Il museo? Sempre dritto, poi a destra.

Questions & Answers about Il museo? Sempre dritto, poi a destra.

Why does sempre dritto mean straight ahead when sempre usually means always?
In Italian, to tell someone to keep going straight or go straight ahead, you literally say always straight (sempre dritto). It implies continuing in the exact same direction without turning.
Why is there no verb like go or turn in this sentence?
Just like in English, Italians often drop verbs when giving quick, casual directions. You could say vada sempre dritto (go straight ahead) using the formal command form, but leaving the verb out completely is very natural and common in everyday speech.
Why do we use the preposition a in a destra?
When talking about right (destra) and left (sinistra), Italian uses the preposition a to mean to or on the right or left. It is a set phrase you should memorize as a single chunk.
I always mix up dritto and destra. How can I tell them apart?
They do look very similar! Dritto means straight, while destra means right (the opposite of left, sinistra). A helpful trick is that dritto sounds a bit like the English word direct, meaning you are going directly forward.

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