Italian 102 · Lesson 11
Getting Around
Buy a ticket, check your route and know when to get off.
Begin ↓01 / 08
Choose your transport
l’autobus / il bus, la metro, il tram
the bus, the metro, the tram
il treno
eel TREH-noh
the train
Bus and autobus are both common. Metro is often written metrò too; tram stays the same in the plural.
02 / 08
Find the right place
Dov’è la fermata?
Where is the stop?
Dov’è la stazione?
Where is the station?
A fermata is a stop; a stazione is a station. They are not interchangeable in every situation.
03 / 08
Get a ticket
Dove compro il biglietto?
DOH-veh KOM-proh eel bee-LYET-toh
Where do I buy the ticket?
Un biglietto per Roma, per favore.
A ticket to Rome, please.
The gli in biglietto is a blended sound, close to ly. Keep the double t audible.
04 / 08
Check the destination
Questo autobus va alla stazione?
Does this bus go to the station?
Use questo autobus when you are pointing at a bus. Alla combines a and la before stazione.
05 / 08
Check for changes
Devo cambiare?
DEH-voh kam-BYAH-reh
Do I need to change?
Cambiare means to change. Here it means changing transport, not changing your ticket.
06 / 08
Know where to get off
Dove devo scendere?
DOH-veh DEH-voh SHEN-deh-reh
Where do I need to get off?
È la prossima?
Is it the next stop?
Scendere means to get off in this context. Sc before e sounds like sh.
07 / 08
Listen to the reply
Sì, deve scendere alla prossima.
Yes, you need to get off at the next stop.
No, deve cambiare in centro.
No, you need to change in the centre.
Prossima refers to the next fermata, so it ends in a. Do not assume a station name tells you the direction of travel.
Remember this
Takeaway
Questo autobus va in centro? Dove devo scendere?
Does this bus go to the centre? Where do I get off?
Check the destination before boarding, then ask about your stop. Ticket validation rules vary; follow the local instructions.