Festa della Repubblica: Discussing whether shops or museums are open
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Key Phrases
Posso chiederle una cosa?
May I ask you something?
I negozi sono aperti?
Are the shops open?
Bisogna prenotare?
Do I need to book?
Skills You'll Learn
Politely asking permission to ask a question
Chiedere educatamente il permesso di fare una domanda
Asking for information about the opening hours of shops and museums
Chiedere informazioni sugli orari di apertura dei negozi e musei
Thanking someone and responding to thanks
Ringraziare qualcuno e rispondere a un ringraziamento
Lesson Roleplay
Imagine you're on a street in an Italian town on a public holiday. You want to ask a local which shops and museums are open today.
Buongiorno, scusi. Posso chiederle una cosa?
Good morning, excuse me. May I ask you something?
Buongiorno! Certo, mi dica.
Good morning! Of course, go ahead.
Oggi è festa. I negozi sono aperti?
Today is a holiday. Are the shops open?
Molti negozi sono chiusi. Il supermercato è aperto fino all'una.
Many shops are closed. The supermarket is open until one.
Va bene. E i musei sono aperti?
Okay. And are the museums open?
Lesson Vocabulary & Phrases
Scusi.
SKOO-zee
Excuse me.
💬 Scusi is the polite form for strangers, staff and older people. With friends it becomes scusa.
See breakdown →Posso chiederle
POHS-soh KYEH-deh-reh-leh
May I ask you
💬 le "you" (polite) attaches to the end of chiedere, which drops its final e. Same pattern: posso aiutarla? "can I help you?"
See breakdown →Una cosa
OO-nah KO-sa
Something
Posso chiederle una cosa?
POHS-soh KYEH-deh-reh-leh OO-nah KO-sa
May I ask you something?
Certo
CHEHR-toh
Of course
Mi dica
mee DEE-kah
Go ahead
🇮🇹 Shopkeepers and staff say mi dica to invite you to state what you need. It's polite and standard, not abrupt.
See breakdown →Certo, mi dica.
CHEHR-toh mee DEE-kah
Of course, go ahead.
Oggi
oj-jee
Today
È festa
eh FEH-stah
It's a holiday
💬 festa means both 'party' and 'public holiday', so context decides. Domani è festa usually means shops and offices are closed tomorrow.
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