19. Means of transportations in Italian
Here are a few means of transportations in Italian that you can use to say “I came by car” or “I came walking”
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| la macchina | the car |
| l’auto | the vehicle |
| il treno | the train |
| l’autobus | the bus |
| la metropolitana | the metro |
| il tram | the tram |
| la bicicletta | the bicycle |
| lo scoter | the scoter |
| il taxi | the taxi |
| l’aereo | the airplane |
| la nave | the boat |
| il traghetto | the ferry |
| a piedi | by walking |
Examples usage in phrases:
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Vado a scuola in autobus | I go to school by bus |
| Preferisco viaggiare in treno | I prefer to travel by train |
| Arriviamo a piedi | We arrived on foot |
Attention!
Attention!
We use “in” when we describe vehicles. When saying by walking, we use “a” e.g. “a piedi” or “in autobus”
Useful verbs to help you use with means of transportation
Then, you can combine common words to form phrases by saying you arrived, you left or to turn:
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| andare | to go |
| venire | to come |
| arrivare | to arrive |
| partire | to leave |
| prendere | to catch (mean of transportation) |
| salire (su) | to enter (mean of transporation) |
| scendere (da) | to leave (mean of transportation) |
| attraverssare | to cross |
| girare/svoltare | to turn |
| continuare dittro | to continue forward |
| essere in ritardo | to be late |
Examples usage in phrases:
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Devo prendere il treno alle 8 | I must catch the train at 8 |
| Puodi scendere alla prossima fermanda | You can get out at the next stop |
| Gira a sinistra, poi vai dritto | Turn left, then go straight |
Useful questions to ask for directions
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Scusi, dov’è … | Excuse me, where is … |
| Come posso arrivare a … | How can I arrive at … |
| C’è una fermata dell’autobus qui vicino? | Is there a bus stop close to here? |
| Quanto dista da qui? | How far is it from here? |
| È vicino o lontano? | Is it close or far? |
| Mi può aiutare, per favore? | Can you help me, please? |
There are a few common answers that you might expect to hear
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| è qui vicino | it’s close by |
| è lontano da qui | it’s far from here |
| giri a destra | turn right |
| giri a sinistra | turn left |
| vada sempre diritto | go straight ahead |
| attraversi la strada | cross the street |
| è all’angolo | it’s at the corner |
| dopo il semaforo | after the traffic light |
| prima della stazione | before the station |
Prepositions of places
Now that we know how to combine this new vocabulary, we can insert prepositions into our phrases.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| sopra | above |
| sotto | under |
| davanti a | in front of |
| dietro | behind |
| accanto a | right next to |
| vicino a | close to |
| lontano da | far away from |
| a destra (di) | to the right of |
| a sinitra (di) | to the left of |
| in mezzo a | in the middle of |
| tra/fra | between |
Attention!
Attention!
Tra/fra = general “between” or “among” positions e.g. “La casa è tra gli alberi” = The house is among the trees
In mezzo a = emphasizes “in the middle” or “in the center” e.g. “La casa è in mezzo a un bosco” = The house is in the middle of a forest
Example usages in a phrase:
- La banca è accanto al supermercato (The bank is right next to the supermarket)
- Il ristorante è dietro la stazione (The restaurant is behind the station)
- L’edicola è tra la farmacia e il bar (The newspaper story is between pharmacy and the bar)