“Ho volato a Roma”
Why this sounds wrong in Italian — and what to say instead
There is one mistake I hear almost every week from my students. It’s not the subjunctive, not irregular verbs, not gender agreement.
It’s movement verbs.
Specifically, the habit of translating “I flew to Rome” as “Ho volato a Roma” — and “I drove to work” as “Ho guidato al lavoro.”
Both sound odd to an Italian. Not incomprehensible, but wrong in a way that immediately signals non-native speaker. The fix is simple once you understand the logic behind it.
Why English and Italian handle movement differently
In English, movement verbs do two jobs at once. When you say “I drove to Milan”, the verb drove tells you how you moved and implies a destination.
Italian splits these two things. When you’re describing a journey with a clear destination, Italian focuses on the going. You use andare combined with the means of transport. The sentence is not “how I moved” but “I went… by…”
With a destination: andare + mezzo
One note before the examples: a piedi uses a, not in. It’s the one exception worth memorising separately.
No destination: just the verb
The specific verbs — volare, guidare, camminare, pedalare — are perfectly correct in Italian. They describe the physical action itself, with no destination implied.
Notice what’s missing in all of these: a destination. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it.
Do I have a destination?
Yes → andare + in/a + mezzo
No → the specific verb
Common mistakes — side by side
Mezzi di trasporto — quick reference
| Italiano | English |
|---|---|
| in aereo | by plane |
| in macchina | by car |
| in treno | by train |
| in autobus | by bus |
| in metropolitana | by tube / metro |
| in bicicletta | by bike |
| a piedi | on foot |
| in moto | by motorbike |
| in nave | by boat / ferry |
| in taxi | by taxi |
Practice — try these sentences
Translate each one, then check your answer.
A note for intermediate students
At B1 you might hear Italians say “Ho preso l’aereo per Roma” — perfectly natural. What you will almost never hear is “Ho volato a Roma” as a plain statement of a journey. It can work in literary or expressive contexts, but in everyday speech, andare + mezzo is the standard. Stick with the rule until it’s automatic.
Free reference sheet
One printable page: the rule, all the vocabulary, and practice sentences.
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