Getting around in Italian
Left, right, the station, one ticket, where is the toilet. Play the ten Italian words against the clock, with a note on how locals really use each one after every answer. All ten are written out below.
All 10 Italian phrases in this lesson
- Dov'è il bagno?do-VEH eel BAN-yo
- Where is the toilet?
- Come arrivo a...?KOH-meh ar-REE-voh ah
- How do I get to...?
- A sinistraa see-NEES-tra
- To the left
- A destraa DES-tra
- To the right
- Sempre drittoSEM-preh DRIT-to
- Straight ahead
- QuiKWEE
- Here
- La stazionela stat-SYOH-neh
- Train station
- L'autobusLOW-toh-boos
- Bus
- L'aeroportolah-eh-roh-POR-toh
- Airport
- Un biglietto, per favoreoon bil-YET-to pehr fah-VOH-reh
- One ticket, please
Public toilets are not always easy to find in Italy. Bars are your best bet: buy a coffee and you can use the facilities without issue.
Directions in Italian always use "a" before sinistra and destra. "Giri a sinistra" means "turn left."
Literally "always straight." A very common reply when asking for directions in Italian towns.
"Qui" and "qua" both mean here. "Qui" is slightly more precise (right here) and "qua" is more general (around here).
Italy's rail network (Trenitalia and Italo) connects major cities quickly. Always validate your ticket at the yellow machines before boarding or risk a fine.
Buy tickets at a tabaccheria before boarding.
For buses and trams, buy tickets at a tabacchi (tobacconist) or newsagent before boarding. On-board ticket purchases are often more expensive or not available.