Reference · module 4
At the bar and restaurant
Everything this module explains, on one page.
Vorrei
Order food and drinks politely.
- Vorrei means I would like and is the polite way to order: vorrei un cappuccino. Voglio, I want, sounds rude to a waiter.
- In Italy un caffè is an espresso. Other words: un cappuccino, un tè, una birra, un bicchiere di vino, un cornetto, un panino.
- When you are finished, ask for the bill: il conto, per favore. At a bar you often pay first at the cash desk, la cassa, and then order at the counter.
The mistake you are about to make
Un caffè latte.
Un cappuccino / un latte macchiato.
Latte is milk in Italian. Asking for a latte gets you a glass of milk; ask for a latte macchiato or cappuccino.
Mi piace
Say what you like and do not like.
- Mi piace works like the Russian мне нравится: the thing liked is the subject. Mi piace la pizza — I like pizza, literally pizza pleases me.
- When the thing is plural, the verb is plural too: mi piacciono gli spaghetti — I like spaghetti. With a verb it stays singular: mi piace leggere.
- Negative: non mi piace il caffè. Ti piace? asks a friend, and Le piace? asks politely. Italians also say the article: mi piace il mare.
The mistake you are about to make
Io piaccio la pizza.
Mi piace la pizza.
English I like has the person as subject. Italian flips it: the pizza is the subject, mi piace la pizza.
Food words
Name common foods and say a little of something.
- Meals: la colazione — breakfast, il pranzo — lunch, la cena — dinner. Common food: il pane, il formaggio, la carne, il pesce, la verdura, la frutta.
- For some or a little, say un po' di: un po' di pane, un po' d'acqua. Before a vowel di becomes d'.
- Plurals change the last vowel: -o becomes -i (il pomodoro → i pomodori), -a becomes -e (la mela → le mele), -e becomes -i (il pesce → i pesci).
The mistake you are about to make
due pomodoros
due pomodori
English adds -s, so pomodoros looks natural. Italian swaps the vowel: pomodori.