“Police in Italian”: how to ask for help in an emergency

Most trips pass without trouble, and then one afternoon your wallet is not in the pocket where you left it. Or a fever starts the day before you fly home, or you are standing in a police station trying to explain that your passport is gone.

This guide collects the Italian phrases for those moments, grouped by situation: how to say police in Italian and call for help, how to report a theft or a lost passport, how to ask for a pharmacy or a doctor, and how to describe a headache, a fever or a stomachache clearly enough for someone to act on it.

With the Police (Con la Polizia)

Aiuto! Help!

Chiamate la polizia! Call the police!

Sono stato derubato I’ve been robbed

Mi hanno rubato il portafoglio / i documenti They stole my wallet / documents

Dov’è la questura? Where is the police station?

Vorrei denunciare un furto I would like to report a theft

Quando è successo? When did it happen?

Dove è successo? Where did it happen?

Dov’è il consolato americano? Where is the American consulate?

Lost Items (Oggetti Smarriti)

Ufficio oggetti smarriti Lost and found office

Ho perso il passaporto I lost my passport

Ho perso le chiavi I lost my keys

Non trovo la mia valigia I can’t find my suitcase

L’ho vista l’ultima volta… I last saw it…

At the Pharmacy (In Farmacia)

Dov’è una farmacia? Where is a pharmacy?

Ha qualcosa per…? Do you have something for…?

Senza ricetta Over the counter

Ogni quante ore? How often?

At the Doctor’s (Dal Medico)

Ho bisogno di un medico I need a doctor

Non mi sento bene I don’t feel well

Dove fa male? Where does it hurt?

Da quando? Since when?

Prende medicine? Do you take medications?

È allergico a qualcosa? Are you allergic to anything?

At the Hospital (In Ospedale)

Dov’è l’ospedale? Where is the hospital?

Pronto soccorso Emergency room

Chiamate un’ambulanza Call an ambulance

Describing Symptoms (Descrivere Sintomi)

Ho mal di testa I have a headache

Ho mal di stomaco I have a stomachache

Ho la febbre I have a fever

Ho il raffreddore I have a cold

Mi fa male qui It hurts here

Non riesco a muovere… I can’t move…

Ho nausea I feel nauseous

Ho le vertigini I feel dizzy

Ho vomitato I vomited

Non riesco a dormire I can’t sleep

Want a Hand?

This guide gives you the Italian for the conversations you cannot rehearse on the spot: calling for help, reporting a theft, finding a pharmacy, and explaining where it hurts and since when.

A teacher takes you past reading phrases off a screen. You’ll say Aiuto! and Dov’è la questura? out loud until they come without a pause, then run the whole exchange, the report, the questions that come back at you, and what the pharmacist tells you about how often to take the medicine.

Book a free trial lesson and arrive able to ask for help.