Learn Italian: Come ti trovi nella nuova città? - How are you getting on in the new city?

Come ti trovi nella nuova città?

How are you getting on in the new city?

Breakdown of Come ti trovi nella nuova città?

Questions & Answers about Come ti trovi nella nuova città?

I thought this lesson was about cavarsela. Could I say Come te la cavi here instead?

You could, but it changes the tone! Come te la cavi? asks "How are you managing?" or "How are you surviving?", which implies the move might have been difficult. Come ti trovi? is the standard, friendlier way to ask "How are you settling in?" or "How do you like it?"

How exactly does ti trovi translate to getting on?

The verb trovare means "to find", but the reflexive verb trovarsi literally translates to "to find oneself". Italians use this constantly to ask how someone feels in a place, a new job, or a situation. So, come ti trovi? literally asks "how do you find yourself?"

Why is the adjective placed before the noun in nuova città?

While most Italian adjectives go after the noun, common short adjectives describing age, size, or beauty (like nuovo, vecchio, bello) frequently go before it. Placing nuovo before the noun also gives it a subjective meaning: it is a "new city to you", rather than a newly constructed city.

Why do we use nella instead of just the preposition in?

Nella is an articulated preposition, made by combining in with the feminine singular definite article la. Because you are referring to a specific, known city (the one your friend just moved to), Italian requires you to include the article.