Italian · CEFR Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 37
Domani vado al mareTomorrow I'm going to the seaside
Surprise: to talk about tomorrow you need no new tense. The present + a time word covers all of A1's future — domani vado, la settimana prossima parto, stasera mangiamo insieme. The future's words are this chapter's team: domani, dopodomani, prossimo/prossima, stasera, presto. The chapter also teaches NOT to overdo it: putting volere where the present suffices sounds like shouting to ask for the salt. The futuro semplice exists — you will meet it at level two — but everyday Italy plans with the present.
Dialogue
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I programmi per domani— Plans for tomorrow
- GiuliaMike, che programmi hai per domani?Mike, what plans do you have for tomorrow?
- MikeDomani vado al mare, poi mangio con Marco, e la settimana prossima parto per Napoli!Tomorrow I'm going to the seaside, then I'm eating with Marco, and next week I'm leaving for Naples!
- GiuliaChe bello! E al mare che cosa fai?How lovely! And what will you do at the seaside?
- MikeAl mare… voglio un gelato enorme!At the seaside… I want a huge gelato!
Dialogue
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La settimana prossima— Next week
- MarcoGiulia, la settimana prossima vado a Napoli: due giorni di mare! Il treno parte venerdì alle sette.Giulia, next week I'm going to Naples: two days of sea! The train leaves Friday at seven.
- GiuliaChe bello! Ma deve prenotare l'albergo, signore — ad agosto Napoli è piena!How lovely! But you must book the hotel, sir — in August Naples is full!
- MarcoPrenoto stasera! E tu, che cosa fai il prossimo weekend? Come va il tuo viaggio a Firenze?I'll book tonight! And you, what are you doing next weekend? How's your Florence trip coming?
- GiuliaParto sabato mattina presto e torno domenica sera. Dopodomani compro il biglietto — promesso!I leave Saturday morning early and come back Sunday evening. The day after tomorrow I buy the ticket — promise!
Vocabulary
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- domani
adverbtomorrow (promoted from gloss to star: domani vado — the present's favorite passenger)
- dopodomani
adverbthe day after tomorrow (dopo + domani stacked — Italian builds it from parts you own)
- prossimo / prossima
adjectivenext (la settimana prossima, il prossimo weekend — scorso's forward-looking twin, chapter 33)
- il programma
n.m.the plan, the program (che programmi hai? — a Greek -ma word: masculine despite the -a, plural i programmi)
- il weekend / il fine settimana
n.m.the weekend (both live in Italian: the import il weekend and the homegrown il fine settimana — invariable either way)
- prenotare
verbto book (deve prenotare, puoi prenotare — BOTH attested CILS lines; prenoto l'albergo stasera)
- il gelato
n.m.the gelato, ice cream (from chapter 4's gender starters to chapter 37's real wish — un gelato enorme)
- sperare
verbto hope (spero di sì «I hope so» — the little formula; regular -are)
- promesso!
expr.I promise! (literally: promised)
Grammar
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The future with the present — domani vado
Explanation
Everyday Italian talks about the future with the PRESENT plus a time word: domani vado al mare, stasera mangiamo insieme, la settimana prossima parto, il treno parte alle sette. The time word — domani, dopodomani, stasera, la settimana prossima, il mese prossimo, a settembre — does all the tense's work: the verb stays as it is. This is A1's future in full. Two mirror traps. Trap one: hunting for a future tense you don't own yet — the futuro semplice (andrò) exists but is level-two material; if you hear it, understand it and move on. Trap two: overloading volere — «domani voglio andare» is grammatical but states a desire, not a plan; for decided plans the present is more natural AND more polite. The test: already decided, with day and time? → present (domani vado). A craving, a dream, a request? → volere (voglio un gelato). Bonus: the present also covers schedule-future — il treno parte alle sette, il film comincia alle nove — exactly as train and movie schedules do in many languages.
Examples
- Domani vado al mare; dopodomani torno.Tomorrow I go to the sea; the day after I come back.
- Il treno parte alle sette e arriva alle dieci.The train leaves at seven and arrives at ten.
- La settimana prossima parto per Napoli — e voglio vedere il mare ogni giorno!Next week I leave for Naples — and I want to see the sea every day!
- A settembre Mike torna a casa? Spero di no!In September is Mike going home? I hope not!
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