LinguaIn autobus, in treno, a piedi: how you get there
To say how you travel, Italian uses a bare in, with no article: in autobus, in treno, in macchina, in bici, in metro. Walking is different: a piedi (on foot). Vado in centro in autobus – I go to the centre by bus. You will also hear con la macchina, “with the car”: it means the same.
| How you go | Meaning |
|---|---|
| in autobus | by bus |
| in treno | by train |
| in macchina | by car |
| in bici | by bike |
| in metro | by underground, by metro |
| a piedi | on foot |
Io vado a scuola a piedi, ma mio padre va in ufficio in macchina.I walk to school, but my father drives to the office.
Prendere, salire, scendere: on the bus
You prendere (take) a bus or a train: prendo l’autobus, prendi il treno? You salire (get on): salgo, sali, sale. And you scendere (get off) at a stop: scendo alla prossima fermata – I get off at the next stop. On a full bus, people ask the person in front: Scende alla prossima? – “Are you getting off at the next one?”
– Scusi, scende alla prossima? – Sì, scendo in piazza.– Excuse me, are you getting off at the next stop? – Yes, I’m getting off at the square.
In many Italian cities you buy il biglietto (the ticket) before you get on – at a newsagent, a tobacconist’s or a machine, or with an app – and you timbrare it (validate it) in the little machine on board. A ticket is often valid for one corsa (ride) or for a set time. If you travel every day, buy l’abbonamento, a pass for a week, a month or a year.
– Quanto tempo ci vuole per la stazione? – Ci vogliono dieci minuti a piedi.– How long does it take to the station? – Ten minutes on foot.
Words in this lesson
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| l'autobus | bus | Aspetto l'autobus alla fermata. I’m waiting for the bus at the stop. |
| il treno | train | Il treno per Firenze è in ritardo. The train to Florence is late. |
| la bici | bike, bicycle | Mia sorella ha una bici nuova. My sister has a new bike. |
| la metro | underground, metro | A Roma prendo sempre la metro. In Rome I always take the metro. |
| a piedi | on foot | La stazione è a dieci minuti a piedi. The station is ten minutes away on foot. |
| il biglietto | ticket | Un biglietto per l'autobus, per favore. A bus ticket, please. |
| la fermata | stop (bus, tram) | La fermata è davanti alla farmacia. The stop is in front of the chemist’s. |
| scendere | to get off; to go down | Scendo alla prossima fermata. I’m getting off at the next stop. |
| salire | to get on; to go up | Salgo sull'autobus in piazza. I get on the bus at the square. |
| l'abbonamento | travel pass, season ticket | Marco ha l'abbonamento per il treno. Marco has a train pass. |
| la corsa (autobus) | ride, trip (by bus or tram) | Il biglietto vale per una corsa. The ticket is valid for one ride. |
| timbrare | to validate (a ticket) | Sull'autobus devi timbrare il biglietto. On the bus you have to validate your ticket. |
| ci vuole | it takes (time) | Ci vuole un'ora per arrivare a Roma. It takes an hour to get to Rome. |
Exercises
This lesson has 10 exercises in the app:
- multiple choice: 3
- match the pairs: 1
- fill the gap: 2
- build the sentence: 1
- translate the sentence: 2
- listen and type: 1
Try the first one
You walk to school every day. Which sentence says so?
The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.