Patente quiz in Arabic or English? In which language do you take the exam

Until 2010, anyone taking the theory exam for the A or B patente could do it in 7 foreign languages. Then things changed: with the circular of 21 December 2010 the Ministero removed this possibility. A circular is a document with which the Ministero gives instructions to the offices.

Since 17 January 2011 the exam is in Italian. If you prefer, you can ask for it in French or German, anywhere in Italia. Arabic and English are no longer among the possible languages.

Many people who are preparing for the patente as foreigners look for quizzes in the language they know best: this is normal, because understanding the questions well is the first step.

The point is that on exam day the statements will be in Italian, or in French or German if you have requested them. The language does not change based on the country you come from. This is why it is worth training on the Italian text from the very beginning: that is the text you will find at the exam venue.

On PatenteInTasca the statements are in Italian, just like in the exam. Under each statement you find help in English, Turkish, Romanian, Albanian, Arabic and Ukrainian.

A simple way to use it:

• first read the statement in Italian and try to understand its meaning;
• if something is not clear to you, look at the help in your language;
• go back to the Italian text and answer there, because that is the text that counts in the exam.

This way the help in your language helps you understand, but the language you train in stays Italian.

The exam statements use words that come back often. When you learn to recognise them, the text becomes easier to read.

Some useful words to know:

• statement (affermazione): the sentence for which you must decide if it is true or false;
• right of way (precedenza): who goes first when two vehicles meet;
• carriageway (carreggiata), lane (corsia), overtaking (sorpasso), road sign (segnale).

Every time you meet a new word, stop and look it up in the language help. The next time you will recognise it straight away.

In the exam, read each statement all the way to the end before answering. One word is enough to change the meaning of a sentence, for example a 'non' (not) in the right place.

If a sentence seems difficult to you, break it into parts and ask yourself what it really says. Train yourself to do this already while you practise: arriving at the exam used to the Italian text takes away most of the effort.