As a Tourist in the City
Come turista nella città
- Common activities during a city trip.
- Asking information at the tourist office.
- Know practical survival phrases as a tourist to navigate in the city.
Explore practical dialogues for tourists in Italian, covering phrases like "mappa" (map), "biglietto" (ticket), and "ristorante tipico" (typical restaurant), to confidently ask for tourist information, buy public transport tickets, and get directions.
Vocabulary (16) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Esercizio 1: Conversation exercise
Istruzione:
- Describe what this tourist in Copenhagen is doing in the pictures. (Describe what this tourist in Copenhagen is doing in the pictures.)
- What could the person say in any of the situations? (What could the person say in any of the situations?)
- Do you still send postcards from your holidays? To whom do you send them? (Do you still send postcards from your holidays? To whom do you send them?)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
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La donna prende un taxi. The woman takes a taxi. |
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Ho cercato le indicazioni sulla mappa. I looked up the directions on the map. |
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Puoi dirmi come arrivare al monumento? Can you tell me how to get to the monument? |
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Hai uno sconto per studenti? Do you have a student discount? |
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Uso il mio telefono per arrivare al museo. I use my phone to navigate to the museum. |
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Puoi farmi una foto? Can you take a picture of me? |
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Devo mandare una cartolina alla mia famiglia. I have to send a postcard to my family. |
| ... |
Exercise 2: Dialogue Cards
Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.
Exercise 3: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. Prima di tutto, _____ la mappa per orientarmi nel centro storico.
(First of all, _____ the map to orient myself in the historic center.)2. Poi _____ quali monumenti visitare oggi.
(Then _____ which monuments to visit today.)3. Durante la visita, _____ molte foto per ricordare i bei momenti.
(During the visit, _____ many photos to remember the good moments.)4. Infine, _____ una cartolina agli amici per condividere la mia esperienza.
(Finally, _____ a postcard to friends to share my experience.)Exercise 4: A day as a tourist in the city
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Andare - Go
Passato prossimo
- io sono andato
- tu sei andato
- lui/lei è andato/a
- noi siamo andati
- voi siete andati
- loro sono andati
Comprare - Buy
Passato prossimo
- io ho comprato
- tu hai comprato
- lui/lei ha comprato
- noi abbiamo comprato
- voi avete comprato
- loro hanno comprato
Decidere - Decide
Passato prossimo
- io ho deciso
- tu hai deciso
- lui/lei ha deciso
- noi abbiamo deciso
- voi avete deciso
- loro hanno deciso
Fare - Do
Imperfetto
- io facevo
- tu facevi
- lui/lei faceva
- noi facevamo
- voi facevate
- loro facevano
Chiedere - Ask
Passato prossimo
- io ho chiesto
- tu hai chiesto
- lui/lei ha chiesto
- noi abbiamo chiesto
- voi avete chiesto
- loro hanno chiesto
Raccomandare - Recommend
Passato prossimo
- io ho raccomandato
- tu hai raccomandato
- lui/lei ha raccomandato
- noi abbiamo raccomandato
- voi avete raccomandato
- loro hanno raccomandato
Inviare - Send
Passato prossimo
- io ho inviato
- tu hai inviato
- lui/lei ha inviato
- noi abbiamo inviato
- voi avete inviato
- loro hanno inviato
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As a Tourist in the City: Lesson Overview
This lesson is designed for A2 level learners of Italian who want to communicate effectively when visiting an Italian city. It focuses on practical dialogues and vocabulary helpful for tourists, including asking for tourist information, buying public transport tickets, and requesting directions to restaurants.
Key Dialogue Situations
- At the Tourist Office: Practice common phrases like "Buongiorno, potrei avere una mappa della città?" (Good morning, could I have a city map?) and learn how to ask for recommendations, such as museums or tours.
- Buying Transport Tickets: Master phrases used when purchasing tickets or daily passes, for example, "Vorrei un biglietto per il tram" (I would like a tram ticket) and questions about ticket validity.
- Asking for Restaurant Directions: Learn how to inquire about local restaurants and understand directions, with expressions like "Dove si trova un buon ristorante tipico vicino?" (Where is a good traditional restaurant nearby?).
Verb Practice: Present and Past Tenses
The lesson includes multiple-choice exercises on verb conjugations in the present tense, as well as a short story using the passato prossimo and imperfetto past tenses to describe a day as a tourist. Verbs such as controllare (to check), decidere (to decide), fare (to do/make), and inviare (to send) are practiced with their correct forms.
Short Story Summary
"Una giornata da turista in città" recounts a visit to the historic center, buying a map, deciding on a guided tour, asking fellow tourists questions, taking photos, and sending postcards. This story helps learners see vocabulary and grammar in a natural, contextualized format.
Useful Vocabulary and Expressions
- Map-related: mappa (map), ufficio turistico (tourist office), indicazioni (directions)
- Transport: biglietto (ticket), tram, abbonamento giornaliero (daily pass)
- Restaurants: ristorante tipico (typical restaurant), Trattoria da Luigi, Osteria 'Bella Napoli'
- Common Verbs in Context: controllare (to check), decidere (to decide), fare (to do), inviare (to send)
Important Language Notes
Since both the instruction and learning languages are the same (Italian instructions for learning Italian), the lesson focuses entirely on Italian language usage without translation comparisons. For example, Italian verbs show clear conjugation patterns, especially in passato prossimo (present perfect) and imperfetto (imperfect) tenses, which express completed actions and ongoing past actions respectively. Phrases such as "ho comprato" (I bought) and "facevo" (I was doing) illustrate these differences well.
Some useful expressions include:
- Potrei avere... - polite way to ask for something, e.g., a map.
- Mi può consigliare... - asking for recommendations.
- Quanto dista...? - asking for distance.
- Va dritto, poi gira a sinistra... - giving directions.
This lesson equips learners with practical phrases and verb forms needed to navigate common tourist situations confidently in Italy.
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