Italian All-in-One For Dummies (80 page)

Is the flight on time?

Agent:
No, è in ritardo.

noh, eh een ree-
tahr
-doh.

No, there has been a delay.

Sig. Campo:
Di quanto?

dee
kwahn
-toh?

How much?

Agent:
Non si sa.

nohn see sah.

No one knows.

 

Coping after landing

After you exit a plane in Italy, you're immediately hit by voices speaking a foreign language. You have to take care of necessities, such as finding a bathroom, changing money, looking for the baggage claim area, and securing a luggage cart and a taxi.

Visitors from countries in the European Union need only
la carta d'identità
(lah
kahr
-tah dee-dehn-tee-
tah
) (
the identity card
) to enter Italy. Nationals of all other countries need a valid
passaporto
(pahs-sah-
pohr
-toh) (
passport
), and sometimes also a visa. Usually, at
controllo passaporti
(kohn-
trohl
-loh pahs-sah-
pohr
-tee) (
passport control
), you don't exchange many words, and the ones you do exchange are usually routine.

Here are some words that are likely to come in handy:

arrivo
(ahr-
ree
-voh) (
arrival
)

cambio
(
kahm
-byoh) (
money exchange
)

consegna bagagli
(kohn-
seh
-nyah bah-
gah
-lyee) (
baggage claim
)

destinazione
(deh-stee-nah-
tsyoh
-neh) (
destination
)

entrata
(ehn-
trah
-tah) (
entrance
)

partenza
(pahr-
tehn
-tsah) (
departure
)

uscita
(ooh-
shee
-tah) (
exit
)

vacanza
(vah-
kahn
-zah) (
vacation
)

Dealing with lost luggage

Losing luggage is always a possibility when flying to Italy, especially if you're changing planes, but don't despair; 80 percent of misplaced luggage turns up within 24 hours, and the other 20 percent usually turns up within three days. The airline will deliver your bags to your hotel or apartment, or you can go back to the airport for them if you need them sooner.

Going through Customs

You can't get into a foreign country without going through customs. When you have something to declare, you do so
alla dogana
(
ahl
-lah doh-
gah
-nah) (
at customs
). These examples should relieve you of any possible worries. Generally, you can just walk through the line that says “
Niente da dichiarare
,” (nee-
ehn
-teh dah dee-kyah-
rah
-reh) (“
Nothing to declare”
) and no one one will say anything to you, but sometimes you may be stopped.

Niente da dichiarare?
(nee-
ehn
-teh dah dee-kyah-
rah
-reh?) (
Anything to declare?
)

No, niente.
(noh, nee-
ehn
-teh.) (
No, nothing.
)

Per favore, apra questa valigia.
(pehr fah-
voh
-reh,
ah
-prah
kweh
-stah vah-
lee
-jah.) (
Please, open this suitcase.
)

È nuovo il computer?
(eh
nwoh
-voh eel kohm-
pu
-tehr?) (
Is this computer new?
)

Sì, ma è per uso personale.
(see, mah eh pehr
ooh
-zoh pehr-soh-
nah
-leh.) (
Yes, but it's for personal use.
)

Per questo deve pagare il dazio.
(pehr
kwehs
-toh
deh
-veh pah-
gah
-reh eel
dah
-tsyoh.) (
You have to pay duty on this.
)