"You can get there in thirty minutes."

Translation: Ci puoi arrivare in trenta minuti.

[KathyDent]

Tra seems to be accepted as well, but I'm hopelessly confused about prepositions. I'm just guessing randomly all the time. This way of learning completely falls down at this point because of the lack of explanations.

[LynnSerafi]

"Tra" has a meaning of arriving "within" the period of time stated. When I am in Italy and someone asks me when I will be arriving, I nearly always says "tra trenta minuti" (or whatever maximum period of time left until I arrive). I'm not a native speaker, but I would use "in" if I were being more precise, i.e. I would say "in trenta minuti" to mean I would arrive in 30 minutes (not before, like if I on a train and I know the time it will be arriving) and "tra trenta minuti" to mean I would be there sometime within the next half hour, perhaps earlier. Again I am not a native speaker, so I welcome corrections.

[LynnSerafi]

And Kathy, I have recommended this book on prepositions many times here on Duo: "Le Preposizione Italiane" by Alessandro De Giuli.

[Marninger]

You can = puoi / potete
get there = arrivarci
in = in (or within = tra)
thirty minutes = trenta minuti

Puoi/potete arrivarci in/tra trenta minuti.

or

Ci puoi/potete arrivare in/tra trenta minuti

[abigail.bennett]

why can't you use si può here instead of ci puoi? I thought si può meant one can, which is what the English sentence means, surely?

[MariannR]

In this case the word 'ci' means 'there'

[Curlygirly]

Oh, thanks for that. "Ci" confuses me!

[margherita64529]

I must admit ci and si always confuses me as to their use.

[LindaNordin]

I said: Si puo arrivarci fra trenta minuti. Marked wrong. I think this should be accepted

[JeffWhite736256]

Why is the formal può not correct!!!

[JackDavy]

Why is arrivare wrong, hy is it arrivarci?

[deactivated user]

what about: può arrivarci tra trenta minuti.

[peter2108]

Can one use fra instead of in?

[Koolkaren]

Yes, because that is what I used and it was accepted. :)

[peter2108]

Good. Trouble is I can't risk these things for fear of getting the weeping owl. There is presently no way to view alternative answers (sometimes one extra is given usually not too helpful like Io mangio il gatto when one has supplied Mangio il gatto).

[Koolkaren]

I agree. Also, I can't claim to have been brave. I just happened to use 'fra' and then looked at the comments out of curiosity. :)

[Germanlehrerlsu]

I got it right, but I thought the prepositions "fra" or "tra" were used in this context.

[Elbow955956]

Are 'ci', 'lì', and 'là' interchangeable to mean 'there'?

[janas1950]

Can we also say: Ci vogliono trenta minuti per andare là?

[formaggiamente]

You can, but that would be a negatively framed (something is required in order to get there) sentence, as opposed to this one (you have the opportunity to get there).

[brianbignacho]

Similarly, if the English statement is taken to refer to a second person in particular, as opposed to the general "you, then wouldn't something like the following work?: "Ci metti trenta minuti per andarci."

[peteraasch]

Why does Duolingo insist on taking hearts from me whenever I put the pronoun in front of a verb?

Is there something wrong on saying "tu puoi arrivare instead" of "puoi arrivare"?

[Leteye0]

what is the difference between number one and two

[Andreas.T.P.]

I think the Italian translation is not correct.
Is it not better to translate it as follow "You can get there in thirty minutes."="Puoi arrivarci in trenta minuti." or "Ci puoi arrivare in trenta minuti."="You can get us in thirty minutes."?

[Germanlehrerlsu]

Andreas: Both Ci puoi arrivare... and Puoi arrivarci...are equally correct. Your last translation: "You can get us in 30 minutes" is incorrect for the Italian. Ci does not mean 'us' in that sentence and 'arrivare' doesn't mean to 'get' someone or something. Arrivare is NOT a transitive verb.

[Andreas.T.P.]

Hello German Teacher, thank you for your detailed and understandable explanation. That has brought me further. There is a Lingot for that.

[LindaNordin]

how about: si puo' arrivare li' in trenta minuti

[LuigiChiar5]

Why ci? Doesnt seem necessary.

[janas1950]

In this case CI means THERE.

[oceanmovement]

I wrote "Può arrivarci in trenta minuti"

[AnnaBelle854406]

Why "ci" out of nowhere?

[janas1950]

In this case CI means there.

[stephan547184]

it doesn't say 'one can get there...'

[stephan547184]

or is it considered slang to say 'puoi arrivare in trenta minuti'

[Andreas.T.P.]

Thanks to everyone for the good comments - especially Mr. Marninger and LynnSearn.
Thanks to your help, I realized that "ci" is part of the transitive verb "arrivarci". Before that I tried to guess what the "ci" should be at the beginning of the sentence and thought it was "we"
Only after your help did I understand that "Ci puoi arrivare in trenta minuti." or "Puoi arrivarci in trenta minuti." really means "You can get there in thirty minutes". :-))

[Sue919013]

Mt question required me to order words into the correct sentence, Duo said
You have a typo.
Puoi arrivare lì in trenta minuti. I could not write that as I didn't have "Li" in my words,

[noname12348]

Why "ti puoi arrivare in trenta minuti" is not acceptable