How to Say ‘There was a lot of traffic downtown.’ in Italian
C'era molto traffico in centro.
ch EH-rah MOHL-toh TRAH-fee-koh een CHEN-troh
[ch EH-rah MOHL-toh TRAH-fee-koh een CHEN-troh]
Phrase Breakdown
C'era
ch EH-rah
there was
Imperfect of 'esserci', used to describe a situation in the past.
C'era molta gente.
There were many people.
Words in this phrase
C'
[ch]
there
Shortened form in 'c'era,' meaning 'there was.'
C' non si usa da solo spesso, come in C'era molto traffico in centro.
C' is not often used alone, as in 'There was a lot of traffic downtown.'
era
[EH-rah]
was
Imperfect form of 'essere'; here it means 'was' in 'there was.'
Ieri era tardi e c'era molto traffico in centro.
Yesterday it was late and there was a lot of traffic downtown.
Molto traffico
MOHL-toh TRAH-fee-koh
a lot of traffic
Indicates heavy road congestion.
Oggi c'è molto traffico.
There is a lot of traffic today.
Words in this phrase
molto
[MOHL-toh]
a lot / very
Here it intensifies the noun 'traffico,' meaning 'a lot of.'
C'era molto traffico in centro, quindi il tassametro è salito.
There was a lot of traffic downtown, so the meter went up.
traffico
[TRAH-fee-koh]
traffic
Used for road traffic, important in taxi fare explanations.
Il traffico era intenso: C'era molto traffico in centro.
The traffic was heavy: there was a lot of traffic downtown.
In centro
een CHEN-troh
in the center / downtown
Refers to the city center.
Abito in centro.
I live downtown.
Words in this phrase
in
[een]
in
A preposition meaning 'in' or 'at' depending on the phrase.
Abbiamo perso tempo in centro perché c'era molto traffico in centro.
We lost time downtown because there was a lot of traffic in the center.
centro
[CHEN-troh]
center / downtown
The central part of town; common in directions and fare discussions.
Il prezzo è aumentato perché c'era molto traffico in centro.
The price increased because there was a lot of traffic downtown.
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