Gu before vowels in Italian

1. 1
   guida/ˈɡwida/

   guidenoun

   A person who goes with others and shows the way.
2. 2
   guardaroba/ɡwardaˈrɔba/

   cloakroomnoun

   A room where you leave your coat at the entrance.
3. 3
   guardare/ɡwarˈdare/

   to look atverb

   To keep your eyes on something.
4. 4
   seguire/seˈɡwire/

   to followverb

   To go in the direction shown.
5. 5
   lingua/ˈlinɡwa/

   languagenoun

   The way a people speaks.
6. 6
   bilingue/biˈlinɡwe/

   bilingualadjective

   Using two languages.
7. 7
   guardia/ˈɡwardja/

   guardnoun

   A person who watches over a place.
8. 8
   guasto/ˈɡwasto/

   brokenadjective

   No longer working, said of a device or an engine.
9. 9
   guanto/ˈɡwanto/

   glovenoun

   A covering for the hand, with fingers.
10. 10
    distinguere/disˈtinɡwere/

    to tell apartverb

    To see the difference between two things.

The sentences

1. La guida ci aspetta davanti alla biglietteria tra dieci minuti.

   The guide is waiting for us in front of the ticket office in ten minutes.

2. Scusi, posso lasciare il cappotto al guardaroba qui accanto?

   Excuse me, can I leave my coat at the cloakroom next door?

3. Prima della visita voglio guardare la mappa del museo.

   Before the tour I want to look at the museum map.

4. Devi seguire le frecce verdi fino alla sala grande.

   You need to follow the green arrows to the big hall.

5. Scusi, la visita guidata delle undici in quale lingua si fa?

   Excuse me, what language is the eleven o'clock guided tour in?

6. Scusi, avete una guida bilingue, in italiano e inglese?

   Excuse me, do you have a bilingual guide, in Italian and English?

7. Chiedi alla guardia se possiamo fare foto nella sala.

   Ask the guard if we can take photos in the hall.

8. Il distributore di biglietti è guasto, dobbiamo andare alla cassa.

   The ticket machine is broken, so we have to go to the desk.

9. Scusi, mi manca un guanto, posso controllare al guardaroba?

   Excuse me, I'm missing a glove, can I check at the cloakroom?

10. Non riesco a distinguere il quadro vero dalla copia.

    I can't tell the real painting from the copy.

Pronunciation

• guardaroba/ɡwardaˈrɔba/

  The stress falls on ro: guarda-RO-ba, not GUAR-daroba.

• lingua/ˈlinɡwa/

  After the g the u is pronounced, as in guanto.

• bilingue/biˈlinɡwe/

  The stress falls on lin: bi-LIN-gue, not bilin-GUE.

• distinguere/disˈtinɡwere/

  The stress falls on tin: dis-TIN-gue-re, not distin-GUE-re.

Good to know

guardaroba

In Italian museums you can usually leave your coat and large backpacks at the cloakroom, often for free. You get a number or a tag to keep until you leave.

biglietteria

You buy your ticket at the desk or at the automatic machines at the entrance. At the most famous museums it's usually worth booking ahead, because the queue can be long.

visita guidata

Guided tours start at fixed times and in a specific language, so ask which language it is in. Show up a few minutes before the meeting time.

foto

In many museums you can take photos without flash for personal use, but in some rooms or exhibitions it's not allowed. If you're unsure, ask the staff in the room.

Questions

How do I ask if I can leave my coat at a museum in Italian?

You can say "Scusi, posso lasciare il cappotto al guardaroba qui accanto?" The guardaroba is the room where you leave your coat at the entrance.

How do I ask which language a guided tour is in?

Say "Scusi, la visita guidata delle undici in quale lingua si fa?" To ask for a guide who speaks two languages, say "una guida bilingue".

What does guasto mean in Italian?

Guasto means something that no longer works, said of a device or an engine. For example, "Il distributore di biglietti è guasto".