Words by Pat Eggleton
Have you ever been confused by street signs in Italy? Here’s how to stop someone and ask for directions.
First of all, you need to say,
“Scusi, signore / signora…” or “Scusate” if you are stopping a group of people.
Then you can just say the name of the place you want to go to:
“Scusi, signora, il centro, per favore?” [“Excuse me, signora, how do I get to the centre of town?”]
If you are familiar with the grammar of Italian prepositions, you can impress the person by using them:
“Scusi, signore, per andare alla Piazza della Signoria, per favore?” [“Excuse me, how do I get to the Piazza della Signoria?”]
If you want to go to the Cathedral, you can say,
“Per andare al Duomo, per favore?”
But “Scusi, signore, il Duomo, per favore?” will get you understood and is fine.
You can also say,
“Dov’è…?” [“Where is…?] or “Dove sono…?” [“Where are…]
For example, in a bar you might ask,
“Dov’è il bagno, per favore?” [“Where’s the bathroom, please?”]
In the street, you might ask,
“Dove sono i negozi, per favore?” [“Where are the shops, please?”]
If you are not sure if a certain place is near, you can ask,
“C’è un / una [name of shop or type of building] qui vicino?” [“Is there a …. near here?”]
For example:
“C’è un ristorante qui vicino?” [“Is there a restaurant near here?”]
“C’è una famacia qui vicino?” [“Is there a pharmacy near here?”]
Of course, it is no good being able to ask for directions if you can’t understand the answer! The trick here, as with all listening, is to listen for key phrases in the response, such as:
A sinistra – on the left
Diritto / sempre diritto – straight on
La prima strada – the first street
La seconda strada – the second street
Al primo semaforo – at the first traffic lights
Al secondo semaforo – at the second traffic lights
Vicino a – near
Accanto a – next to
Di fronte a – opposite
To ask if something is far away, you say,
“È lontano?”
You will probably hear a response like,
“ A centro metri” [“ A hundred metres away”]
If you are not sure of the instructions you hear, it is a good idea to try to repeat the important part:
“Sempre diritto, poi la prima strada a destra.” [“Straight on, then the first street on the right.”]
Don’t worry, because Italians like to help people and they are patient. And they will use lots of indications with their hands!
