When traveling to Italy, we might arrive by plane. So let's go over some vocabulary you might need when you arrive and when you go back to the airport.
You might want to send a message to your host to say you have landed.
Questa, questa è una matta scatenata. Guardi, guardi questo telex: è appena atterrata a Saigon, senza autorizzazione, senza addebito su banca locale,
This gal, this gal is an unleashed madwoman. Look, look at this telex: She just landed in Saigon, without authorization, without access to funds at area banks,
Captions 18-20, L'Oriana film - Part 4
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Your text could just use one word and say, "Atterrati!"
If you say atterrati, you're including yourself and the other passengers on the flight (using the first person plural). You can also choose to say this in the singular: atterrata (if you are female) or atterrato (if you are a male). The verb is atterrare. We can detect the word terra in atterrare. La terra means "the earth," or "the land."
You might want to let someone know your flight is delayed.
Il volo è in ritardo (the flight is late/delayed).
Siamo in ritardo (we're late).
Il volo ha subito un ritardo (the flight underwent a delay).
Trovi? -Eh, e sei arrivata pure in ritardo.
You think so? -Yeah, you even came late.
Caption 18, La Ladra EP. 10 - Un ignobile ricatto - Part 8
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You might want to meet your host outside in front of "Arrivals." Gli arrivi.
Ah, il mio volo arriva un'ora dopo il tuo. Aspettami agli arrivi, eh.
Ah, my flight arrives one hour later than yours. Wait for me at "arrivals," huh.
Captions 60-61, Sei mai stata sulla Luna? film - Part 2
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If you have to take a taxi, you will see that the word is the same as in English, even though the official Italian word is tassì. O con il taxi e qui c'è la stazione dei taxi.
Or by taxi, and here there's the taxi stand.
Caption 40, In giro per l'Italia Firenze - Part 3
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You might hear tassì, but it's easily understandable.
Ho preso un tassì e sono scappata dal Pronto Soccorso.
I took a taxi and ran off from the emergency room.
Caption 1, La Ladra EP. 7 - Il piccolo ladro - Part 15
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When present, la metropolitana is a fast and convenient way to get around big cities, such as Rome, Milan, Naples, and Turin.
Poi, ho preso la metropolitana e sono scesa a Rho Fiera Milano;
Then I took the subway and got off at "Rho Fiera Milano,"
Caption 26, Marika spiega Expo 2015 - Part 2
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After your stay, you might go back to the airport.
Per arrivare all'aeroporto di Firenze c'è un bus, un autobus che parte dalla stazione degli autobus, che è laggiù.
To get to the Florence airport, there's a bus, a bus that leaves from the bus station, which is down there.
Captions 38-39, In giro per l'Italia Firenze - Part 3
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L'uscita (the gate) is where you show your carta d'imbarco boarding pass and passaporto (passport) and then board the plane. L'uscita comes from the verb uscire (to exit). L'imbarco comes from the verb imbarcare (to board). In turn, it comes from the noun la barca (the boat). Obviously, the term came into being before airplanes!
Attenzione, prego. Stiamo per imbarcare il volo Enitalia settantadue settanta diretto a Kingston. Tutti i passeggeri sono pregati di recarsi all'uscita B ventuno, uscita B ventuno.
Attention please. We're about to board Enitalia flight seventy-two seventy to Kingston. All passengers are requested to make their way to gate B twenty-one. Gate B twenty-one.
Captions 45-47, Provaci ancora prof! S2EP1 - La finestra sulla scuola - Part 7
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When you hear your volo (flight) announced, you might also hear a destinazione di ..... and then the city you are flying to. Or you might hear diretto a (in the direction of) as in the previous example.
No pare, ha acquistato un biglietto aereo. Stesso volo, stessa destinazione della moglie della vittima.
It doesn't seem, he did buy a plane ticket. Same flight, same destination as the victim's wife.
Captions 53-54, Provaci ancora prof! S2EP1 - La finestra sulla scuola - Part 10
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Words we have discussed in this lesson:
imbarcare (to board)
la carte d'imbarco (the boarding pass)
il passaporto (the passport)
l'aeroporto (the airport)
l'uscita (the gate)
il tassì / il taxi (the taxi)
la metropolitana / la metro (the underground, the subway)
gli arrivi (arrivals)
atterrare (to land)
a destinazione di (traveling to)
diretto a (in the direction of)
il volo (the flight)
in ritardo (late, delayed)
il ritardo (the delay)
il passaggero (the passenger)
More travel vocabulary in a future lesson. See part 1 here. And let us know if there are travel topics you would like to know more about. Write to us at newsletter@yabla.com.
In this lesson, we look at three expressions with the noun la forza, which basically means "force" (easy cognate) or "strength." The meaning might help us grasp the expressions somewhat, but let's take the opportunity to shine a light on each one. They are all very common, and good to have in your repertoire of idioms.
We have seen this a million times in Yabla videos. It usually has an exclamation point following it. We can best translate it with "come on." It's funny because there are several Italian expressions that are translated the same way, such as Dai! Su! Vai! Coraggio!
Dove stiamo andando? -Forza!
Where are we going? -Come on!
A lavoro, forza!
To work, come on!
Captions 35-36, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP1 - Un delitto perfetto
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But it can also just be another way to say "come on" or "go on." Another way to say dai, as Italians often do at the end of a sentence. It's a bit stronger, but the inflection matters a lot, too.
Vabbè entra. Chiudi la porta, forza.
All right, come in. Shut the door, go on.
Caption 3, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP1 - Un delitto perfetto
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This is a kind of adverbial phrase. We can get the sense of what it means: literally "through force." We use it to mean "necessarily," "inevitably," "begrudgingly" — in other words, "there's no choice." "That's the way it has to be." It might even mean "obviously," "clearly," in certain cases.
Let's look at some examples in context.
Allora, noi le tasse di successione,
So, the inheritance taxes,
quelle dobbiamo pagarle per forza.
those we are obliged to pay.
Caption 25, Sei mai stata sulla luna? - film
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C'è che tua madre vuole per forza
It's that your mother wants, at all costs,
trasformare il nostro matrimonio in un evento.
to transform our wedding into an event.
Caption 31, Sposami - EP 1 - Part 19
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Ho preso un tassì e sono scappata dal Pronto Soccorso.
I took a taxi and ran off from the emergency room.
-Ma ti sei fatta visitare?
-Did you get examined?
-Per forza!
-I had no choice!
Captions 1-3, La Ladra - Ep. 7 - Il piccolo ladro
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Tu non mi hai visto a me!
You haven't seen me!
Io so' [sono] sparito. Tu mi vedi? No, per forza, so' [sono] sparito.
I've disappeared. Do you see me? No, of course not. I've disappeared.
Captions 36-37, Chi m'ha visto - film - Part 10
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Two further idiomatic sayings come to mind using this adverbial phrase:
Per amore o per forza (one way or another, one way or the other)
O per volere o per forza (by hook or by crook)
The image we can glean from this expression is of a hammer that keeps hammering. Or a lie someone keeps repeating so many times that in the end you believe it.
In the first example below, the police are looking for a DVD that could be really anywhere... a needle in a haystack. But they keep looking for it. They're saying they'll go into retirement before they find the DVD, it's taking so long.
Mi sa che ci [sic: ce ne] andiamo in pensione
I think that we'll go into retirement
a forza di cercare 'sto [questo] DVD.
from all the looking for this DVD.
E speriamo che ci andiamo in pensione,
And let's hope that we retire at all,
prima che ci sbranano [sic: sbranino] i topi.
before the mice chew us up.
Captions 33-35, Il Commissario Manara - S2EP8 - Fuori servizio
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In this example, we have another modo di dire: mettersi la mano sulla coscienza (to examine one's conscience).
Non lo so, mettiti una mano sulla coscienza.
I don't know. Put a hand on your conscience [examine your conscience].
-Senti, a forza di mettermi la mano sulla coscienza,
-Listen, by putting my hand on my conscience so much,
quella è morta soffocata.
it died from suffocation.
Captions 49-51, Sposami - EP 2 - Part 25
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Although both of these examples are humorously expressed comments, a forza di is also used in serious matters.
Mi fanno male le gambe a forza di stare seduto (by sitting so much, my legs hurt).
Structurally, we note that after a forza di comes a verb in the infinitive. In the English translation, we often find a gerund.
Let's also mention an expression that uses the noun forza. L'unione fa la forza. We can translate it loosely as "Many hands make light work." Or we could say "Strength is in teamwork."
Forza! Andiamo via. Dobbiamo per forza arrivare al supermercato prima della chiusura perché è finito il caffè. -Per forza è finito il caffè. Tu ne bevi a litri. A forza di bere tutti questi caffè non dormirai mai più.
Come on, let's leave. We have to absolutely get to the supermarket before closing time because we're out of coffee. Of course we're out of coffee. You drink gallons of it. By drinking so much you will never sleep again.
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