Survival Italian Course

The two questions you need

È diretto?

Is it direct?

No stops, no changes — straight to your destination.

Devo cambiare?

Do I need to change?

Do I have to get off and board a different train?

Why these two? Italian trains aren’t always direct, especially on regional routes. The Frecciarossa between major cities (Rome, Florence, Milan, Naples) is almost always direct. Regional trains often aren’t. If you don’t ask, you might find yourself stuck at a random station at midnight.

What they’ll say back

Italian	English	When you hear it
Sì, è diretto.	Yes, it’s direct.	Good news. Stay on the train.
No, deve cambiare a Bologna.	No, you need to change at Bologna.	Note the city — that’s where you get off.
Deve cambiare a Roma Termini.	You need to change at Rome Termini.	Same pattern: cambiare a + city name.
Arriva con dieci minuti di ritardo.	It arrives ten minutes late.	Common. Very common.
Il binario è cambiato — è al binario tre.	The platform has changed — it’s at platform 3.	Always check the departure boards.

The pattern: cambiare a

The verb cambiare (to change) always takes the preposition a before the city name. No exceptions.

Deve cambiare a Bologna.

Change at Bologna.

Deve cambiare a Milano Centrale.

Change at Milan Central.

Deve cambiare a Napoli.

Change at Naples.

Note: Deve is the formal “you must / you need to.” In Italy, strangers and officials use formal address with tourists. You’ll hear deve constantly at the station, not devi.

Quick check

Choose the correct answer.

1. You want to know if the train goes straight to Florence without stopping. What do you ask?

Devo cambiare? È diretto? A che ora parte?

✅ Esatto. È diretto? — you’re asking if there are no changes.

Not quite. Devo cambiare? asks the same thing from the other angle, but È diretto? is more natural here. A che ora parte? asks the departure time.

2. The clerk says: “Deve cambiare a Roma Termini.” What does this mean?

The train terminates in Rome. The train is running late. You need to change trains at Rome Termini.

✅ Esatto. Cambiare = to change (trains). A Roma Termini = at Rome Termini station.

Not quite. Deve cambiare means “you need to change” — cambiare is the key verb here, not a destination or delay.

3. Which sentence is correct Italian?

Deve cambiare in Bologna. Deve cambiare a Bologna. Deve cambiare per Bologna.

✅ Esatto. Always cambiare a + city. In and per don’t work with cambiare in this context.

Not quite. The correct preposition is always a: cambiare a Bologna. Think of it as “change at Bologna” — the at = a.

4. You’re at a station and hear: “Il binario è cambiato.” What should you do?

Nothing — it doesn’t affect your journey. Buy a new ticket. Check the departure boards — your platform has changed.

✅ Esatto. Binario = platform. È cambiato = has changed. Always check the screens when you hear this.

Not quite. Il binario è cambiato means the platform has changed — you need to find the new one before the train leaves.

5. A clerk says “Deve” when speaking to you. This is because…

It’s an irregular verb form used only in southern Italy. In formal Italian, strangers address you as Lei, not tu. It’s a mistake — the correct form is devi.

✅ Esatto. Lei (formal you) takes the same verb form as lui/lei (he/she). So: lui deve → Lei deve. You’ll hear this everywhere in official contexts.

Not quite. Deve is the Lei form — formal address. Italian clerks, officials and strangers use it with tourists automatically. Devi is the informal tu form.

Curriculum

Lesson 4- Is it direct? Do I need to change?

Is it direct? Do I need to change?

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