qual è il tuo numero?

Phone numbers in Italian

Reading out a phone number is where a class first uses numbers for something real. Italian has no fixed way of grouping the digits, which makes it good practice for every form a learner knows.

Updated 8 October 2026

The format

PartWhat it looks like
Country code+39
LandlinesStart with 0, and the 0 is kept from abroad (since 1998). Rome is 06, Milan 02.
MobilesStart with 3, generally ten digits: 3xx xxx xxxx.
Freephonenumero verde, starting 80.

The numbering plan is run by AGCOM, the Italian communications regulator.

Three ways to read one number

Take a made-up Rome number, 06 1234 5678.

Digit by digitzero sei uno due tre quattro cinque sei sette otto
In pairszero sei, dodici, trentaquattro, cinquantasei, settantotto
As printed: the area code, then the groupszero sei, milleduecentotrentaquattro, cinquemilaseicentosettantottoLong groups like this are said, but listeners usually ask for digits or pairs.

Pairs are where the 1 to 100 rules come back: settantotto, ventuno, settantatré. Every word in the readings above comes from the same checked engine as the rest of the site.

The phrases

  • Qual è il tuo numero di telefono? What is your phone number? (informal)
  • Qual è il Suo numero? The same, formal.
  • Il mio numero è… My number is…
  • Può ripetere, per favore? Could you repeat that, please?

A listening exercise

Read out invented numbers in pairs and have pupils write the figures: it practises 0 to 99 at speed, in an order they cannot predict. The Dictation exercise on the worksheet generator does the same with single numbers and gives you the read-aloud list. For the pairs, the 1 to 100 chart is the reference.

Questions teachers ask

How do Italians say phone numbers?

There is no single rule. Italian regulations set no fixed grouping for writing or saying a number, so people group it as they like: one digit at a time, in pairs (dodici, trentaquattro), or in the groups it is printed in. Digit by digit is the safest for a learner because it needs only zero to nove, and a pair that begins with 0 is read as zero plus the digit.

Do you drop the 0 when calling an Italian landline from abroad?

No. Since 1998 the leading 0 of an Italian landline number is part of the number and is dialled from abroad too: a Rome number 06 1234 5678 is +39 06 1234 5678. Mobile numbers begin with 3 and have no 0, so +39 3 followed by the rest.

What is the emergency number in Italy?

112, the European emergency number, which Italy has been making its single emergency number region by region. The older service numbers such as 113 and 118 are still widely known. In class, 112 is a good number for practising centododici against uno uno due.

Sources