Italian Phrase
Non abbiamo una prenotazione.
Meaning
The sentence means 'We don't have a reservation.' It is used to inform someone that no booking has been made under your name or group.
When to use
Use this phrase at hotels, restaurants, airlines, or any service that requires a reservation when you need to clarify that you have not booked in advance.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Nonabbiamounaprenotazione.
Negazione con 'non'
In Italian, 'non' precedes the verb to make a statement negative.
Verbo 'avere' al presente indicativo
'Abbiamo' is the first person plural (we) form of 'avere' in the present tense.
Articolo indeterminativo femminile
'Una' is the indefinite article used before feminine singular nouns.
Sostantivo femminile 'prenotazione'
'Prenotazione' means 'reservation' or 'booking' and is feminine.
🗨In Conversation
Buongiorno, avete una prenotazione a nome Rossi?
Good morning, do you have a reservation under the name Rossi?
No, mi dispiace. Non abbiamo una prenotazione.
No, I'm sorry. We don't have a reservation.
✕Common Mistakes
Non abbiamo prenotazione.
The article 'una' is correct; a common mistake is to omit it and say 'Non abbiamo prenotazione', which sounds unnatural.
Non è una prenotazione.
Learners sometimes use 'non è' (Negation with 'essere') instead of the correct verb 'avere' for possession.
↔Alternatives
Non abbiamo una riserva.
We don't have a reservation.
Non abbiamo prenotato.
We haven't booked.
Non abbiamo una conferma di prenotazione.
We don't have a reservation confirmation.
Cultural Tip
In Italy, it's common for restaurants and hotels to ask for a reservation even for small groups. If you arrive without one, you might be asked to wait or be turned away during peak hours, so it's polite to apologize and explain the situation.