How to ask for directions in Italian
Asking is the easy half. Scusi, dov’è followed by the place gets you an answer almost anywhere. The hard half is the answer, which you catch a orecchio, by ear: it comes quickly, with a lot of pointing, in a form of the verb that textbooks leave until later.
So this page has both: how to ask, the answers you will hear, where things are, and how to ask again.
Asking
- Scusi, dov'è piazza della Signoria?Excuse me, where is Piazza della Signoria?
- Dov'è la stazione dei treni?Where is the train station?
- Come arrivo al museo?How do I get to the museum?
- È lontano?Is it far?
- Quanto ci vuole a piedi?How long does it take on foot?
- Mi sono perso, può aiutarmi?I'm lost, can you help me?
- Può mostrarmelo sulla mappa?Can you show me on the map?
- C'è un bancomat qui vicino?Is there a cash machine nearby?
- Dov'è il bagno?Where is the toilet?
The answers you will hear
- Sempre dritto.Straight ahead
- Giri a destra.Turn right
- Prenda la seconda a destra.Take the second on the right
- Dopo il semaforo, a sinistra.After the traffic light, on the left
- Attraversi il ponte e poi giri a sinistra.Cross the bridge and then turn left
- Continui per questa strada fino alla piazza.Carry on along this road to the square
- Deve tornare indietro.You have to go back
Where it is
- È qui vicino.It's near here
- È a cinque minuti a piedi.It's five minutes on foot
- Di fronte alla banca.Opposite the bank
- Accanto al bar.Next to the café
- Si trova dietro la chiesa, di fronte alla farmacia.It's behind the church, opposite the pharmacy
- È dall'altra parte del fiume.It's on the other side of the river
- Non si può sbagliare, è proprio lì.You can't miss it, it's right there
When you didn’t catch it
- Non capisco.I don't understand
- Può ripetere, per favore?Can you repeat, please?
- Più lentamente, per favore.More slowly, please
- Grazie mille.Thanks a lot
Scusi to a stranger
Scusi is the polite excuse me, for someone you do not know; scusa is for a friend or a child. Starting with scusi and ending with grazie mille covers most of the politeness the moment needs.
Why the answers sound different
Giri, prenda, attraversi, continui: directions are given in the polite command form, which looks like the wrong ending if you learned gira and prendi first. Listen for the direction words instead: destra (right), sinistra (left), dritto (straight on).
Dritto means keep going
Sempre dritto does not mean always straight, as if forever: it means carry straight on until you see it. In Florence the river is the big landmark, and dall’altra parte del fiume means the Oltrarno side.
Biglietto · Try it
What does it mean?
Question 1 of 5: Sempre dritto.
Verba prints lessons like these as train tickets out of Florence, and Selene, its AI tutor, talks them through with you out loud.
