What does “un passaggio” mean in Italian?

“Grazie per il passaggio” does not thank anyone for a passage — it means “thanks for the ride.” Dare un passaggio is to give someone a lift in your car, as a favour and free of charge. That makes passaggio a tidy false friend for English speakers: it can still mean a passage or a step elsewhere, but on the road it is purely a ride. Crucially it is not a paid taxi fare — that is a corsa.

The natural reply to “grazie per il passaggio” is “figurati per così poco” — “don’t mention it, it was nothing,” figurati being the warm, casual way Italians wave off thanks. So a two-line car exchange teaches both the favour and the polite brush-off: offer a passaggio, answer with figurati.