0.3.4 Food & Drink Flashcards
Translate to Italian:
Italian cuisine
la cucina italiana
cuisine = cucina
cucina means “cuisine” or “kitchen”, depending on context.
Translate to Italian:
food
il cibo
Translate to Italian:
a café
un caffé
Yes, caffé both means “coffee” and the “café” where you drink it.
Translate to Italian:
a restaurant
un ristorante
Translate to Italian:
a drink
una bevanda
Translate to Italian:
coffee
il caffé
Translate to Italian:
milk
il latte
Translate to Italian:
a latte
un caffé latte
Translate to Italian:
a long black
un americano
Italians tend to prefer shorter drinks of strong coffee. If you want lots of water in it, the term is americano. It’s named after Americans, who have a reputation around the world for diluting their coffee into a weak, watery liquid.
Translate to Italian:
an espresso
un espresso
Translate to Italian:
an extra short espresso
un ristretto
A note of caution if you are ordering this for the first time and you’re not used to the strength of Italian coffee. It is a shot of espresso in half the volume of water.
Translate to Italian:
coffee with alcohol
un caffé corretto
Literally, this means “a corrected coffee”. (It is corrected with hard liquor.)
Translate to Italian:
tea
il tè
Translate to Italian:
water
l’acqua
Translate to Italian:
still water
l’acqua naturale
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sparkling water
l’acqua frizzante
Translate to Italian:
a glass of water
un bicchiere d’acqua
glass = il bicchiere
Translate to Italian:
a bottle of water
una bottiglia d’acqua
bottle = la bottiglia
Translate to Italian:
a soda
una soda
Usually, it’ll be easier to just the name the soda you want. “Coca-Cola” is the same in every language.
Translate to Italian:
a bottle of sparkling water
una bottiglia d’acqua frizzante
Translate to Italian:
Natural or sparkling water?
Acqua naturale o frizzante?
You will be asked this question at most restaurants.
[What is being said in the audio recording?]
Donna: Una bottiglia d’acqua, per favore.
Uomo: Acqua naturale o frizzante?
Donna: Frizzante, grazie.
Translation:
Woman: “A bottle of water, please.”
Man: “Natural or sparkling water?”
Woman: “Sparkling, please.”
You’ll notice no one said: “Could I please have?” But this was polite. Just like in English, you can go a long way with please (per favore) and thank you (grazie).
[What is being said in the audio recording?]
Donna: Buongiorno!
Uomo: Buongiorno! Un espresso, per favore.
Donna: Un euro.
Uomo: Grazie.
Donna: Grazie a Lei.
Translation:
Woman: “Good morning!”
Man: “Good morning! An espresso, please.”
Woman: “One euro.”
Man: “Thank you.”
Woman: “Thank you.”
Note on cultural politeness differences:
As you already know, in the English-speaking world, it’s polite to make small talk and ask questions like “how are you?” or “how’s it going?” before asking for what you want, whether you’re in a coffee shop or greeting the cashier at a supermarket.
However, in Italy, unless you already know this person, it would be odd to ask how they are. You may get a strange look if you ask an unknown cashier come stai?
In fact, if you want to be polite in busy coffee shops, the emphasis is on respecting the other person’s time, not asking how they are.
The conversation above is an example of a perfectly polite interaction in Italian culture. Instead of asking how someone is or taking a long time looking at the menu, know what you want before you approach the counter. You don’t need to add words like “I would like…” or “Could I please have …”
Respecting the limited time of a busy barista is an important part of being polite in Italy. Just name the drink that you want, and follow it up with per favore. Afterwards, a grazie is always appreciated too.
Translate to Italian:
wine
il vino
