How to Pronounce 'Prego': Italian Pronunciation Guide

Q: How do you pronounce prego in Italian?

prego is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ˈprɛ.ɡo/. It means “you're welcome.” PREH-go , with an open "eh" like in "bed," and stress on the first syllable. In IPA: /ˈprɛ.ɡo/ .

How do you pronounce "prego" in Italian?

PREH-go, with an open "eh" like in "bed," and stress on the first syllable. In IPA: /ˈprɛ.ɡo/.

prego /ˈprɛ.ɡo/

Two syllables, pre and go, with all the weight on the first. The second syllable is short and light, almost an afterthought compared to the stressed "pre."

Listen: prego

Free browser voice. Hear it read by a real native speaker inside the LingoDrop app.

Sound it out

This one is nearly a direct letter-to-sound match, no silent letters or soft consonants to worry about. The only real decision is which "e" sound to use, and Italian picks the open one here, the same vowel English speakers already make in "bed" or "peg."

pr A crisp "pr" cluster, with a lightly tapped Italian r, not the softer English r that curls the tongue back.

e An open "eh," as in "bed," not the tighter, closed "ay" sound English speakers default to before a single consonant. This carries the stress.

go A short, unstressed "go" with a hard g, said quickly and without the extra weight English gives the standalone word "go."

Hear it in a sentence

Prego, è stato un piacere.

You're welcome, it was a pleasure.

Listen: Prego, è stato un piacere.

Free browser voice. Hear it read by a real native speaker inside the LingoDrop app.

"Prego" is one of the most flexible words in Italian: it answers "grazie" (you're welcome), waves someone through a door (after you), invites a customer to speak (how can I help?), and even asks someone to repeat themselves (pardon?). In the example, "Prego, è stato un piacere," it's specifically responding to thanks, closing the exchange the way "you're welcome" or "my pleasure" would in English.

This "prego" is technically the same form as the present tense of "pregare" (to pray or beg), but here it functions as a fixed social formula rather than a literal request, so it doesn't need an object or context to make sense on its own.

Where English speakers slip

English speakers often reach for the closed vowel of "ay," saying something closer to "PRAY-go," because English spelling habits treat a single vowel before one consonant as a cue for a long, closed sound (as in "Lego"). Italian "prego" keeps the open "eh" of "bed" throughout, never sliding toward the closed variant.

The other slip is stressing the second syllable, saying "preh-GO," often by analogy with how the word lands at the end of a sentence in translated menus. Italian stress falls firmly on the first syllable, and moving it changes the word's whole rhythm even though it doesn't create a different word.