dove stiamo andando?
The English phrase "where are we going?" is translated into Italian as dove stiamo andando?
dove stiamo andando? is used to ask about a current movement that is happening right now.
Which one should you use?
While dove stiamo andando? focuses strictly on the immediate, ongoing action, the more common phrase dove andiamo? can be used for both a current movement and a planned future movement.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase dove andiamo? is much more frequently used by native speakers to express the same question as dove stiamo andando?
Did you know?
- In a heated argument, an Italian might say Dove stiamo andando? to mean 'What are we even doing?' or 'Where is this going wrong?'
- Italian uses the verb stare to form the continuous 'where are we going?', whereas stare usually means 'to stay' or 'to be' in a static sense.
- The word dove comes from the Latin dē ubi, meaning 'from where' or 'whence'.
Examples in context
- Ci scusi, dove stiamo andando?Excuse me, where are we going?
- Scusa, ma dove stiamo andando?Excuse me, but where are we going?
Example conversation
Matteo and Martina are walking down a street together.
- MatteoMartina, dove stiamo andando?Martina, where are we going?
- MartinaAndiamo al nuovo cinema in centro.We are going to the new cinema downtown.
- MatteoDavvero? Non sapevo del cinema!Really? I didn't know about the cinema!
- MartinaSì, è aperto da ieri.Yes, it has been open since yesterday.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dove, CC BY-SA 4.0.
