Spelling phone numbers - doppia cifra

[Dralla]

When we spell in Italian, we can say doppia ci etc.. for double letters. Can one also do this for numbers i.e. telephone numbers ? Can I say my number is due, doppia uno, sei etc... ? Thanks. Paul

 

[MünchnerFax]

No, we normally don't do this with telephone numbers. (By the way, I think it's not so common even when spelling words.)

However, we often read numbers in groups of two figures:
39742117
Trentanove, settantaquattro, ventuno, diciassette.
Spelling each figure separately is correct too, of course.

 

[london calling]

Hello, Paul!

You mean: 9333 - nine three double three (this is part of a "real" phone number in London)!

I've never heard them say anything like that in this part of Italy.

For example: 631033 = sessantatre dieci trentatre.

On occasions, over the phone for example, you would say sei tre uno zero tre tre, for the sake of clarity.

Edit: MF, faster than the speed of light......

 

[Azazel81]

No, we normally don't do this with telephone numbers. (By the way, I think it's not so common even when spelling words.)

However, we often say numbers in groups of two:
39742117
Trentanove, settantaquattro, ventuno, diciassette.
Spelling each figure separately is correct too, of course.

Yeah, I agree...

And with cell numbers it's even different:

For instance: 3472219831 (I don't know it this nr exists... it's random)
We say: tre, quattro, sette - ventidue - diciannove - otto, tre, uno (or ottocentotrentuno, but this is not very common).

 

[Danieloid]

There's not a rule. You could say in many ways, but the "double" form is very rare, although not impossible.
3472219831
tre quattro sette due due uno nove otto tre uno
tre quattro sette ventidue diciannove otto tre uno
tre quattro sette duecentoventuno novantotto trentuno
tre quattro sette ventidue centonovantotto trentuno
an so on.

 

[Dralla]

Thank you all. I've taught telephone numbers as single digits in Italian but in pairs in French and Spanish.

 

[furs]

As others have said, spelling numbers in pairs is quite common in Italy too.
As for spelling for example 33 as 'double three' -- after all that is not a general rule in English either -- Americans for one don't do that.

 

[Dralla]

It is common in the UK to give phone numbers with "double" in them which is why the matter arose in the first place.

 

[furs]

I know that. My point was simply that it is apparently done only in the UK (or in countries where BE is prevalent).