Italian All-in-One For Dummies (84 page)

The schedule shown in
Figure 6-1
shows you train names, the lengths of trips, and the differences in price between first and second class.

Illustration by Elizabeth Kurtzman

Figure 6-1:
A typical Italian train schedule.

Keep in mind that Europeans don't write
a.m.
or
p.m.;
they count the hours from 0.00 to 24.00, otherwise known as military time. Therefore, 1.00 is the hour after midnight, and 13.00 is 1:00 p.m.

Being Early or Late

You don't always arrive on time, and you may have to communicate that you'll be late or early, or apologize to someone for being delayed. The following list contains important terms that you can use to do so:

essere in anticipo
(
ehs
-seh-reh een ahn-
tee
-chee-poh) (
to be early
)

essere puntuale
(
ehs
-seh-reh poohn-
twah
-leh) (
to be on time
)

essere in ritardo
(
ehs
-seh-reh een ree-
tahr
-doh) (
to be late
)

These examples use the preceding phrases in sentences:

Probabilmente sarò in anticipo.
(proh-bah-beel-
mehn
-teh sah-
roh
een ahn
tee
-chee-poh.) (
[I'll] probably be early.
)

L'autobus non è mai puntuale.
(
lou
-toh-boohs nohn
eh
mahy
poohn
-
twah
-leh.) (
The bus is never on time.
)

L'aereo è in ritardo.
(lah-
eh
-reh-oh
eh
een ree-
tahr
-doh.) (
The plane is late.
)

Mi scusi, sono arrivata in ritardo.
(mee
skooh
-zee,
soh
-noh ahr-ree-
vah
-tah een ree-
tahr
-doh.) (
I'm sorry, I arrived late.
)

Meno male che sei puntuale.
(
meh
-noh
mah
-leh keh sey poohn-
twah
-leh.) (
It's a good thing you're on time.
)

When talking about lateness, you probably can't avoid the verb
aspettare
(ahs-peht-
tah
-reh) (
to wait
). Following are a few examples using this verb:

Aspetto l'autobus da un'ora.
(ahs-
peht
-toh
lou
-toh-boohs dah ooh-
noh
-rah.) (
I've been waiting for the bus for an hour.
)

Aspetta anche lei il ventitré?
(ahs-
peht
-tah
ahn
-keh ley eel vehn-tee-
treh?
) (
Are you also waiting for the number 23 bus?
)

Aspetto mia madre.
(ahs-
peht
-toh
mee
-ah
mah
-dreh.) (
I'm waiting for my mother
.)

Note that the verb
aspettare
takes no preposition, whereas the English
to wait (for)
does.

Chapter 7

Finding a Place to Stay

In This Chapter

Researching and reserving a place

Arriving at your hotel

T
o really get to know Italians and the Italian language, and to enjoy the Italian lifestyle, you need to travel to Italy. If you're not lucky enough to have Italian friends who can offer you a place to stay, you have to find a hotel, of which many creative varieties exist. This chapter shows you how to make yourself understood when you ask for a room or check in to a hotel.

Choosing a Place to Stay

Research the different places you can stay while you're in Italy, and try to find options with an authentic flair to them. You'll likely find a broad range of places to suit everyone. At the top, you have conventional three-to-five-star
alberghi
(ahl-
behr
-gee) (
hotels
) and
villaggi turistici
(veel-
laj
-jee tooh-
rees
-tee-chee) (
resorts
) — usually
in hot spots — that offer either
mezza pensione
(
medz
-ah pehn-
syoh
-neh) (
breakfast plus one other meal
) or
pensione completa
(pehn-
syoh
-neh kohm-
pleh
-tah) (
breakfast, lunch, and dinner
included in the price
). The smaller, more personal lodgings include family-run
bed and breakfasts
(pronounced just the same as in English but with the rolled
r
),
pensioni
(pehn-
syoh
-neh) (
small hotels or part of someone's house where breakfast is usually served
), mountain
rifugi
(ree-
fooh
-jee) (
mountain huts that range from spartan to spa quality
), and the increasingly popular
agriturismo
(ah-gree-tooh-
reez
-moh) (
farm stay
). And don't forget all those former monasteries and convents!

Reserving a Room

When you reserve a room in a hotel, you use the same terms as you do
prenotare
/
fare una prenotazione
(preh-noh-
tah
-reh/
fah
-reh
ooh
-nah preh-noh-
tsyoh
-neh) (
to make a reservation
) in a restaurant. Use either of the synonyms
la
camera
(lah
kah
-meh-rah) or
la stanza
(lah
stahn
-zah) (
the room
).

La camera singola
(lah
kah
-meh-rah
seen
-goh-lah) is a room with one twin bed.
La
camera doppia
(lah
kah
-meh-rah
dohp
-pyah) is a room with two twin beds, whereas
la camera matrimoniale
(lah
kah
-meh-rah
mah
-tree-moh-
nyah
-leh) has one big bed for two persons. In Italy, people commonly refer to rooms simply as
una doppia
,
una
matrimoniale
, and
una singola.
Everyone understands that you're talking about hotel rooms.

As you probably already know, making reservations in advance is important, especially for the
alta stagione
(
ahl
-tah stah-
joh
-neh) (
peak season
) — in Italy, it's the summer months and from December to early February for ski resorts.

When you're making reservations or staying at a hotel, you may have a few questions about the room and the amenities. You'll probably encounter and use some of these common Italian sentences and phrases.

La stanza è con bagno?
(lah
stahn
-zah
eh
kohn
bah
-nyoh?) (
Does the room have a bathroom?
) (Very rarely, even fabulous five-star hotels still have some single rooms without bathrooms, but when you're in a nice hotel, ask this question only if you're asking for an inexpensive single.)

Posso avere una stanza con doccia?
(
pohs
-soh ah-
veh
-reh
ooh
-nah
stahn
-zah kohn
dohch
-chah?) (
May I have a room with a shower?
)

Non avete stanze con la vasca?
(nohn ah-
veh
-teh
stahn
-zeh kohn lah
vahs
-kah?) (
Don't you have rooms with bathtubs?
)

Avete una doppia al primo piano?
(ah-
veh
-teh
ooh
-nah
dohp
-pyah ahl
pree
-moh
pyah
-noh?) (
Do you have a double room on the first floor?
) Note that this would be the second floor for Americans.

È una stanza tranquillissima e dà sul giardino.
(eh
ooh
-nah
stahn
-tsah trahn-kweel-
lees
-see-mah eh dah soohl jahr-
dee
-noh.) (
The room is very quiet and looks out onto the garden.
)

La doppia viene duecento Euro a notte.
(lah
dohp
-pee-ah
vyeh
-neh dooh-eh-
chehn
-toh
eh
-ooh-roh ah
noht
-teh.) (
A double room costs 200 euros per night.
)