# phone number



## amoang

Hi everyone,
this italian girl has been waiting on me to call her for the past 2 days. ive contacted my carrier, the operator & other sites to break down this long series of numbers she's given me. anyway, could you please tell me how to ask her to simply give me her phone number minus the country code and/or city code. i want to make it clear to her to simply give me her number. i will not put the entire number she gave me, but it starts out: 003 933 followed by 8 additional digits. ive read at a site that italy can have any where from 5-8 digits in their phone numbers. also, since im doin this from my cell phone the formula is a bit different. can someone help me? thank you so much!


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## mimitabby

011 39 then her "number"
011 for dialing out of the us, 39 is the country code. then the rest
it looks like you have part of it,  you wrote 003 933
so that's 011 39 333 maybe... and a few more.

here's a couple business numbers i found on the net:
 Tel. +39 081 8781386
Fax. +39 081 8785039
so add 011 to each of these and you can dial. i don't know what
the diff is when you are calling from a cell phone except MOLTO COSTOSO!
mimi

QUOTE=amoang]Hi everyone,
this italian girl has been waiting on me to call her for the past 2 days. ive contacted my carrier, the operator & other sites to break down this long series of numbers she's given me. anyway, could you please tell me how to ask her to simply give me her phone number minus the country code and/or city code. i want to make it clear to her to simply give me her number. i will not put the entire number she gave me, but it starts out: 003 933 followed by 8 additional digits. ive read at a site that italy can have any where from 5-8 digits in their phone numbers. also, since im doin this from my cell phone the formula is a bit different. can someone help me? thank you so much![/QUOTE]


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## amoang

mimitabby said:
			
		

> 011 39 then her "number"
> 011 for dialing out of the us, 39 is the country code. then the rest
> it looks like you have part of it, you wrote 003 933
> so that's 011 39 333 maybe... and a few more.
> 
> here's a couple business numbers i found on the net:
> Tel. +39 081 8781386
> Fax. +39 081 8785039
> so add 011 to each of these and you can dial. i don't know what
> the diff is when you are calling from a cell phone except MOLTO COSTOSO!
> mimi
> 
> QUOTE=amoang]Hi everyone,
> this italian girl has been waiting on me to call her for the past 2 days. ive contacted my carrier, the operator & other sites to break down this long series of numbers she's given me. anyway, could you please tell me how to ask her to simply give me her phone number minus the country code and/or city code. i want to make it clear to her to simply give me her number. i will not put the entire number she gave me, but it starts out: 003 933 followed by 8 additional digits. ive read at a site that italy can have any where from 5-8 digits in their phone numbers. also, since im doin this from my cell phone the formula is a bit different. can someone help me? thank you so much!


[/QUOTE]

hi mimi... thank you so much for your help. lol, ive tried the formula (011-39 followed by her #) your giving me & it didnt work. in fact the examples you found of the buss. #'s is pretty much what i used including that plus symbol at the start supposedly cos im doin the call on my cell according to my carrier. i also used "081" cos that's the city code (naples/napoli). i dont know if she may have inadvertnally gave me one tooo many 3's. because as i said i have an additional EIGHT digits after the 003 933. so once again if you could tell me how to simply ask her for JUST her number minus the digits of the country code and/or city code. thank you again..


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## walnut

Hi amoang and welcome 

My interpretation: 
0039 (Italy, country code) 
33 + the first digit of the following number (local mobile operator or local code)
7 digits left (phone number)

This: 0039 331 2345678 would be a typical italian number, I think.

Hope this helped
Walnut


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## lisetta

It would be something like:

mi dai ancora una volta il tuo numero di telefono, ma questa volta senza prefissi

but maybe wait for a native speaker to check

good luck!


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## Sierra

Not sure if the phone number is a mobile phone number or a fixed line number.

Mobile phones would be something like : +39 333 xxxxxxx
Normal phones would be something like: +39 02 xxxxxxx  (the number of x digits could range from 4 to 8) 

Italy is the only country I know that when dialling in from overseas you need to include the "0" of the area code in the number.


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## uinni

Hi!
Sierra's correct. 
As the girl gave you a 003933XXXXXXXX, this means she gave you her mobile number, which is UNIQUE in the world. You have to dial it as it is. If you fail to get in touch with her, it means she did not give you her phone number!

Had she given you a 0039 0XXXX..., the number would have been of a fixed phone, which splits into coutry code (0039), area code (0X... -variable length) and telephone number (XXXXX.... -variable length). For fixed phones people usually do not remember to give the country code, so they usually give a 0XXXX.... number: in that case you know for sure that you have to simply add a 0039 in front of it.

Ciao.


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## lsp

amoang said:
			
		

> Hi everyone,
> this italian girl has been waiting on me to call her for the past 2 days. ive contacted my carrier, the operator & other sites to break down this long series of numbers she's given me. anyway, could you please tell me how to ask her to simply give me her phone number minus the country code and/or city code. i want to make it clear to her to simply give me her number. i will not put the entire number she gave me, but it starts out: 003 933 followed by 8 additional digits. ive read at a site that italy can have any where from 5-8 digits in their phone numbers. also, since im doin this from my cell phone the formula is a bit different. can someone help me? thank you so much!


Silly question, but the vast majority of US cellphone service plans do not include international dialing. Are you sure your service plan allows such calls? Find out, and/or try it from a land line, and let us know.


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## uinni

lsp said:
			
		

> Silly question, but the vast majority of US cellphone service plans do not include international dialing. Are you sure your service plan allows such calls? Find out, and/or try it from a land line, and let us know.


 
(My) Silly question: you cannot simply pick up the phone, dial an international number and get connected, there in the USA? It sounds quite strange... (I mean at least for those calls out to countries that do not have archaic phone systems  ).


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## lsp

uinni said:
			
		

> (My) Silly question: you cannot simply pick up the phone, dial an international number and get connected, there in the USA? It sounds quite strange... (I mean at least for those calls out to countries that do not have archaic phone systems  ).


Sad but true, in this sense we are far behind the rest of the world. Few cell phones here are GSM.


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## amoang

Sierra said:
			
		

> Not sure if the phone number is a mobile phone number or a fixed line number.
> 
> Mobile phones would be something like : +39 333 xxxxxxx
> Normal phones would be something like: +39 02 xxxxxxx (the number of x digits could range from 4 to 8)
> 
> Italy is the only country I know that when dialling in from overseas you need to include the "0" of the area code in the number.


 
hi Sierra, once again here's the number she gave me 0039 3343 xxxx xx so this is a mobile? now you said "0" needs to be included of area code which would be 018 for napoli. now i notice you have "+" in front of "39" do i need to use that as well? ...omg, i have so many formulas, lol...thank you for your help..the strange thing is i did reach someone else in napoli whom i spoke to after dropping one the digits in the number she gave me. this is the formula i used and some what spoke with a gentlemen in napoli: +39 081 333 0xxx..im very confused!


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## Elisa68

lisetta said:
			
		

> It would be something like:
> 
> *mi dai ancora una volta il tuo numero di telefono, ma questa volta senza prefissi*
> 
> but maybe wait for a native speaker to check
> 
> good luck!


Yes, Lisetta you are right this is what Amoang needs to ask.


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## amoang

uinni said:
			
		

> Hi!
> Sierra's correct.
> As the girl gave you a 003933XXXXXXXX, this means she gave you her mobile number, which is UNIQUE in the world. You have to dial it as it is. If you fail to get in touch with her, it means she did not give you her phone number!
> 
> Had she given you a 0039 0XXXX..., the number would have been of a fixed phone, which splits into coutry code (0039), area code (0X... -variable length) and telephone number (XXXXX.... -variable length). For fixed phones people usually do not remember to give the country code, so they usually give a 0XXXX.... number: in that case you know for sure that you have to simply add a 0039 in front of it.
> 
> Ciao.


Hi Ciao, thank you for your assistance. this woman is a doctor so maybe she has the luxury of having one? ..also, she emailed me the following day stating she had waited for my call ..so im certain she did give me her number. look at the comments i left sierra on what i dialed.


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## amoang

lsp said:
			
		

> Silly question, but the vast majority of US cellphone service plans do not include international dialing. Are you sure your service plan allows such calls? Find out, and/or try it from a land line, and let us know.


 
hi, yes i had my cell phone carrier set me up specifically to make this call overseas, so that isnt an issue...as you can see my comments to others input i did have succes reaching a different person in napoli when dropping one of the digests she gave me...


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## amoang

lisetta said:
			
		

> It would be something like:
> 
> mi dai ancora una volta il tuo numero di telefono, ma questa volta senza prefissi
> 
> but maybe wait for a native speaker to check
> 
> good luck!


 
thank you lisetta! have a great day!


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## uinni

amoang said:
			
		

> hi, yes i had my cell phone carrier set me up specifically to make this call overseas, so that isnt an issue...as you can see my comments to others input i did have succes reaching a different person in napoli when dropping one of the digests she gave me...


 
So you know now you simply have to dial the whole number AS she gave it to you: 00393343XXX... (00 is equivalent to "+", so if "+" makes you feel uncomfortable always dial 00 in the place of it).
DO NOT add any extra digit/0 inside that number it is complete and UNIQUE in whole the earth!

Good luck.


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## Elisa68

uinni said:
			
		

> So you know now you simply have to dial the whole number AS she gave it to you: 00393343XXX... (00 is equivalent to "+", so if "+" makes you feel uncomfortable always dial 00 in the place of it).
> DO NOT add any extra digit/0 inside that number it is complete and UNIQUE in whole the earth!
> 
> Good luck.


Sorry I disagree with you.
To call Italy from the U.S. you have to dial 011-39. not 00-39. 
I know, these Americans always eccentric..


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## amoang

lsp said:
			
		

> Silly question, but the vast majority of US cellphone service plans do not include international dialing. Are you sure your service plan allows such calls? Find out, and/or try it from a land line, and let us know.


 
as for trying it on the land line..i cant since i am working during this time, actually out driving..i work at the post office, and since im in the west coast there is such a huge difference in times. also, being at a pay phone doesnt allow me the privacy of speaking to this beautiful woman


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## uinni

amoang said:
			
		

> being at a pay phone doesnt allow me the privacy of speaking to this beautiful woman


 
My dear, if tou speek Italian there you have (almost?) all the privacy you need ! (and she would be charmed to hear your Italian with your american accent ).


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## amoang

Elisa68 said:
			
		

> Sorry I disagree with you.
> To call Italy from the U.S. you have to dial 011-39. not 00-39.
> I know, these Americans always eccentric..


 
hi Elisa, now keep in mind im talking about calling from a "cell phone"...i think it differs in what formula to use when calling from a land line...the operator and my carrier told me this in the states....lol, i am still confused how to go about all this...the main issue is i have limited time to call her AND since i do this while driving is also another issue..also, i have certain areas that get a good signal so another big issue..thank u for your help!


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## amoang

uinni said:
			
		

> My dear, if tou speek Italian there you have (almost?) all the privacy you need ! (and she would be charmed to hear your Italian with your american accent ).


 
haha..i wish i had that luxury, that is why i stop at this forum. i speak only english and she only writes a little english ..have a good day!


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## Sierra

Good grief... after all this she had better appreciate your call!!!  Drop her if she dares puts you on call waiting when you finally get through to her... hah hah hah!!   

Seriously though, as has been clarified, one usually writes *+* to indicate international dialling code.  This code obviously changes from country to country: in Italy it means 00, in Singapore it means 001 and apparently in the US it means 011.  

When people register phone numbers on their GSM enabled mobile phones (esp. people like me who travel quite a bit), it is important to record numbers with *+* as opposed to actual numbers.  On my Siemens phone I have to hold the *+* key down for one second until the sign appears then key in the rest of the phone number.  This is important so that if I am in the US and call Italy, my phone knows to call 011-39-333xxxx or if I am in Singapore to call 001-39-333xxxx without me having to muck around trying to figure international dialling codes of the country I'm in.

Good luck!!!


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## franx

Hi Amoang, let me try and clear up these obscure formulas... =)

First of all, as I think everybody here knows, every country in the world has a country code, which you need to use if you're calling from a country with a different country code. (incidentally, country codes have a variable length, and adjecent countries can have the same code: the US and Canada have '1', Russia has '7', Italy has '39', Ireland has '353', etc...)

Since there are country codes that start with every possible digit from 1 to 9, your phone operator needs to have a means of knowing that those digits you're dialing are in fact a country code and not just the beginning of a normal phone number. So before the actual country code you need to add something to that effect. This is often called the "international access code", and in the US it is '011', in Europe it's '00', but, unlike the country codes themselves, these are not standardized, so other countries around the world can and do use different sequences.

To make things a little simpler, as you have seen, an internationally recognized way of indicating that what follows is indeed a country code is to start the number with a '+'. Of course when you're calling from a normal landline phone there is no '+' key that you can use and you need to dial the full international access code, but on cell phones you can go ahead and just put a '+' before the country code, and the network will understand. That's what Sierra was saying, that in cell phones you can save people's numbers directly as "+39 06 12345678" and forget about the intricacies of varying international access codes.

Now let's come to the rest of the number, specific to Italy: to dial a landline in Italy, regardless of where you call from, you always have to include the area code, and area codes always start with a '0', with the result that all landline numbers start with a '0'. By contrast, all cell phone numbers start with a '3' (no '0' before it), which is handy given that calls to cell phones are much more expensive, and you can immediately tell if a number is a landline or a cell phone. Things haven't always been this way, and before this scheme was put in place (it was changed mostly to harmonize the system with other European countries), it was a bit more confusing and it wasn't as foolproof to tell numbers apart. Anyways, the point is: if it's a landline in Naples, it will start with '081', but if it's a mobile phone it will not have a city code but its own 3-digit mobile phone code starting with a '3', for example '334'. (which incidentally I think makes more sense than the US scheme in this respect, since mobile phones are, well, _mobile_... )

I think the only other thing you may need to know now is that, indeed, the number of digits for landlines is variable, but virtually all cell phone numbers in Italy have a total of 10 digits, so if you have '334' followed by 7 other digits, you have a complete number, otherwise, chances are it's not complete. If you do have a complete number, maybe the problem is somewhere else, or the phone was simply unreachable when you called. You might want to try and ask for a landline phone ("Hai un telefono fisso?")

 Sorry for the long post, I hope this helps!


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## silvietta

Franx yuo are absolutely the best.

I understood that you have an e-mail address of this lady, my suggestion is to write her:
Ho provato a chiamarti al numero che mi hai dato, ma ho avuto molti problemi nel prendere la linea. Potresti gentilmente mandarmi nuovamente una mail con il numero del tuo cellulare senza anteporre il prefisso italiano 0039. Grazie...
I think this is the best way and also what you first asked for in the thread...
Silvia


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## Andre Balian

franx said:
			
		

> To make things a little simpler, as you have seen, an internationally recognized way of indicating that what follows is indeed a country code is to start the number with a '+'. Of course when you're calling from a normal landline phone there is no '+' key that you can use and you need to dial the full international access code, but on cell phones you can go ahead and just put a '+' before the country code, and the network will understand. That's what Sierra was saying, that in cell phones you can save people's numbers directly as "+39 06 12345678" and forget about the intricacies of varying international access codes.



I absolutely agree, good work franx.  I have a friend in Rome, and I have been able to call her exactly as described.  Unfortunately though, we get a very weak connection signal and she can barely hear me!  

Good luck.


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## amoang

franx said:
			
		

> Hi Amoang, let me try and clear up these obscure formulas... =)
> 
> First of all, as I think everybody here knows, every country in the world has a country code, which you need to use if you're calling from a country with a different country code. (incidentally, country codes have a variable length, and adjecent countries can have the same code: the US and Canada have '1', Russia has '7', Italy has '39', Ireland has '353', etc...)
> 
> Since there are country codes that start with every possible digit from 1 to 9, your phone operator needs to have a means of knowing that those digits you're dialing are in fact a country code and not just the beginning of a normal phone number. So before the actual country code you need to add something to that effect. This is often called the "international access code", and in the US it is '011', in Europe it's '00', but, unlike the country codes themselves, these are not standardized, so other countries around the world can and do use different sequences.
> 
> To make things a little simpler, as you have seen, an internationally recognized way of indicating that what follows is indeed a country code is to start the number with a '+'. Of course when you're calling from a normal landline phone there is no '+' key that you can use and you need to dial the full international access code, but on cell phones you can go ahead and just put a '+' before the country code, and the network will understand. That's what Sierra was saying, that in cell phones you can save people's numbers directly as "+39 06 12345678" and forget about the intricacies of varying international access codes.
> 
> Now let's come to the rest of the number, specific to Italy: to dial a landline in Italy, regardless of where you call from, you always have to include the area code, and area codes always start with a '0', with the result that all landline numbers start with a '0'. By contrast, all cell phone numbers start with a '3' (no '0' before it), which is handy given that calls to cell phones are much more expensive, and you can immediately tell if a number is a landline or a cell phone. Things haven't always been this way, and before this scheme was put in place (it was changed mostly to harmonize the system with other European countries), it was a bit more confusing and it wasn't as foolproof to tell numbers apart. Anyways, the point is: if it's a landline in Naples, it will start with '081', but if it's a mobile phone it will not have a city code but its own 3-digit mobile phone code starting with a '3', for example '334'. (which incidentally I think makes more sense than the US scheme in this respect, since mobile phones are, well, _mobile_... )
> 
> I think the only other thing you may need to know now is that, indeed, the number of digits for landlines is variable, but virtually all cell phone numbers in Italy have a total of 10 digits, so if you have '334' followed by 7 other digits, you have a complete number, otherwise, chances are it's not complete. If you do have a complete number, maybe the problem is somewhere else, or the phone was simply unreachable when you called. You might want to try and ask for a landline phone ("Hai un telefono fisso?")
> 
> Sorry for the long post, I hope this helps!


 
Franx, 
thank you so much for your help and EVERYONE else too!..i made another attempt today to contact her tryin what everyone suggested but still didnt work. i ended up goin into the mall to speak directly to my cell phone carrier. they did a couple things i tried and no luck. finalllly! they tried something and they reached my girl! *sigh* we only talked for a few seconds , i let her know id call her tomorrow. anyway, all i had to do, as you stated was use "+39" and then her mobile number 334333xxxx. i am sooo looking forward to speaking with her. lol.. well actually listening to her since i dont speak her language and she doesnt speak mine, but that's ok. once again thank you everyone! i realllly appreciate it! everyone have a great weekend! you guys are great! *wink* ....


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## franx

Amoang, I'm glad you could finally reach her!!

Let me add that because of the very different way operators in the US and Italy charge for cell phone calls, if she has the possibility of making calls from a landline she will be able to call you on your cell phone for about 1€/hour (about one infinitieth of what you're surely paying now... =) by using a calling card, so if you're planning on talking regularly to this girl, I would suggest you ask her about whether she has access to a landline.

Depending on your cell-phone plan (and, if you have a local plan, on where you live), you might also be able to call _her_ for very cheap from your cell phone by using a calling card, if she can receive the call on a landline. In that case she won't pay anything.

This is no longer on topic though, so if this is a possibility, send me a private message and I'll let you know about the details.

Best,
Fra.


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## sergio.patano

Ciao a tutti,
in una mail devo accordarmi per una conference call e volevo scrivere: 
"Questo è il numero a cui mi puoi chiamare +39xxxxxx o se preferisci dimmi a che numero posso chiamarti"
Io ho tradotto così.
"this is the phone number at which you can reach me
+39 xxxxxxxx
or if you prefer please give me your references so i can contact you"

Mi potete dire se è corretto? Oppure mi sugerite cosa devo scrivere?

Grazie mille

Sergio


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## aslan

I would say;

This is the phone number that you can contact me or If you prefer me to call you, Please give me a number that I can call you 
or
Please don t hesistate to contact me through the number, +39xxxxxx ,Furthermore If you could give me a phone number that I can reach you, I will be pleased to you.


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## fran06

Ciao Sergio, ecco qualche idea:

You can call me on 0039...... or if you prefer me/would like me to call you please provide me with a contact number.

Ma aspetta i madrelingua
Ciao


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## kap

fran06 said:


> You can call me on 0039...... or if you prefer me/would like me to call you please provide me with a contact number.


Questo è perfetto!

kap


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## sergio.patano

Grazie Mille a tutti

Sergio


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## SweetSoulSister

You can reach me by phone at +39xxxx, or if you prefer, send me your number and I will call you.


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