Italian All-in-One For Dummies (46 page)

Sandra:
Che cosa prendiamo?

keh
koh
-zah prehn-
dyah
-moh?

What should we have?

Laura:
Non lo so! Guardiamo il menù.

nohn loh soh! gwahr-
dyah
-moh eel meh-
nooh.

I don't know! Let's look at the menu.

Silvio:
Avete fame?

ah
-veh-teh
fah
-meh?

Are you hungry?

Laura:
Ho fame; prendo una pizza margherita.

oh
fah
-meh;
prehn
-doh
ooh-
nah
peet
-tsah mahr-gheh-
ree
-tah.

I'm hungry; I'm getting a pizza margherita.

Sandra:
Io non tanto.

ee-
oh nohn
tahn
-toh.

I'm not so hungry.

Silvio:
Allora cosa prendi Sandra?

ahl-
loh
-rah
koh
-zah
prehn
-dee
sahn
-drah?

So what are you going to have, Sandra?

Sandra:
Vorrei qualcosa di leggero.

vohr-
rey
kwahl-
koh
-zah dee lehj-
jeh
-roh

I'd like something light.

Un'insalatona.

onn-een-sah-lah-
toh
-nah.

A big salad.

Silvio:
Poco originale . . .

pohk
-koh oh-ree-jee-
nah
-leh . . .

Kind of boring . . .

 

Most Italian pizzerias have a wide range of pizzas. They're individual servings. You can also get pasta and salads there, and afterward, a dessert.

You've certainly heard of Italian
gelato
(jeh-
lah
-toh) (
ice cream
). Go for the
gelato artigianale
(jeh-
lah
-toh ahr-tee-jah-
nah
-leh) (
homemade ice cream
) — made in a
gelateria
(jeh-lah-teh-
ree-
ah) (
ice cream parlor
). You can have it in a
cono
(
koh
-noh) (
cone
) or a
coppetta
(kohp-
peht
-tah) (
cup
). You also have to decide on the
gusto
(
goohs
-toh) (
flavor
) and size, which usually goes according to euros or
palline
(pahl-
lee-
neh) (
scoops
).

Talkin' the Talk

Laura and Silvio stop for some ice cream. (Track 12)

Server:
Prego?

preh
-goh?

What would you like?

Laura:
Due coni, per favore.

dooh
-eh
koh
-nee, pehr fah-
voh
-reh.

Two ice-cream cones, please.

Server:
Da quanto?

dah
kwahn
-toh?

What size?

Silvio:
Uno da due euro, e l'altro da 1 euro e 50.

oohn
-oh dah
dooh-
eh
eh
-ooh-roh, eh
lahl-
troh dah oohn
eh
-ooh-roh eh cheen-
qwahn-
tah.

One two-euro size and the other one for 1
¹
⁄
₂
euros.

Server:
Che gusti?

keh
goohs
-tee?

Which flavors?

Silvio:
Fragola e limone.

frah
-goh-lah eh lee-
moh
-neh.

Strawberry and lemon.

Server:
Prego. E Lei?

preh
-goh. eh ley?

Here you are. And you?

Laura:
Crema, cioccolato, cocco, e noce.

kreh
-mah, chohk-koh-
lah
-toh,
kohk
-koh, eh
noh
-cheh.

Custard, chocolate, coconut, and walnut.

Silvio:
3 euro e 50?

treh
eh
-ooh-roh eh cheen-
qwahn-
tah?

Three and a half euros?

Server:
Sì, grazie. Ecco lo scontrino.

see,
grah
-tsyeh.
ehk
-koh loh
skohn
-tree-noh.

Yes, thanks. Here's the receipt.

 

In a
gelateria,
you can also find
frullati
(froohl-
lah
-tee) (
mixed fruit juice
),
frappé
(frahp-
peh
) (which can be a
fruit milk shake
or a
frozen fruit shake
), and
yogurt
(
frozen yogurt
).

Drinking, Italian-Style

This section talks about many sorts of drinks, starting, obviously, with good Italian coffee, but also covering water, tea, and some spirits.

Expressing your love for espresso

You may have to order an espresso at your favorite coffee emporium back home, but in Italy, you get the same drink by asking the
barista
(bah-
rees
-tah)
(
barman
) or
il cameriere
(eel kah-meh-
ryeh
-reh) (
the waiter
) for just
un caffè
(oohn kahf-
feh
) (
a coffee
).

In addition to
caffè,
you can enjoy a nice cup of
cioccolata calda
(chohk-koh-
lah
-tah
kahl
-dah) (
hot cocoa
);
tè
(
teh
) or
tè freddo
(
teh
frehd
-doh) (
cold
or
iced tea
);
infusi
(een-
fooh
-zee) (
herbal teas
) with
camomilla
(kah-moh-
mee
-lah) (
chamomile tea
), the perfect bedtime infusion;
succhi di frutta
(
soohk
-kee dee
frooht
-tah) (
fruit juices
);
spremute
(spreh-
mooh
-teh) (
fresh-squeezed fruit juice
);
and a wide selection of
acqua
(
ah
-kwah) (
water
).

Not many Italians anywhere in Italy drink tap water. Most Italians drink
acqua minerale
(
ah
-kwah mee-neh-
rah
-leh) (
mineral water
),
which can be
acqua gassata/gasata
(
ah
-kwah gas-
sah
-tah/gah-
zah
-tah) (
sparkling water
), also called
acqua frizzante
(
ah
-kwah freets-
tsahn
-teh), or
acqua liscia
(
ah
-kwah
lee
-shah) or
naturale
(nah-tooh-
rah
-leh) (
still water
).

In
estate
(ehs-
tah
-teh) (
summer
), you will seek
ghiaccio
(
ghyach
-choh) (
ice
) wherever you go because most bars will part with only one small piece.

When you order a drink in Italy, you may need to specify how much you want, such as a whole bottle, a carafe, or just a glass. Use the following words:

una bottiglia di . . .
(
ooh
-nah boht-
tee
-lyah dee . . .) (
a bottle of . . .
)

un bicchiere di . . .
(oohn beek-
kyeh
-reh dee . . .) (
a glass of . . .
)

una caraffa di . . .
(
ooh
-nah kah-
rahf
-fah dee . . .) (
a carafe of . . .
)