Italian 101 · Lesson 10
Getting Directions
Ask how to get somewhere and recognise the key words in the answer.
Begin ↓01 / 08
Ask a passer-by
Scusi, dov’è la stazione?
Excuse me, where is the station?
Come arrivo al centro?
KOH-meh ar-REE-voh al CHEN-troh
How do I get to the centre?
Start with scusi to be polite. Dov’è asks where the place is; come arrivo asks how to reach it.
02 / 08
Three directions
A destra.
ah DES-trah
To the right.
A sinistra.
ah see-NEES-trah
To the left.
Sempre dritto.
SEM-preh DREET-toh
Straight on.
Listen for these words even if you miss the rest. Dritto means straight ahead, not right.
03 / 08
Here and there
È qui.
eh kwee
It’s here.
È lì.
eh lee
It’s there.
Qui points to here; lì points to there. The accent distinguishes lì from other words spelled li.
04 / 08
Distance
È vicino?
eh vee-CHEE-noh
Is it near?
È lontano?
eh lon-TAH-noh
Is it far?
Vicino means near; lontano means far. Ask before deciding whether to walk.
05 / 08
Landmarks help
È accanto al bar.
It’s next to the café.
È di fronte alla banca.
It’s opposite the bank.
Learn accanto a and di fronte a with the following article: al bar, alla banca.
06 / 08
Can I walk?
Si può andare a piedi?
see pwo an-DAH-reh ah PYEH-dee
Can you walk there?
Si può asks whether something is possible in general. A piedi is the whole phrase for on foot.
07 / 08
Follow a short route
Sempre dritto, poi a sinistra.
Straight on, then left.
La stazione è di fronte al bar.
The station is opposite the café.
Break the answer into steps: straight, then left, then the landmark. You can ask for repetition after just one step.
Remember this
Takeaway
Come arrivo alla stazione? È lontano?
How do I get to the station? Is it far?
Ask for the route and check the distance. In the next course, you will use the same questions on public transport.