Pronto is both an interjection and an adjective that can be translated into English as “ready”. In telephone conversations, it means “hello!”.
Pronto
Ready, hello!
Pronto in Italian: Examples
Pronto? Chi parla?
Hello? Who is speaking?
Luca, sei pronto?
Are you ready, Luca?
Sono pronta per partire.
I’m ready to go.
Using pronto in Italian
Pronto is used very differently in Italian than it is in English. It does NOT mean “quickly”.
We’ve said that pronto in Italian is an adjective and an interjection that translates to the English words ready and hello.
Yes, Italians do say pronto to answer the phone. It’s like they are… ready to talk.
Pronto? – Ciao, sono Marco. Alessandro è in casa?
Hello! – Hi, this is Marco. Is Alessandro at home?
Pronto is also used as a wake up call, like the English word hello? or the expression “are you there?”.
Pronto? Hai sentito quello che ho detto?
Hello? Did you hear what I said?
Federico? Pronto…?
Federico? Are you there…?
As an adjective, pronto can also mean “prompt” or “prepared”. This definition can be found in collocations such as pronto soccorso (emergency room) or riflessi pronti (quick reflexes).
Sono andato al pronto soccorso per un morso di vipera.
I went to the emergency room because I was bitten by viper.
Gianni ha sempre avuto i riflessi pronti. Non sbaglia un tiro.
Gianni has always had fast reflexes. He doesn’t miss a shot.
La pasta non è ancora pronta. Aspetta cinque minuti.
The pasta is not yet ready. Wait five minutes.
Sei pronta per andare a scuola?
Are you ready to go to school?
I risultati saranno pronti domani mattina.
The results will be ready tomorrow morning.
Pronti, partenza… via!
Ready, set… go!
More free Italian resources
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