We've talked about the verb correre before (check out this lesson). It's a verb that means a great many things so you'll want to be familiar with it. But in this lesson, we want to talk about correre meaning "to run," "to race," and "to rush."
Correre can be a bit confusing in the context of sports.
Correre can mean "to run." Some people say fare footing, but footing has gone out of style, for the most part.
Sì, tu invece sveglia all'alba, a correre... -Certo. -Scusa, non hai sempre detto che sono patetici quelli che fanno footing a una certa età?
Yes, but you, up at dawn, running... -Of course. -Excuse me, haven't you always said that those who go running at a certain age are pathetic?
Captions 37-39, Provaci ancora prof! S2E3 Dietro la porta - Part 1
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When I say, vado a correre, that usually means "I'm going running (on foot)."
Someone might ask you where you were:
Dov'eri? -A correre.
Where were you? -Out running.
So it's good to keep in mind that you need the preposition a before the verb in the infinitive.
Correre can also refer to bicycle racing. Lots of people ride bikes, but when you are part of a racing team, even an amateur racing team, you are un corridore or, if you are a female, una corridora or una corritrice.
If you just ride a bike for fun or sport but you don't compete, you'll usually call yourself un ciclista or una ciclista.
Monte Pellegrino è anche un luogo d'incontro di molti sportivi, specie i ciclisti, che amano le ripide salite e discese.
Monte Pellegrino is also a place for sportsmen to get together, especially cyclists, who love the steep climbs and descents.
Captions 20-21, Adriano Monte Pellegrino
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Or you can say something like, Mi piace andare in bici.
Andare in bicicletta è veramente divertente.
Riding a bike is really fun.
Caption 31, In giro per l'Italia Lucca - Part 3
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It's common, when referring to a bike ride, to say fare un giro in bici/bicicletta (to go for a bike ride).
Faccio un giro in bici (I'm going for a bike ride).
Poter andare a fare un giro in bicicletta dove mi pare a me [sic], mi piace tanto.
To be able to go for a ride on my bike wherever I want, I like that a lot.
Caption 21, Fuori era primavera Viaggio nell'Italia del lockdown - Part 16
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Correre can also refer to rushing around without having anything to do with bicycles or running.
Dove corri, Pisane'? -Tengo [napoletano: ho] da fare.
Where are you rushing off to, Pisane'? -I have stuff to do.
Captions 34-35, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone EP4 Gelo - Part 13
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The noun form is la corsa. It can be a race of any kind.
E per gli amanti delle camminate, ogni sabato mattina alle nove c'è la possibilità di partecipare al "Park Run", la corsa che si svolge sulle mura di Lucca.
And for those who love to walk, every Saturday morning at nine, there's the possibility of participating in "Park Run," the race that happens on the walls of Lucca.
Captions 39-42, In giro per l'Italia Lucca - Part 4
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E si vede un'incredibile scena di corsa di carri,
And you see an incredible chariot race scene,
Caption 9, Meraviglie EP. 4 - Part 12
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Another word for race is gara, which can also mean "competition."
La gara più importante era una corsa tra cavalli.
The most important competition was a horse race.
Caption 29, In giro per l'Italia Roma Piazza Navona
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You can also use the noun la corsa when you have raced around trying to get stuff done.
Ho fatto una corsa (I came in a hurry/I ran around).
Or you can say this a different way.
Sono di corsa (I am pressed for time).
As you can see, correre, together with its related words, is very useful in many contexts!
Thanks for reading!
There are different ways to travel. It can be for pleasure or work, it can be for multiple days, weeks, or months, or it can be a day trip or an overnight, an excursion.
So, let's look at an interesting alternative to the true cognate, escursione (that works just fine, too):
la gita, una gita, andare in gita.
So the noun is la gita. But where does it come from? It originally comes from the verb ire (to go). People don't use this verb much at all, in fact we could say they never use it in converstion, as it is literary (we mostly use andare), but those of you who know Latin, Spanish, or other Romance languages, will most likely recognize it.
A dialectical version of ire has a g sound in front of it, turning it into gire. We can trace it to the feminine past participle: andata — ita — gita. You don't need to know this, but some of us enjoy knowing where words come from.
In practical terms, una gita implies traveling somewhere, not necessarily sleeping over, but maybe.
For example, kids in school might go on una gita scolastica (a class trip).
E perché? -Partono, per la gita scolastica!
And, why? -They're leaving on a school trip!
Fuori di casa due giorni da soli.
Away from home for two days, all alone.
-Mamma, siamo in trentadue!
-Mom, there are thirty-two of us!
E quattro insegnanti.
And four teachers.
Captions 5-8, Acqua in bocca - Allarme gita
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Erica works at the tourist office of Palaia in Tuscany. She's talking about her job.
E quindi è un po' il punto di arrivo,
And so it's kind of the point of arrival
eh, di tutte quelle persone che vengono qua in vacanza,
uh, for all those people who come here on vacation,
o anche semplicemente per fare u', una gita o una, una breve sosta
or even just to make a, a day trip, or a quick stop
qui, in questo territorio, che è la Valdera.
here, in this area, which is the Valdera.
Captions 14-17, Professioni e mestieri - Erica - archeologa
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Check out this Yabla mini-series about a girl who goes on an outing — Una gita al lago (a day trip to the lake).
The verb gire sounds kind of like the verb girare, which means "to go around." Girare and gire don't have the same root, but they are related through one definition of girare:
andare qua e là, andare in giro, vagare, con o senza uno scopo determinato
(to go here and there, to go about, with or without a specific purpose).
Firenze è una città piccola, si può girare benissimo a piedi.
Florence is a small city, you can go around very easily on foot.
Caption 9, In giro per l'Italia - Firenze
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The noun form is il giro. Un giro can be a bike ride, a walk, a ride in a car... anything really, even a swing, or one of the machines at a gym.
Continuando il mio giro in bicicletta sulle mura di Lucca,
Continuing my bike ride around the Lucca walls,
mi sono fermata davanti a questo bellissimo palazzo.
I stopped in front of this very beautiful villa.
Captions 1-2, In giro per l'Italia - Lucca
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Fare un giro can mean "to take a turn."
Let's say I am on the treadmill at the gym, and there is someone waiting. I can ask, ci vuoi fare un giro (do you want to take a turn on it, do you want to have a go)?
Italians love diminutives, so we also have un giretto, or un girettino (or some say una girata or giratina) more like a brief stroll, synonymous with passeggiata, or passeggiatina.
E nonna, ho fatto un bel giretto nel bosco.
Well Grandma, I had a nice walk around the woods.
Caption 5, Anna e Marika - in Cappuccetto Rosso e la nonnina
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Note that we use the verb fare (to make, to do) with the noun una gita, — fare una gita or the noun un giro — fare un giro. Or we use the verb andare (to go) and the preposition in (on a) before gita or giro. Andare in gita, andare in giro. Tuscans often say andare a giro. It means the same thing.
Sono sicura che passeremo una bellissima giornata in giro per la città.
I'm sure we'll have a great day going around the city.
Caption 6, In giro per l'Italia - Firenze
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There is plenty more to say about in giro, but that will be for another lesson. Meanwhile, let's try to assimilate the meanings we have talked about here by looking at some questions and some possible answers. Feel free to write to us with your attempts. Mistakes are welcome. That's how we learn.
E tu? Che fai oggi? Vai in gita? Fai un giro? Fai una passeggiata? Vai in giro?
And you? What are you doing today? Are you going on an excursion? Are you going to go out and about? Are you going to take a walk? Are you going to cruise around the area?
Here are some possible answers:
Facciamo una gita turistica. Viviamo a Pisa, e andremo a visitare Siena.
We're going on a day trip. We live in Pisa and we're going to go and see Siena.
Andiamo in gita, che bello!
We're going on an outing, how great!
Facciamo il giro dell'isolotto.
We're going to walk around the block.
Facciamo un giro.
Let's go and have a look around.
Facciamo un giro in bici.
We're going on a bike ride.
Ho fatto una passeggiata vicino a casa.
I took a walk close to home.
Siamo andati in giro per la toscana.
We went for a ride around Tuscany.
Feel free to send us some of your own examples. If they work, we'll add them to this list. write to us at newsletter@yabla.com.
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