The Quiz: Native speakers of which of these languages generally say “pronto” when answering the phone?
Greek
Italian
French
German
In English, we answer the telephone by saying the word “hello.” In Italy, however, when you answer the telephone, you use a word that lets the person on the other end know that you are ready to speak. That word is “pronto,” which literally translates to “ready.” It dates back to when phone calls had to be connected manually by an operator, so the recipient had to signal in some way that he or she was ready and on the line. The conversation can be ended by saying “ciao” (an informal “bye-bye”) or “arrivederci,” which is a more formal “goodbye.”
The correct answer to this quiz is Italian.