Italian Phrase
Mi servono francobolli per questo pacco.
Meaning
Literally, ‘I need stamps for this package.’ The construction ‘mi servono’ is a common way in Italian to express a personal need when the thing needed is plural.
When to use
Use this sentence when you are preparing to send a parcel and realize you lack enough postage stamps. It works in both casual conversation at a post office and when asking a friend for help.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Miservonofrancobolliperquestopacco
Mi (indirect object pronoun)
‘Mi’ indicates the person who benefits from the action, equivalent to ‘to me’ or ‘for me’ in English.
Servono (impersonal use of ‘servire’)
Third‑person plural of ‘servire’ used impersonally to mean ‘I need’; the verb agrees with the plural noun that follows.
Francobolli (plural noun)
Plural of ‘francobollo’, meaning ‘stamp’. In Italian, nouns ending in -o become -i in the plural.
Per (preposition)
Means ‘for’ and introduces the purpose or destination of the stamps.
Questo (demonstrative adjective)
Matches the gender and number of the noun it modifies; here masculine singular to agree with ‘pacco’.
Pacco (masculine singular noun)
Means ‘package’ or ‘parcel’.
🗨In Conversation
Mi servono francobolli per questo pacco, ma non ne ho più.
I need stamps for this package, but I don’t have any left.
Ne ho cinque qui. Ne vuoi tutti o ne bastano tre?
I have five here. Do you want all of them or are three enough?
✕Common Mistakes
Io servono francobolli per questo pacco.
The verb must agree with the plural noun ‘francobolli’; use ‘servono’ without ‘io’ because the pronoun ‘mi’ already indicates the subject.
Mi serve francobolli per questo pacco.
‘Serve’ is singular and only matches a singular noun; with a plural noun you need ‘servono’. Use ‘Mi serve un francobollo’ for a single stamp.
Mi servono francobolli per questi pacco.
‘Questo’ must agree in gender and number with ‘pacco’; the correct form is ‘questo pacco’. ‘Questi’ would be used for a plural noun.
↔Alternatives
Ho bisogno di francobolli per questo pacco.
I need stamps for this package.
Mi servono dei francobolli per spedire questo pacco.
I need some stamps to ship this package.
Mi servono francobolli per mandare questo pacco.
I need stamps to send this package.
Cultural Tip
In Italy, stamps (francobolli) are sold not only at the post office (Poste Italiane) but also at tabaccherie, newsstands, and many supermarkets. When you need a specific amount of postage, it’s common to say ‘Mi servono X francobolli’ rather than ‘Io voglio X francobolli’, because ‘servire’ emphasizes the necessity rather than a desire. Also, remember that the verb ‘servire’ always agrees with the thing needed, not with the speaker.