Italian · Beginner (A1) · Chapter 4 of 12

Getting around

In giro per la città

Ask the way and other simple questions in Italian, understand directions, say there is and there isn't, and use il, lo, la and l' (the).

8 lines, with a translation of each

In this chapter you'll learn to

Ask questions: where, what, how much, is there…?
Understand left, right and straight on
Say there is, there are and there isn't
Use the right word for “the”

Listen

Sofia is visiting Florence. She stops a man in the street to ask the way. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.

Speed:

Hide translations (test yourself)

Sofia
Scusi, dov'è la stazione?
Excuse me, where is the station?
Passer-by
La stazione? È qui vicino. Va dritto e poi gira a sinistra.
The station? It's near here. Go straight on and then turn left.
Sofia
Dritto e poi a sinistra. Grazie. C'è un bancomat qui vicino?
Straight on and then left. Thank you. Is there a cash machine near here?
Passer-by
Sì, ci sono due bancomat in piazza della Repubblica.
Yes, there are two cash machines in Piazza della Repubblica.
Sofia
È lontano?
Is it far?
Passer-by
No, sono cinque minuti a piedi. Al semaforo gira a destra.
No, it's five minutes on foot. Turn right at the traffic lights.
Sofia
Perfetto, grazie.
Perfect, thank you.
Passer-by
Prego. Arrivederci.
You're welcome. Goodbye.

Understand

“The” in Italian: il, lo, la, l'

In chapter 3 you learned (a). The word for “the” follows the same pattern: for most masculine nouns, where you say , and for feminine nouns. Before a vowel, all three become : , .

“A”	“The”	Example

		,

(before a vowel)

There is, there are: c'è and ci sono

means “there is” and means “there are”. As a question, they mean “Is there…?” and “Are there…?”

Use to ask if a place exists (). Use when you know it exists and want to find it ().

To say “not”, put directly before the verb: (there isn't). Don't mix it up with , which is the answer “no”: (No, there isn't).

C'è una farmacia qui vicino?Is there a pharmacy near here?
Ci sono due bar in piazza.There are two cafés in the square.
No, non c'è un bancomat qui vicino.No, there isn't a cash machine near here.

Asking for and giving directions

When they give directions to a stranger, Italians often use the present tense in the polite form: (you go), (you turn). Like in chapter 3, these are the same as the “he / she” forms.

Italian	English
…?	Where is…?
	Go straight on.
	Turn right.
	Turn left.
	It's near here.
	It's far.

Asking questions

For a yes/no question, keep the words of a normal sentence and let your voice go up at the end: (It's far.) becomes (Is it far?). Italian has no extra word like “do” or “does”: means “Are you having a coffee?” The subject can go before or after the verb: and are both correct.

Questions that ask for information start with a question word. and join to make …? (Where is…?).

Question word	English	Example
	who	(Who is it?)
	what	(What will you have?)
	where	(Where is the station?)
	how	(How are you?)
	how much	(How much is it?)

More in the grammar: Articles: il, lo, la, l', i, gli, le and un, uno, una, un' · Present tense: regular verbs · Questions and negation · Ci and ne

New words

Scusi.Excuse me. · polite; to a friend:
Dov'è…?Where is…? · short for
la stazionestation · feminine
qui vicinonear here
drittostraight on
poithen, after that
a sinistraleft, on the left
sìyes · with an accent
il bancomatcash machine, ATM · masculine; the same in the plural
la piazzasquare · feminine
lontanofar
a piedion foot · = it's five minutes on foot
il semaforotraffic lights · masculine; = at the traffic lights
a destraright, on the right

Practise

1.You want to know if there's a pharmacy nearby. What do you ask?
2.Write “the”: , , or ?
Dov'è stazione?
Where is the station?
3.Write the question word: “What will you have? – A coffee, thank you.”
prende? – Un caffè, grazie.
What will you have? – A coffee, thank you.
4.Put the directions in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.
Go straight on and then turn right.
5.Which is correct?
6.Match the Italian with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.

0 of 6 exercises done.

Say it out loud

Scusi, dov'è la stazione?

Excuse me, where is the station?

Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.

Check

Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.

1.What does mean?
2.How do you say “the square”?
3.How do you say “There are two cash machines”?
4.You want to ask “Is the cash machine far?”. Which questions are correct?
5.How do you say “No, there isn't a pharmacy”?

0 of 5 answered.