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How to Say ‘I went to the beach.’ in Italian

Sono andato al mare.

SOH-noh ahn-DAH-toh ahl MAH-reh

[SOH-noh ahn-DAH-toh ahl MAH-reh]

💬 Usage Tip: With andare the ending of andato matches the speaker: a woman says sono andata al mare. al is a + il merged, and mare literally means "sea", so al mare covers any trip to the coast.

Phrase Breakdown

Sono andato

SOH-noh ahn-DAH-toh

I went

This is the passato prossimo with 'essere'. A man says 'andato' and a woman says 'andata'. The stress falls on 'SO-no an-DA-to'.

Example

Sono andato a Roma.

I went to Rome.

Words in this phrase

Sono

[SOH-noh]

I have (auxiliary)

Form of 'essere' used as auxiliary to build the past tense with verbs of movement.

Example

Sono arrivato tardi.

I arrived late.

andato

[ahn-DAH-toh]

gone / went

Past participle of 'andare'; with 'com'è' it asks how something went.

Example

È andato tutto bene.

Everything went well.

al mare.

ahl MAH-reh

to the seaside

'Al' is 'a' + 'il'. 'Mare' has two clear syllables, 'MA-re'. Pronounce the final 'e'.

Example

D'estate vado al mare.

In summer I go to the seaside.

Words in this phrase

[ahl]

to the

'Al' is a contraction of 'a' (to) and 'il' (the), often used to indicate flavor or type.

Example

Abbiamo ordinato il gelato al cioccolato.

We ordered the chocolate ice cream.

mare

[MAH-reh]

sea

Masculine noun; 'al mare' means at the seaside.

Example

D'estate vado al mare.

In summer I go to the seaside.

Guides for Italian learners

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