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Getting on, off, in and out in Italian

English builds its motion phrases from a verb plus a little particle: get on the bus, get off the train, go into the room, get out of the car. Italian works differently. It uses a specific verb, such as salire, scendere, entrare or uscire, and each verb comes with its own fixed preposition: salire sul treno, scendere dal treno, entrare in casa, uscire dalla stanza.

English speakers trip over this in two ways. They try to translate the particle (on, off, into) instead of choosing the right verb. They also leave out the preposition when English has none. We say enter the room with no preposition, but Italian needs entrare nella stanza.

Word list
uscireA1 to go out uscire da casa = leave the house entrareA2 to enter entrare nella stanza = enter the room entrareA2 to get in entrare in macchina = get in the car salireA2 to get on salire sul treno = get on the train salireA2 to get in salire in macchina = get in the car scendereA2 to get off scendere dall'autobus = get off the bus scendereA2 to get out scendere dalla macchina = get out of the car uscireA2 to get out uscire dalla macchina = get out of the car uscire daA2 to leave uscire dalla stanza = leave the room imbarcarsiB1 to get on imbarcarsi sull'aereo = board the plane sbarcareB1 to get off sbarcare dalla nave = get off the ship
How it works

Think of each verb and its preposition as one fixed block you learn together:

  • entrare in = go into, enter
  • uscire da = go out of, leave, exit
  • salire su or salire in = get on, get in, board
  • scendere da = get off, get out of

The preposition often combines with the article: su + il = sul, da + la = dalla, in + la = nella. With very common places, in often drops the article: in casa, in ufficio, in macchina.

All four verbs take essere in the past: sono salito, sono scesa, siamo entrati, è uscito.

The words
Going in and out of places

Entrare always needs in before the place, even though English says enter the room with no preposition at all. You can also use it for getting into a car. Uscire and uscire da mean leaving a building, a room or a car, and the place comes after da.

Ogni mattina entro in ufficio alle nove.
(Every morning I go into the office at nine.)
Il professore è entrato nella classe senza salutare.
(The teacher entered the classroom without saying hello.)
Dai, entra in macchina, piove!
(Come on, get in the car, it's raining!)
Luca è uscito dalla stanza senza dire niente.
(Luca left the room without saying anything.)
Aspetta, esco dalla macchina e ti aiuto.
(Wait, I'll get out of the car and help you.)
Getting on and in

Salire is the everyday verb for boarding. With buses, trains, trams, planes and boats it takes su. With cars it usually takes in. Imbarcarsi is the more formal verb for boarding a plane or ship, and you hear it at airports.

Siamo in ritardo, saliamo sul tram!
(We're late, let's get on the tram!)
Mia figlia è salita in macchina e si è messa la cintura.
(My daughter got in the car and put on her seatbelt.)
I passeggeri si imbarcano sull'aereo alle dieci.
(The passengers board the plane at ten.)
Getting off and out

Scendere covers both getting off public transport and getting out of a car. It always takes da. Sbarcare is the counterpart of imbarcarsi and is used above all for ships and planes.

Mi sono addormentato e non sono sceso dal treno in tempo.
(I fell asleep and didn't get off the train in time.)
Quando scendi dalla macchina, chiudi bene la portiera.
(When you get out of the car, shut the door properly.)
I turisti sbarcano dalla nave a Napoli.
(The tourists get off the ship in Naples.)
Watch out
  • Vehicle vs. stop. Da goes with the vehicle you leave, but the stop where you get off takes a. Say scendo dall'autobus but scendo alla prossima fermata. Never say scendo dalla fermata.
  • The word after the verb matters. The same verb can change its preposition: salire sul treno but salire in macchina. With a taxi you hear both in taxi and sul taxi.
  • Do not drop the preposition. A very common mistake is entro la stanza, copied from English enter the room. The correct form is entro nella stanza.
  • A fixed phrase. For leaving home, Italians often say uscire di casa, with di and no article. Uscire da casa is also correct.
  • Classic related verbs such as montare in or montare su (to get in or on) and partire per (to leave for) follow the same idea: learn the verb together with its preposition.
Summary

Don't translate on, off, in or out. Pick the Italian verb and learn its preposition with it: entrare in and salire su or in for going in or getting on, uscire da and scendere da for coming out or getting off. Use su for buses, trains and planes, in for cars, and da for whatever you are leaving.