I meant that now these days italians say 'Sì?' instead of pronto.
Is it more common?


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## gabrigabri

dylanG3893 said:


> I meant that now these days italians say 'Sì?' instead of pronto.
> Is it more common?




They're both used (but I use only "pronto". My mum: Sì? and I say: No? )


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## fitter.happier

dylanG3893 said:


> I meant that now these days italians say 'Sì?' instead of pronto.
> Is it more common?



It's not like one is more common than the other... They are both, though "pronto?" is maybe more used


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## Quovadis

brian8733 said:


> In America, just about 99% of regular home telephone answerers say, "Hello?" There is no "Hello, who's this?" Instead, the _hello_ is asked as a question, even though it's one word. There is a rising intonation that sounds the same as if you were knocking on someone's door or window trying to see if they're home..."*Hello?? *Anyone there?"
> 
> Some times when it's more than hello are when a family has a maid, babysitter, etc. answer the phone. This is often, "Hello. Smith residence." Some families, especially ones with like six kids, still teach the children to answer this way since they get so many calls I suppose.
> 
> As was mentioned above, businesses never answer with "Hello." It's always longer and more polite and informational. "Hello" may also be substituted:
> 
> _Hello. Thanks for calling X. This is Y speaking. How may I help you?_
> _Hi, and thanks for calling X. This is Y speaking. How may I help you?_
> _Good morning/afternoon. Thank you for calling X..._
> 
> Sometimes you won't even hear a greeting and it'll just be "Smith residence" or "Central Movie Rental. (How can I help you)."
> 
> I've noticed that with the big cell phone & caller ID trend these days, more and more people know who's calling them at any given time even before answering. The big reason for "Hello?" is because you don't yet know who the person is. But nowadays, you often do know, so it's common to answer the phone "Hey, what's up?" or "Hi, Joe."--the same greetings you'd give if you saw that person face to face.
> 
> 
> Brian


 
You made an excellent explanation here, but I must make one correction.  "especially ones with like six kids." You should not use "like" in this sentence; ones with six kids, or perhaps you mean, ones with about six kids.


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## ogre84

Hi,

I have heard that in english you can ansker to a telephone call, saying fist the number reached, is it true?

Ex:

012345678 hello......

Thanks

Orgre84


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## Murphy

ogre84 said:


> Hi,
> 
> I have heard that in english you can answer to a telephone call, by saying first the number reached. Is this true?
> 
> Ex:
> 
> 012345678 hello......
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Orgre84


 
Yes, it's true. (Hope you don't mind the corrections)


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## Einstein

This is the British way. I don't know if the Americans do it.


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## MissLonelyHearts

How about, for example when you are talking with your friends on MSN and you call their computer. When they answer on their microphone and say 'Pronto!' how would I respond then? 

Grazie


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## 1947_roswell

MissLonelyHearts said:


> How about, for example when you are talking with your friends on MSN and you call their computer. When they answer on their microphone and say 'Pronto!' how would I respond then?
> 
> Grazie


When I’m calling and the person on the other side tells me “pronto”, I reply “ciao X sono Roswell”. However, as always, there isn’t a written rule. To “pronto” I can reply in many different ways. 
As it has been already said my mother says :”Siiiii?”
Roswell: “Ciao mamma”.
Mamma: “Che è successo?”
R.:” Niente mamma volevo solo salutarti”.


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## MissLonelyHearts

Grazie Roswell


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## Einstein

*When I’m calling and the person on the other side tells me* ...

We say: on the other end (all'altro capo del filo).

To go back to an earlier point: there is definitely an AmE/BrE difference in the use of "this" and "that". In BrE:
"Who's that?" (who's that person there, on the other end?)
"This is Susan" (this person here, on this end).
We find the American use illogical, but that's life...


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## Supersilviettina

'giorno!!!
In Gran Bretagna chi telefona e si deve identificare dice "Hello, X.Y. speaking!" oppure "It's X. here" o "It's X. speaking".

Vi risulta che dicano "Hello (numero di telefono) speaking"?

Grazie, spero do essere stata chiara?

Silvia


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## Annie:

Ciao a tutti!!
Una curiosità... di solito al telefono, quando ti chiama una persona con cui si ha confidenza, si risponde anche "Pronti!" in tono amichevole!
C'è un modo per dirlo anche in inglese?


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## london calling

Annie: said:


> Ciao a tutti!!
> Una curiosità... di solito al telefono, quando ti chiama una persona con cui si ha confidenza, si risponde anche "Pronti!" in tono amichevole!
> C'è un modo per dirlo anche in inglese?


Abbiamo diversi modi di rispondere agli amici per telefono, ma forse non abbiamo una risposta così "codificata", nel senso di dire che lo usano in molti (a proposito, lo uso anch'io in italiano). Ma sentiamo anche gli altri, che forse hanno inventato qualcosa di nuovo di cui non sono a conoscenza!

La mia risposta dipende dall'amico/a che chiama! Ma almeno nel mio caso il saluto "Hello" non manca mai. Dopo ti potrei anche insultare.....sempre amichevolmente, s'intende!


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## elena73

Personally I would use 'Sì' on the phone only ironically (pronounced like sìììììì, with rising intonation) and only on intercoms with my colleagues at work... but maybe that's just me... I still stick to 'Pronto?'
Annie, it's true! My husband, answering on the mobile to friends (of course in this case he knows who's calling....) always says 'prontiiiii' (laughing/smiling). 

BRIAN: with like six kids.... I understand this expression as colloquial/spoken English. It's fine with me... I really liked your explanation and informal style.... I just have a comment to make on this point: six kids? Oh my God, no one in Italy can afford that ))

By the way: on the phone I used to say: ''It's Elena''. Is this wrong????


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## london calling

elena73 said:


> By the way: on the phone I used to say: ''It's Elena''. Is this wrong????Not at all! Mind you, I usually say that when I make a phone call: "Hello, it's Jo. Can I speak to Elena, please?" If I answer the phone in the UK and they ask me who's speaking, I usually reply: "It's Jo", but only because if I answer the phone in London it's my parents' number, not mine  (if it were mine I'd be pretty cross if someone phoned me and asked who was speaking!)


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## elena73

Thanks for the explanation!!!


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## mayta-p

MissLonelyHearts said:


> How about, for example when you are talking with your friends on MSN and you call their computer. When they answer on their microphone and say 'Pronto!' how would I respond then?
> 
> Grazie


If my friend says "pronto" I usually answer  with "si, ci sono! mi senti?" ('cause most of the time the communication is bad ).


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