INTRODUCTION |
Ciao! Hello and welcome back to Italian survival phrases brought to you by ItalianPod101.com, this course is designed to equip you with the language skills and knowledge to enable you to get the most out of your visit to Italy. You will be surprised at how far a little Italian will go. |
Now, before we jump in, remember to stop by ItalianPod101.com and there, you will find the accompanying PDF and additional info in the post. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment. |
While most people wouldn't or couldn't step outside without their cell phones, when visiting another country, sometimes it's a little too far for your local carrier. In recent years you can rent a cell phone when you get to Italy, and we'll cover this in another lesson, but the good old pay phone is still an option when you're traveling in Italy. |
Lesson focus
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Now, in Italy public phones don't take coins only phone cards. You can buy 5 or 10 Euro telephone cards, and today we'll work on asking for them. You can purchase these cards at tobacco shops. |
Before asking for a card, you may want to find out if they have the cards. In Italian, "do you have telephone cards?" is avete schede telefoniche? |
avete schede telefoniche? |
Let’s break it down by syllable: avete schede telefoniche? |
Now let's hear it once again: avete schede telefoniche? |
The first word avete means “do you have." |
Let's break down this word and hear it one more time: avete |
avete |
This is followed by schede, which in Italian means “cards." |
Schede |
schede |
Finally we have telefoniche which is adjective “telephone." |
Let's break down this word and hear it one more time: telefoniche |
Telefoniche |
So all together, we have: avete schede telefoniche? |
Literally, this means “Do you have telephone cards?” |
The answer to this will be “yes,” si or “no,” no. In the case that they have the cards, you'll want to ask for one of the denominations we talked about. |
Let's start with a 5 Euro card. |
In Italian, "A 5 Euro telephone card please" is una scheda telefonica da cinque euro per favore. |
una scheda telefonica da cinque euro per favore. |
Let’s break it down by syllable: una scheda telefonica da cinque euro per favore. |
Now let's hear it once again: una scheda telefonica da cinque euro per favore. |
The first word una means “a” indefinite article for feminine nouns. |
Let's break down this word and hear it one more time: una |
una |
This is is followed by scheda which we have just seen and in Italian is “card." |
Scheda |
Scheda |
Then you have telefonica “telephone." |
Telefonica |
telefonica |
It’s followed by da which is the Italian for “of." |
Let's hear it one more time: Da |
Then finally you have cinque euro which means “five euros." |
Let’s break it down by syllable: cinque euro |
cinque euro |
Let's hear it one more time: cinque euro |
Let’s hear the entire phrase now: una scheda telefonica da 5 euro per favore. Literally, this means “a phone card of five euros please." |
For 10 euro card you have just to change the value in this way una scheda telefonica da dieci euro per favore. |
una scheda telefonica da dieci euro per favore. |
If you are looking for a payphone you will have to ask c’è una cabina telefonica qui vicino? |
c’è una cabina telefonica qui vicino? |
which means “is there a payphone near here?” |
The first word c’è means “is there." |
Let's hear it once again: c’è |
Then you have una “a." |
una |
This is followed by cabina which literally means “booth." |
Let’s break it down by syllable: cabina |
Now let's hear it one more time: cabina |
Then you have telefonica, which we have just seen in the previous phrase and in Italian is the adjective “telephone." |
So to recap, we have c’è una cabina telefonica. |
C’è una cabina telefonica, which means “is there a payphone." |
Then, something you have already learned in the survival phrase number 30: qui vicino which means “near here." |
Let’s break it down by syllable: qui vicino |
Now let's hear it once again: qui vicino |
So all together, we have: c’è una cabina telefonica qui vicino? which literally means “is there a phone booth near here?” |
Outro
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Okay, to close out this lesson, we'd like you to practice what you've just learned. I'll provide you with the English equivalent of the phrase and you're responsible for shouting it aloud. You have a few seconds before I give you the answer, so buona fortuna, which means “good luck” in Italian. |
"Do you have telephone cards?" - Avete schede telefoniche? |
Avete schede telefoniche? |
Avete schede telefoniche? |
"A five Euro telephone card please." - Una scheda telefonica da cinque euro per favore. |
Una scheda telefonica da cinque euro per favore. |
Una scheda telefonica da cinque euro per favore. |
"A ten Euro telephone card please." - Una scheda telefonica da dieci euro per favore. |
Una scheda telefonica da dieci euro per favore. |
Una scheda telefonica da dieci euro per favore. |
"Is there a payphone near here?" - C’è una cabina telefonica qui vicino? |
C’è una cabina telefonica qui vicino? |
C’è una cabina telefonica qui vicino? |
That’s going to do it for today. Remember to stop by ItalianPod101.com and pick up the accompanying PDF. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment. Ciao ciao! |
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