In this lesson, we're going to talk about two verbs that have to do with getting from one place to another, at least in their simple, literal meaning. Arrivare is the verb whose meaning we can guess most easily, since it has an English cognate, "to arrive."

We also might recognize the noun form in its plural: gli arrivi. We see this on signs at train stations and airports and can guess it means "arrivals." The opposite is partenze (departures).

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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While the basic meaning of arriving somewhere is pretty clear, Italians also use the verb arrivare in a slightly different way, which is good to know about. It's used in the present tense to mean one's arrival is imminent. In English, we use the future tense: "I'll/we'll be right there."

Sì, arriviamo. Arrivo. Arrivo.

Yes, we'll be right there. I'll be right there. I'm coming.

Captions 28-29, Il Commissario Manara S2EP8 - Fuori servizio - Part 1

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Used in the present progressive or continuous, it means "I'm on my way." 

Sto arrivando, apparecchia per due.

I'm on my way, set the table for two.

Caption 62, Il Commissario Manara S2EP3 - Delitto tra le lenzuola - Part 11

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This can be frustrating for the person waiting because it is very vague, sometimes purposely so. Sometimes the person hasn't left yet. It would be clearer to say: 

Sto partendo (I'm leaving).

Arrivo tra una mezz'ora (I'll arrive in a half an hour).

Giungere has to do with completion. It comes from a Latin word meaning "to unite." An attentive reader might think of the English words, "junction," "conjunction," and even "to join." In fact, the Italian verb congiungere means "to join," or "to connect."

"Vedere la luce" vuol dire nascere e, in senso figurativo, significa giungere a compimento di qualcosa.

"To see the light [of day]" means being born and, in a figurative sense, it means reaching the completion of something.

Captions 81-82, Marika spiega Il verbo vedere - Part 1

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È giunto il momento di lasciare questo luogo, un luogo meraviglioso.

The time has come to leave this place, a wonderful place.

Captions 1-2, Meraviglie EP. 5 - Part 11

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In the previous two examples, the verb arrivare could have been used, but giungere is more archaic and more formal, as well as being more specific in referring to a destination or goal. 

On the other hand, we also have the verb raggiungere, which is used very often to mean "to join," "to catch up with," "to reach." It's transitive, therefore taking a direct object, whereas giungere needs the preposition a (to).

Non è facile raggiungere Borgo Sansepolcro.

It is not easy to reach Borgo Sansepolcro.

Caption 4, La pittura più bella del mondo La Resurrezione di Piero della Francesca - Part 1

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Sì, tu vai. Io ti raggiungo tra una mezz'ora.

Yes. You go. I'll join you in a half an hour.

Caption 40, Questione di Karma Rai Cinema - Part 12

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When raggiungere means "to join," it is usually directed towards a person as in the previous example. Join can't always be translated as raggiungere. 

If you want to talk about catching up with someone, raggiungere can work. 

Vai avanti tu, che io ti raggiungo.

You go on ahead, I'll catch up with you.

Caption 31, Ma che ci faccio qui! Un film di Francesco Amato - Part 8

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If you do a search of raggiungere (or any of its conjugations), you will find plenty of examples on the videos page. It is a verb you will want in your toolbox. 

Let's look at three words that can mean pretty much the same thing. They all have to do with bother.

nouns: il disturbo, il fastidio, la noia  

verbs: disturbare, dare fastidio, dare noia

adjectives: fastidioso, noioso

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il disturbo - disturbare

The easiest word to understand is the verb disturbare. It looks similar to the English word "to disturb" and is a true cognate. But the noun il disturbo (the disturbance, the interruption) is used a lot, too. 

Ci scusi il disturbo, il commissario Manara vorrebbe farle qualche domanda.

Please excuse the interruption; Commissioner Manara would like to ask you few questions.

Caption 3, Il Commissario Manara S1EP1 - Un delitto perfetto - Part 12

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When we feel we have overstayed our welcome or we feel it's time to leave, we can say:

Noi allora togliamo il disturbo. Dovesse venirvi in mente qualcosa, chiamateci.

We'll leave you then [we'll take away the disturbance]. If anything should come to mind, call us.

Captions 78-79, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone EP2 Rabbia - Part 3

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When you have a medical problem, such as an upset stomach, you can refer to it as un disturbo (an ailment).

We've learned that it's polite to say Permesso (may I come in or "Is it permissible to come in?") when entering an office or someone's home, but sometimes there is another kind of situation, such as a phone call and you want to know if it's a good time... Disturbo (am I disturbing you)?

Carissima. -Ti disturbo? -Ma quando mai.

Dearest. -Am I disturbing you? -Not in the least.

Captions 33-34, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone EP1 I Bastardi - Part 7

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We can use disturbare reflexively (disturbarsi) to mean "to go to the trouble."

Ma non ti disturbare, chiamo un taxi.

Don't go to any trouble. I'll call a cab.

Caption 12, Provaci ancora prof! S1E4 - La mia compagna di banco - Part 8

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Il fastidio - fastidioso

Il fastidio is a noun, and we usually say dare fastidio (to be a bother, to bother), literally, "to give bother." 

When a health worker is about to give you an injection, he or she might say,

Questo ti darà un po' fastidio (this will pinch just a bit). 

Eh, finché sono fuori e non danno fastidio, signora.

Eh, as long as they're outside and they're not bothering anyone, Ma'am.

Caption 5, Provaci ancora prof! S2E5 Vita da cani - Part 2

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Ma mica è un gatto, scusa. Che fastidio ti dà?

But she's not a cat, pardon me. How is she bothering you?

Caption 4, Sposami EP 2 - Part 4

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We can also use the adjective fastidioso. This can refer to a noise, such as the noise of a blender or coffee grinder, or too much light, when you open the shutters on a sunny morning. It can be a sensation, as when you are testing for Covid and you or someone sticks a swap up your nose. 

È davvero molto fastidioso. Hai ragione".

It's really very bothersome. You are right."

Caption 73, COVID-19 5) I tamponi

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It can often refer to a very specific pain, like a mosquito bite, or the prick of a needle.

Il fastidio and fastidioso are very common words, but in certain parts of Italy, such as Tuscany, they use the la noia and noioso to mean pretty much the same thing. 

Erano alberi che davano noia e basta, e quindi questo è l'ultimo rimasto,

They were trees that were a bother and nothing more, and so this was the last one remaining,

Captions 30-31, Gianni si racconta L'olivo e i rovi

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Ah, quanto siete noiosi.

Ah, you are all so annoying.

Caption 23, Non è mai troppo tardi EP 2 - Part 16

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For more about noioso, see this lesson, because if you look up noioso in the dictionary, it will say "boring." So the context will help you determine if something is annoying, bothersome, or boring. Sometimes it's all three. But perhaps annoying is the most similar word in terms of sound, so it might be the easiest to remember. 

Now that you are tuned into these words, notice how they're used in Yabla videos. When you see and hear a sentence that can be applied to a familiar situation, write it down, say it, try to make it your own. 

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