Solving Emergencies

Solving Emergencies in Italian

When traveling or living in Italy, knowing how to handle unexpected situations is crucial. This lesson covers how to report crimes, describe accidents, and ask the police for urgent help using appropriate B1 structures.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • La polizia: The police. Use this when you need law enforcement.
  • Denunciare un furto: To report a theft.
  • Un incidente: An accident.

Reporting Incidents

To report what happened, you will frequently use the past tense (Passato Prossimo) combined with modal verbs like dovere (to have to) or volere (to want).

Italian English
Mi hanno rubato il portafoglio. They stole my wallet.
Ho avuto un incidente. I had an accident.
Aiuto, presto! Help, quickly!

Common Mistakes

Don't confuse furto (theft) with rapina (robbery involving violence). Also, remember that auxiliary verbs in the past tense change depending on the verb (e.g., ho avuto uses avere, while sono caduto uses essere).

Words

la polizia
the police
Chiamate la polizia!Call the police!
un incidente
an accident
C'è stato un incidente stradale.There was a car accident.
denunciare
to report / to file a report
Devo denunciare un furto.I need to report a theft.
il furto
the theft
Ho subito un furto ieri.I was the victim of a theft yesterday.
rubare
to steal
Mi hanno rubato la borsa.They stole my bag.
il passaporto
the passport
Hanno rubato il mio passaporto.They stole my passport.
la stazione di polizia
the police station
Dov'è la stazione di polizia più vicina?Where is the nearest police station?
urgente
urgent
È una situazione urgente.It is an urgent situation.
la testimonianza
the testimony / witness statement
Voglio dare la mia testimonianza.I want to give my witness statement.
perdere
to lose
Ho perso le chiavi della macchina.I lost my car keys.

Lessons are prepared with the help of AI.

Patterns

Mi hanno rubato ___

They stole my [object] - use this to report stolen items.

Mi hanno rubato il telefono.They stole my phone.

Ho bisogno di ___

I need [something] - use this to ask for help or services.

Ho bisogno di un medico.I need a doctor.

C'è stato ___

There has been [an event] - use this to report accidents or crimes.

C'è stato un furto nel negozio.There was a theft in the shop.