4 Asking about arrival and departure times

To ask what time a train, bus, plane or boat leaves or arrives, and to understand the reply, you will need to know the verbs arrivare (‘to arrive’) and partire (‘to leave’, as in ‘to depart’, ‘to set on a journey’). The present tense of both verbs is regular.

– A che ora arriva il traghetto?

– What time does the ferry arrive?

– Il traghetto arriva a mezzanotte.

– The ferry arrives at midnight.

– A che ora parte l’aereo?

– What time does the plane leave?

– L’aereo parte la sera tardi.

– The plane leaves late in the evening.

Remember the combined forms of a (‘at’) and the definite article which are used in telling the time.

La barca parte all’una in punto.

– The boat leaves at one o’clock on the dot.

La nave per Olbia parte alle quattordici.

– The ship for Olbia leaves at 14:00.

For regular departures, you may hear ogni (‘every’) being used.

La barca fa il giro dell’isola ogni mattina.

– The boat does a tour around the island every morning.

Il pullman per Firenze parte ogni due ore.

– The bus for Florence leaves every two hours.

Ogni does not change form, whether used with a singular or plural noun, or with a masculine or feminine noun.