Italian Phrase
Cerca un ufficio turistico.
Meaning
The sentence is a direct, informal command meaning “Look for a tourist office.” It uses the imperative form of cercare and the indefinite article to refer to any tourist office, not a specific one.
When to use
Use this phrase when you are giving someone practical advice while traveling in Italy – for example, when a friend asks where to get maps, tickets, or local information.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Cercaunufficioturistico.
Imperative (Cerca)
Cerca is the second‑person singular imperative of the verb cercare (to look for, to search). It is used for informal commands.
Indefinite article (un)
Un is the masculine singular indefinite article used before a consonant; it signals that the noun is not specific.
Noun + post‑positive adjective (ufficio turistico)
In Italian many adjectives can follow the noun; turistico (tourist) comes after ufficio (office) and agrees in gender and number.
Punctuation
The period marks the end of the command; in spoken Italian the tone rises slightly at the end of an imperative.
🗨In Conversation
Cerca un ufficio turistico, ti daranno mappe della città.
Look for a tourist office, they’ll give you city maps.
Grazie, lo farò subito!
Thanks, I’ll do it right away!
✕Common Mistakes
Cerca di un ufficio turistico.
The verb cercare in the imperative does not need the preposition di; “cerca di” means “try to”.
Cerca ufficio turistico.
Learners sometimes drop the article, but Italian requires it before a singular countable noun.
Cerca un turistico ufficio.
While adjectives can sometimes precede nouns, the natural order here is noun + adjective.
↔Alternatives
Trova un ufficio turistico.
Find a tourist office.
Vai all'ufficio turistico.
Go to the tourist office.
Rivolgiti all'ufficio turistico.
Turn to the tourist office.
Cultural Tip
In most Italian towns the ufficio turistico is located in the historic centre, near the main train station, or inside the municipal building. Staff usually speak English and can provide free maps, brochures, and advice on local events. If you’re speaking to a stranger you don’t know well, you might prefer the more polite form “Cerchi un ufficio turistico?” or “Potrebbe cercare un ufficio turistico?”.