{"id":8859,"date":"2015-03-23T20:26:09","date_gmt":"2015-03-23T19:26:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/?p=8859"},"modified":"2015-03-25T22:31:47","modified_gmt":"2015-03-25T21:31:47","slug":"understanding-directions-in-italian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/understanding-directions-in-italian\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding Directions in Italian"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last week I published an article about Asking For Directions<\/a><\/span><\/strong>. The article itself was fairly basic, and probably not much different from what you might expect to find in a typical Italian phrase book. But now comes the real challenge \u2026 making sense of the reply!<\/span><\/p>\n

To that end I\u2019m going to provide you with a list of keywords and phrases to listen out for when someone gives you directions in Italian, followed by some examples of typical replies that you might hear. Obviously it’s impossible to cover every eventuality, but this should get you started.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Keyword and Phrases:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

sempre dritto<\/strong> = carry straight on
\nfino a<\/strong>\u00a0= until the …
\nfino in fondo<\/strong> = to the end
\nsulla destra\/sinistra<\/strong> = on<\/span> the right\/left e.g. l\u2019albergo resta sulla sinistra<\/strong> = the hotel is on<\/span> the right
\na destra\/sinistra<\/strong> = to<\/span> the right, e.g. giri a destra<\/strong> = turn (to<\/span> the ) right
\nqui dietro<\/strong> = behind here
\na fianco di<\/strong>\u00a0= next door to
\ndavanti a<\/strong> = in front of\/opposite
\nla prima\/seconda\/terza a destra\/sinistra<\/strong> = the first\/second \/third to the right\/left
\nsegua<\/strong> = follow (formal singular)<\/em>,\u00a0seguite<\/strong>\u00a0(plural)<\/em>
\npassi<\/strong> = pass\/go by (formal singular)<\/em>,\u00a0passate<\/strong> (plural)<\/em>
\ncirca\/pi\u00f9 o meno\/su per gi\u00f9<\/strong> = around\/about\/more or less, e.g dopo circa cento metri<\/strong> = after about one hundred meters
\nprima di\/dopo<\/strong> = before\/after, e.g. prima del ponte<\/strong> = before the bridge, dopo il ponte<\/strong> = after the bridge
\nsopra\/sotto<\/strong> = over\/ under
\n<\/span>l\u2019incrocio<\/strong> = the crossroads
\nla rotatoria\/la rotonda<\/strong> = the roundabout
\nil semaforo<\/strong> = the traffic lights<\/span>
\nl\u2019accompagno io<\/strong> = I\u2019ll take you there
\nnon sono di qua<\/strong> = I\u2019m not from around here<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, if you\u2019re all sitting comfortably … on with the show. The two protagonists are Geoff, playing the part of a confused visitor to Italy, and Serena, playing the part of the helpful native.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Finding<\/a>

Finding your way around in Italy can be pretty confusing at times!<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

1. Finding a Toilet:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Geoff: scusi, c\u2019\u00e8 un bagno\/una toilette\/un gabinetto qui vicino?<\/strong> = excuse me, is there a toilet nearby?
\nSerena:<\/strong> dunque, vada sempre dritto fino alla piazza \u2026 sotto i portici sulla destra c\u2019\u00e8 l\u2019ingresso ad un cortile \u2026 vada nel cortile e il bagno \u00e8 a destra.<\/strong>\u00a0=\u00a0well, continue straight on to the piazza \u2026 beneath the porticoes on the right there\u2019s a courtyard \u2026 go into the courtyard and the toilet is on the right.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Geoff: scusi, dov\u2019\u00e8 il bagno\/la toilette\/il gabinetto per favore?<\/strong> = excuse me, where is the toilet please?
\nSerena:<\/strong> mi dispiace, non ce n\u2019\u00e8 uno qui vicino. Deve andare fino alla stazione oppure ad uno di questi\u00a0bar<\/strong> =\u00a0I\u2019m sorry, there isn\u2019t one near here. You\u2019ll either have to go all the way to the station, or to one of these bars. <\/span><\/p>\n

Geoff<\/strong> (in the bar):<\/span> scusi, posso usare il bagno\/la toilette\/il gabinetto per favore?<\/strong> = excuse me, can I use the toilet please?
\nSerena:<\/strong> certo, \u00e8 qui dietro, la prima porta a sinistra, ecco la chiave<\/strong>\u00a0= of course, it\u2019s behind here, the first door on the left, here\u2019s the key.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Finding the Railway Station or a Bus<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Geoff: scusi, dov\u2019\u00e8 la stazione per favore?<\/strong> = excuse me, where is the railway station please?
\nSerena:<\/strong> segua questa strada fino in fondo \u2026 deve passare due ponti \u2026 dopo il secondo ponte vada a destra e la stazione si trova sulla sinistra dopo circa trecento metri<\/strong> = follow this road to the end \u2026 you have to cross two bridges \u2026 after the second bridge turn right and you\u2019ll find the station on the left after about three hundred meters<\/span><\/p>\n

Geoff: scusi, mi pu\u00f2 dire come arrivare alla stazione degli autobus? <\/strong>= excuse me, how do I get to the bus station please?
\nSerena:<\/strong> allora, prenda quella strada l\u00ec,\u00a0continui per circa duecento metri \u2026 poi giri a destra, e al primo incrocio a sinistra<\/strong> = well, take that road there, continue for about two hundred meters \u2026 then turn right and at the first crossroads go left.<\/span><\/p>\n

Geoff: scusi, dov\u2019\u00e8 la fermata dell\u2019autobus per favore?<\/strong> = excuse me, where is the bus stop please?
\nSerena:<\/strong> \u00e8 qui dietro l\u2019angolo \u2026\u00a0davanti all\u2019edicola<\/strong> = it\u2019s right here round the corner \u2026\u00a0in front of the news stand<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Finding a Museum\/Gallery\/Monument etc.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Geoff: scusi, dove si trova La Pinacoteca Nazionale per favore?<\/strong> = excuse me, where is the National Art Gallery please?
\nSerena:<\/strong> mi dispiace ma non sono di qua, per\u00f2 ho notato un ufficio turistico all\u2019angolo di quella piazza l\u00ec<\/strong> = I\u2019m sorry, I\u2019m not from here, however, I noticed a tourist information office in the corner of that piazza over there<\/span><\/p>\n

Geoff: scusi, come si arriva all\u2019anfiteatro per favore?<\/strong> = excuse me, how do you get (literally: how does one get)<\/em> to the amphitheatre please?
\nSerena:<\/strong> allora, prenda questa strada, poi prenda la prima a sinistra, vada sempre dritto per un bel po\u2019 \u2026 ad un certo\u00a0punto vede una piazzetta sulla destra \u2026 sul lato sinistro della piazzetta c\u2019\u00e8 un arco, quello \u00e8 l\u2019ingresso\u00a0all\u2019anfiteatro<\/strong> = well, take this road, then take the first left, go straight on for quite a way \u2026 at a certain point you\u2019ll see a little square on the right \u2026 on the left side of the square\u00a0there\u2019s an archway, that\u2019s the entrance to the amphitheatre
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Geoff: scusi, quanto dista il duomo?<\/strong> = excuse me, how far is it to the Cathedral?
\nSerena:<\/strong> da qui il duomo dista su per gi\u00f9 mezzo chilometro, se vuole, anch’io adesso ci vado \u2026\u00a0l’accompagno io<\/strong> = the cathedral is about half a kilometre from here, I’m going there now, if you like I’ll accompany you.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Piazza Duomo, Parma. Photo (CC) by Francesco<\/em><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

4. Finding Your Lodgings<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Geoff: scusi, mi pu\u00f2 dire dove si trova L\u2019Hotel Napoleone per piacere?<\/strong> = excuse me, can you tell me where the Hotel Napoleon is please?
\nSerena:<\/strong> dunque, l\u2019Hotel Napoleone resta circa due chilometri fuori citt\u00e0 \u2026 bisogna prendere l\u2019autobus o un taxi<\/strong> = well, Hotel Napoleon is about two kilometres outside town … you’ll need to take the bus or a taxi
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Geoff: scusi, come arrivo all\u2019Albergo Senato per favore?<\/strong> = excuse me, how do I get to the Albergo Senato please?
\nSerena:<\/strong> okay, per arrivare all\u2019albergo bisogna seguire via Garibaldi, che \u00e8 questa qua a destra \u2026 poi, quando vede la fontana giri subito a destra e lo vede l\u00ec davanti<\/strong> = okay, to get to the Albergo you need to follow via Garibaldi, which is this one to the right … then, when you see the fountain turn immediately right and you’ll see it there in front of you
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Geoff <\/strong>(in the car, stopping to ask a passer by): scusi, dove si trova l\u2019ostello della giovent\u00f9 per piacere?<\/strong> = excuse me, where is the youth hostel please?
\nSerena:<\/strong> l\u2019ostello si trova di l\u00e0, per\u00f2 quella strada l\u00ec \u00e8 senso unico, quindi occorre proseguire dritto fino alla rotatoria, e l\u00ec prendere la seconda uscita \u2026 passi sotto il ponte della ferrovia \u2026 e l\u2019ostello resta altri duecento metri pi\u00f9 avanti sulla destra<\/strong> = the hostel\u2019s over there (pointing), however that street is one way, so you’ll need to carry on to the roundabout, where you take the second exit \u2026 go under the railway \u2026 and the hostel is two hundred meters further on the right.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, don\u2019t forget, in case of emergency simply say: scusi, non ho capito<\/strong> = I\u2019m sorry, I don\u2019t understand<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Last week I published an article about Asking For Directions. The article itself was fairly basic, and probably not much different from what you might expect to find in a typical Italian phrase book. But now comes the real challenge \u2026 making sense of the reply! To that end I\u2019m going to provide you with…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":90,"featured_media":8877,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[376816,376813],"class_list":["post-8859","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-asking-for-directions-in-italian","tag-getting-around-in-italy"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/90"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8859"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8859\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8891,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8859\/revisions\/8891"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}