We know very well that who studies Italian travels to Italy as much as possible, especially in summer time, to enjoy the beautiful days, to eat good food and to practice Italian with the locals… So what a better reason to make a video about words and expressions to use at the station?
Italian Dialogue at the Train STATION!
Let’s see all the terms and expressions to know to travel by train in Italy, through a dialogue!
– Prego, mi dica! [Tell me, how can I help you?]
– Buongiorno. Dovrei andare a Torino. Potrebbe dirmi gentilmente a che ora parte il primo treno? [Good morning. I should go to Turin. Could you please tell me when the first train leaves?]
– Controllo subito! Dunque… il primo treno parte da Bari alle 9:40, praticamente tra mezz’ora, e arriva a Torino alle 23. [I’ll immediately check! So… the first train leaves from Bari at 9.40 am, basically in half an hour, and arrives in Turin at 11 pm.]
– Come mai ci mette così tanto tempo? [Why does it take so long?]
– Perché c’è un cambio* a Bologna. [Because there is a change in Bologna.]
Cambio: in reference to travels by public transport, such as trains, buses or planes, it is used when to get to the destination it is necessary, at some point, to change vehicles. In this case, to get to Turin, at some point you have to get off at the Bologna station and continue taking another train.
– Ah capisco… sinceramente, non fa per me! Quali altre alternative ci sono? [I understand … honestly, it’s not for me! What other alternatives are there?]
– C’è un treno ad alta velocità alle 10 che arriva a Torino alle 20.55. Questo è diretto*! [There is a high-speed train at 10 am which arrives in Turin at 8.55 pm. This is direct!]
Diretto: a travel is direct, instead, when there is no change to arrive at its destination.
– Ottimo! È assolutamente perfetto! Ma… di solito i treni ad alta velocità fanno ritardo? [Great! It’s absolutely perfect! But… are high-speed trains usually late?]
– Oh no, sono sempre puntuali! [Oh no, they are always on time!]
– Grandioso! Ascolti, ho un’altra domanda: se arrivo a Torino alle 21, sicuramente mi verrà fame nel tragitto… mi sa dire se sul treno c’è un servizio di ristorazione? [Great! Listen, I have another question: if I arrive in Turin at 9 pm, I will surely be hungry on the way… can you tell me if there is a restaurant service on the train?]
– Sì, al centro del treno troverà la carrozza ristorante*. Lì può trovare sia piatti caldi che piatti freddi, così come caffè, dolci, snack… è davvero ben fornita! [Yes, in the middle of the train you will find the dining car. There you can find both hot and cold dishes, as well as coffee, sweets, snacks … it’s really well stocked!]
Carrozza ristorante: train car where food and drinks are served.
– Ok, mi sembra eccellente! Allora prendo questo treno! Mi dia due biglietti: uno per me e uno per mio figlio. [Okay, I think it’s excellent! Then I take this train! Give me two tickets: one for me and one for my son.]
– Quanti anni ha suo figlio? [How old is your son?]
– Sette. [Seven.]
– Bene, allora può usufruire dello sconto! Fino a dieci anni, i bambini pagano un biglietto ridotto*, ossia ha il 50% di sconto. [Well, then you can take advantage of the discount! Up to the age of ten, children pay a reduced ticket, meaning they get a 50% discount.]
Biglietto ridotto: it means a ticket whose price is reduced. Usually, children, the elderly and large groups receive this type of discount. In the case in which instead the ticket is to full price, that is the normal price, it is called “biglietto intero”.
– Wow! Quindi, quanto le devo* in totale? [Wow! So how much do I owe you in total?]
“Quanto le devo?”: it is an expression used to ask for the total amount to be paid. You can also use “quanto ti devo?” if you use the “tu” and not the “lei” with the other person.
– Sola andata* o andata e ritorno? [One way or round trip?]
Sola andata: it is a ticket that only includes the route from the city of departure to the city of arrival. A ticket “andata e ritorno” also includes the opposite route. It is always useful to specify if you also want the return or not.
– Sola andata. [One way.]
– Prima o seconda classe*? [First or second class?]
Classe: on some means of transport, the class indicates the category based on the quality of the equipment and services. The first class is the best one, then it descends, but usually there are only first and second class.
– Di quanto è la differenza? [How much is the difference?]
– Il biglietto intero in prima classe costa 70€. In seconda classe, invece, 40€. [The full ticket in first class costs € 70. In second class, instead, € 40.]
– Mi dia la prima allora. [Give me the first one then.]
– Dunque, 70+35. Viene 105€ in tutto. [So, 70 + 35. It’s € 105 in total.]
– Ecco a lei! Devo timbrare il biglietto? [Here you are! Do I need to stamp the ticket?]
– Per i treni ad alta velocità non si oblitera il biglietto, perché ha già la data e l’ora segnate. Per i treni regionali, invece, è necessario obliterare*. [For high-speed trains you don’t need to stamp the ticket, because it already has the date and time marked. For regional trains, instead, it is necessary to stamp it.]
Timbrare / obliterare: (the second is the most appropriate verb) means marking the ticket with a stamp or a signature or a hole, so that it is used only once and not reused. Usually in Italy tickets for regional trains, those with short routes and no seats assigned, need to be stamped. The ticket must be stamped before boarding the train at the special ticket validating machines.
– Perfetto! I posti sono assegnati? [Perfect! Are the seats assigned?]
– Sì, lei ha il 3C e suo figlio il 3D, carrozza 5. [Yes, you have 3C and your son 3D, car 5.]
– Perfetto! Da quale binario* parte il treno? [Perfect! From which platform does the train leave?]
Binario: it is the set of rails on which trains, trams and the like run. Each platform has its own number and it is important to pay attention to the platform number of your train to avoid getting on the wrong train!
– Ancora non si sa ma, circa mezz’ora prima della partenza, potrà leggerlo sul tabellone* all’ingresso. [We still don’t know but, about half an hour before the departure, you will be able to read it on the board at the entrance.]
Tabellone: it’s that big screen that is found at the entrance of all the stations, and that informs us about all the trains arriving and departing. It should be checked about half an hour before departure, otherwise it could happen that your train is not yet showed or that the platform is changed at the last moment and you are not updated.
– Ah d’accordo! Grazie! Buona giornata! [Alright! Thank you! Have a nice day!]
– Grazie a lei, buon viaggio! [Thank you, enjoy your travel!]
Feeling the sudden need to take a trip to Italy by train, now? Then you should definitely check out also the verbs you must know to travel to Italy!
Let’s see if you’ve mastered the contents of this class. Have a go at completing the exercises!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 9:16 — 8.5MB)
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Just a little typo: Ancora non si sa ma, circa mezz’ora prima della partenza, potrà leggerlo sul tabellone* all’ingresso. [We still don’t known but, about half an hour before the departure, you will be able to read it on the board at the entrance.]
We still don’t know….
Excellent Site. Before this, I hesitated to send a correction because I did not want to be critical of the wonderful work you have done.
Buongiorno. Dovrei andare a Torino. Potrebbe dirmi gentilmente a che ora parte il primo treno? [Good morning. I should go to Turin. Could you please tell me when is the first train leaving?]
Could you please tell me when the first train is leaving? But I would say, “Could you please tell me when the first train leaves?”
Hi Hilary! Thank you so much for your comments! We really appreciate your corrections: please, keep them coming!