Asking about schedule of processions – Semana Santa in Italian

🙋‍♂️❓

Scusi

SKOO-zee

Excuse me

🇮🇹 Scusi is the polite form for strangers, like a church volunteer or a passer-by. Among friends you'd say scusa.

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❓ℹ️

Posso chiedere un'informazione?

POHS-soh KYEH-deh-reh oon een-for-mah-TSYOH-neh

Can I ask for some information?

💬 Posso "can I" is followed directly by the base verb, with no 'to' in between. The same pattern works for other requests: Posso entrare? "Can I come in?"

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🙋‍♂️❓ℹ️

Scusi, posso chiedere un'informazione?

SKOO-zee POHS-soh KYEH-deh-reh oon een-for-mah-TSYOH-neh

Excuse me, can I ask for some information?

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👍➡️

Certo, mi dica.

CHEHR-toh mee DEE-kah

Of course, go ahead.

💬 mi dica literally means "tell me", in the polite form. It's what Italians say to invite you to go on with your question.

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⏰❓

A che ora?

ah keh OH-rah

At what time?

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✝️🚶‍♂️🚶‍♀️📿

La processione del Venerdì Santo

lah pro-chehs-SYOH-neh dehl veh-nehr-DEE SAHN-toh

The Good Friday procession

💬 del is di "of" merged with il "the". Italian always fuses these two words, so you'll never see di il.

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⏰❓✝️🚶‍♂️📿

A che ora c'è la processione del Venerdì Santo?

ah keh OH-rah keh eh lah pro-chehs-SYOH-neh dehl veh-nehr-DEE SAHN-toh

What time is the Good Friday procession?

💬 c'è "there is" is the go-to way to ask whether something exists or is happening. Swap in other events: A che ora c'è la messa? "What time is Mass?"

🇮🇹 Good Friday processions are the high point of Holy Week in many towns, especially in the south. Some start in the early hours, so it's worth asking locally.

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🕑

Alle due

AHL-leh DOOH-eh

At two o'clock

💬 Clock times use alle "at the" because the hidden word ore "hours" is plural. The one exception is one o'clock: all'una.

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🌇

Del pomeriggio

dehl poh-meh-REED-joh

In the afternoon

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🕑🌇

Alle due del pomeriggio

AHL-leh DOOH-eh dehl poh-meh-REED-joh

At two in the afternoon

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⛪➡️

Dalla chiesa principale

DAHL-lah KYEH-zah preen-chee-PAH-leh

From the main church

💬 dalla is da "from" merged with la "the". Likewise da + il becomes dal, as in dal duomo "from the cathedral".

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⏳

Dura

DOO-rah

It lasts

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⏳❓

E quanto dura?

eh KWAHN-toh DOO-rah

And how long does it last?

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🌙🌃

Tutta la notte

TOO-ta lah NOHT-teh

All night

💬 tutta "all" matches the noun after it, so here it's feminine because notte is. With a masculine noun it becomes tutto il giorno "all day".

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⏳🌙

Dura tutta la notte.

DOO-rah TOO-ta lah NOHT-teh

It lasts all night.

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🏁

Finisce

fee-NEE-sheh

It ends

💬 sc before i or e sounds like English sh: (fee-NEE-sheh).

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📅🌅

Sabato mattina

SAH-bah-toh mat-TEE-nah

Saturday morning

💬 Italian uses no word for "on" before days: sabato alone means "on Saturday". If you add il, as in il sabato, it means "on Saturdays", every week.

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🏁📅🌅

Finisce sabato mattina.

fee-NEE-sheh SAH-bah-toh mat-TEE-nah

It ends on Saturday morning.

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😲❓

Davvero?

dahv-VEH-roh

Really?

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🚶‍♂️📿❓

C'è una processione?

keh eh OO-nah pro-chehs-SYOH-neh

Is there a procession?

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📅➕

Anche domenica

AHN-keh doh-MEH-nee-kah

On Sunday too

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🚶‍♂️📿📅❓

C'è una processione anche domenica?

keh eh OO-nah pro-chehs-SYOH-neh AHN-keh doh-MEH-nee-kah

Is there a procession on Sunday too?

💬 A yes/no question in Italian uses the same words as the statement. Only the rising voice at the end turns C'è una processione into a question.

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✅

Sì

see

Yes

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📅🕚

Domenica alle undici

doh-MEH-nee-kah AHL-leh OON-dee-chee

On Sunday at eleven

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🏛️

In piazza

een PYAHT-tsah

In the square

💬 Some common places drop "the" after in: in piazza, in chiesa "in church", in centro "downtown".

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✅📅🕚🏛️

Sì, domenica alle undici, in piazza.

see doh-MEH-nee-kah AHL-leh OON-dee-chee een PYAHT-tsah

Yes, on Sunday at eleven, in the square.

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📄🖨️❓

Avete un programma scritto?

ah-VEH-teh oon pro-GRAHM-mah skriht-toh

Do you have a printed programme?

💬 Avete is "you" addressed to several people. It's natural for asking an office or a parish as a group, much like asking "do you (all) have".

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🙏

Per favore

pehr fah-VOH-reh

Please

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📄✍️🙏❓

Avete un programma scritto, per favore?

ah-VEH-teh oon pro-GRAHM-mah skriht-toh pehr fah-VOH-reh

Do you have a written schedule, please?

🇮🇹 The parish office, tourist office or the local confraternity usually prints a Holy Week schedule. Ask there rather than relying on websites, which are often out of date.

See breakdown →

📄👉

Ecco il programma

EH-koh eel pro-GRAHM-mah

Here's the programme

💬 ecco means "here is" or "here are" when handing something over or pointing it out. It never changes: ecco i biglietti "here are the tickets".

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✅📄👉

Sì, ecco il programma.

see EH-koh eel pro-GRAHM-mah

Yes, here's the schedule.

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