italianexpressions

Italian key phrases to use at restaurant when in Italy

In this page you will find a complete list of sentences that will make your life easier when at a restaurant in Italy.

Before going through the list, you might also want to know that..

It is customary to be seated or to make a reservation, especially at weekends.
On paying, unlikely from many other countries a tip is not expected because included in the bill under the voice coperto. However, if the service was excellent you can leave a tip to show your satisfaction for the service.
We have mostly four different types of restaurants:

the proper ristorante: a place where you can expect a full-service, a touch of gourmet, a professional staff and a higher price. It’s the place to have a more sophisticated food. The atmosphere should me more sophisticated too.

la trattoria: less pricey and less formal than a restaurant, it is usually a family owned business. It’s the place to have the traditional and comfort Italian food. The atmosphere is usually rustic.

la pizzeria: a pizzeria in Italy works just like any other restaurants. You make a reservation for a table and then you order from the menu. Often antipasti are also served.

la rosticceria (mainly in the South of Italy): it’s an informal take away place with none or few tables where Italians lie to buy ready to eat comfort fried food (arancini, calzoni, mozzarelle in carrozza and the likes)

PRENOTARE UN TAVOLO – BOOKING A TABLE

Vorrei / Vorremmo prenotare un tavolo per domani sera alle 19 – I/ We would like to book at table for tomorrow night at 7 pm

Domani a mezzogiorno – tomorrow at midday

Domani alle 13 – tomorrow at 1 pm

Un tavolo per due – a table for two

Un tavolo per tre – a table for three

Un tavolo per quattro – a table for four

ORDINARE – ORDERING

Potrei avere il menù? – Could I have the menu?

Posso vedere il menù? – Can I see the menu?

Potrei avere la carta dei vini? – Could I have the wine list?

Potrei avere il menù dei dolci? – Could I have the dessert menu?

Avete un menù per bambini? – Do you have a children’s menu?

Avete un menù del giorno? – Do you have a daily menu?

Qual è il piatto del giorno? – What is the dish of the day?

Sul menù c’è ‘un antipasto della casa’, che cos’è? – On the menu I read ‘Antipasto della casa’, what is it?

Lei cosa mi consiglia? – What would you recommend me?

Sono allergico/a a.. – I am allergic to…

Latticini – dairy products

Glutine- gluten

Sono vegetariano – I am a vegetarian

Sono vegano – I am a vegan

Non mangio carne di maiale – I don’t eat pork

Per me / Prendo / Vorrei – I’ll have…

Un antipasto di mare

Spaghetti alle vongole

Una macedonia

Una porzione di patatine fritte – a portion of..

– Una cotoletta

– Pasta

– Carne al sangue – rare meat

– Carne poco cotta – medium rare

– Carne ben cotta – well-done meat

Scusa, mi (ci) può portare… del pane? Una bottiglia d’acqua? Dell’olio? – Excuse-me, could I have some..bread? A bottle of water? Some oil?

CAMERIERE – WAITER

Siete pronti per ordinare? – Are you ready to order?

Posso portarvi da bere? – Can I get you something to drink?

L’acqua gasata o naturale? – The water sparkling or still?

PROBLEMI – PROBLEMS

La pizza è bruciata – the pizza is burned

L’insalata è scondita – the salad is undressed

La zuppa è fredda – the salad is cold

La pasta è fredda – the pasta is cold

C’è ancora molto da aspettare? – is our food long?

Stiamo aspettando da troppo tempo – we are waiting too long

PAGARE – PAYING

Il conto, per favore – The bill, please

Paga in contanti o con carta? – Do you pay cash or by card?

Pagate insieme o separatamente? – Do you pay all together or separately?

Posso pagare con carta di credito? – Can I pay by credit card?

Dividiamo il conto – Les’s split it

COSE CHE POTRESTI SENTIRE – THINGS YOU MIGHT HEAR

Posso offrirle un caffè o un amaro? – Can I buy you an espresso or a liquor?

Il pranzo /la cena è di vostro gradimento? – Did you like the meal?

Tutto apposto? – Was everything alright?

Vuole qualcos’altro? No grazie – Do you want anything else?

The Italian Modal Verbs Explained for Beginners

What’s the Difference Between the Italian Modal Verbs and Other Types of Verbs?

When your teacher (or your book) is telling you “this is a modal verb,” there’s no need to panic! Saying a verb a is “modal” is just a label to remind you that, in Italian, there are three (modal) verbs that have a lot in common and are kind of different from the other verbs.

Voglio – I want

Posso – I can

Devo – I have to, I need, I must

What do they have in common? Simple. They are followed by infinitive verbs (e.g. non conjugated verbs)

An infinitive verb is a base form of any verb, the way you look it up in a dictionary.

So, we can say that modal verbs are always followed by infinitive verbs.

Voglio vivere in Italia – I want to live in Italy

Posso aprire la porta? – Can I open the window?

Devo andare – I must go or I need to go or I have to go

A common mistake made by beginner Italian learners is to use a conjugated verb after a modal verb, such as in the incorrect phrase “Voglio vado = I want I go,” which should be corrected to “Voglio andare”. The correct way to say “I want to go” in Italian, is by using the infinitive form of the verb “andare” after the modal verb “voglio.”

How to Conjugate an Volere / Potere / Dovere in the Present Tense?

The Italian modal verbs dovere, potere, and volere express necessity, possibility, and desire, respectively. They are also used to request permission, make requests, and offer assistance. Modal verbs are always followed by an infinitive and are irregular, so they need to be memorized. Since they are high-frequency verbs, it’s crucial to know their conjugations.

Conjugation of the modal verbs in the present tense

Edit
VOLERE (want, wish)	POTERE (can, may)	DOVERE (need, have to, must)
io voglio tu vuoi lui/lei vuole noi vogliamo voi volete loro vogliono	io posso tu puoi lui/lei può noi possiamo voi potete loro possono	io devo tu devi lui/lei deve noi dobbiamo voi dovete loro devono

Examples:

Voglio andare al supermercato (modal verb + infinitive + object) – I want to go to the grocery store.

Devo comprare della cioccolata (modal verb + infinitive + object) – I need to buy some chocolate.

Non posso aspettarti (modal verb + infinitive ) – I can’t wait for you.

Let’s see now how to use the Italian modal verbs in-depth…

How to Use the Verb “Dovere”

Dovere + infinitive: must, to have to, to need to

Devo andare in palestra – I must (need, have to) go to the gym.

Dovere is a common Italian verb that has three possible translations into English:

I must
I have to
I need to

English vs. Italian

In English, “I must” and “I need to” have different meanings. However, Italian does not make this distinction. To express the obligation implied by “must” in English, the only option in Italian is to pronounce “devo” more emphatically.

Devo studiare – I need to study

DEVO studiare – I must study

So, remember that there’s no formal difference between “I must,” “I need,” and “I have to” in Italian. They can all be translated with the verb dovere.

Dovere can also be used as a non-modal verb with a different meaning than its modal form. When used as a non-modal verb, “dovere” is followed by a noun instead of an infinitive verb. In this case, “dovere” means “to owe”

Dovere + noun: to owe

Ti devo 5 euro per la piazza – I owe you 5 euros for the pizza

How to Use the Verb “Potere”

Potere means “can or may” when asking for permission or being allowed (or not allowed) to do something.

Posso uscire un momento? – Can I leave for a second?

I bambini non possono guardare la tv di sera tardi – Children are not allowed to watch TV late.

English vs. Italian [sapere vs. potere]

Potere does not express the ability to do something, as it does in English.

To express the ability to do something in Italian, you should use the verb “sapere” which means “to know how to” or “to be able to”.

Examples:

Io posso parlare italiano means “I am allowed to speak Italian” or “I might be able to speak Italian”.
Io so parlare italiano means “I can speak Italian” or “I know how to speak Italian.”
Posso cantare means “I’m allowed to sing”.
So cantare means “I can sing” or “I know how to sing”.

Avoid the common mistake of using potere in these types of sentences. If you ask someone “puoi cucinare?” – you are actually requesting him or her to cook.

Puoi cucinare? – Will you cook? (I want you to cook)
Sai cucinare? – Can you cook? (Do you know how to cook?)

How to Use the Verb “VOLERE”

Volere: to want, to wish

Voglio mangiare giapponese – I want to eat Japanese

Voglio il sushi e la tempura – I want sushi and tempura

The Modal Verbs with the Passato Prossimo

Conjugating modal verbs with the passato prossimo (and other compound tenses*) needs a special construction.

A compound tense is a verb resulting from the combination of an auxiliary verb and a past participle (e.g. past conditional, compound future, past perfect, etc..)

How to Conjugate an VOLERE / POTERE / DOVERE in Passato Prossimo?

If you have already learned the passato prossimo (the main past tense in Italian), you know that it’s a combination of an auxiliary and a past participle (e.g. ho parlato = I spoke, I’ve spoken).

But, what’s the correct auxiliary to use with modal verbs in the passato prossimo?

When using a modal verb in the past tense, the correct auxiliary to use depends on the main verb that follows the modal verb. In general, both “essere” and “avere” can be used as auxiliary verbs with modal verbs in the passato prossimo.

The auxiliary verb used depends on the main verb that follows the modal verb.

If the main verb is transitive and takes a direct object, such as “mangiare” (to eat), the auxiliary verb used will be “avere”. If the main verb is intransitive and does not take a direct object, such as “andare” (to go), the auxiliary verb used will be “essere”.

For example:

If you want to say in Italian – I wanted to eat, you need to chose the correct auxiliary of the verb “mangiare = to eat“, which is avere.

So, I wanted to eat goes to “ho voluto mangiare”

However, if you wanted to say – I wanted to go, you’d need to choose the correct auxiliary of the verb “andare = to go“, which is essere.

Sono voluta andare – I wanted to go

The same rule applies for dovere and potere, of course. For example:

Ho dovuto preparare la cena – I had to prepare the dinner.
Sono dovuta andare in aeroporto in autobus – I had to go to the airport by bus.
Non ho potuto preparare la cena – I could not prepare dinner.
Non sono potuta andare a pranzo – I could not go to the lunch.

In the above examples, “preparare” is transitive and thus uses “avere” as its auxiliary in the passato prossimo, while “andare” is intransitive and takes “essere” as its auxiliary in the passato prossimo.

Note that when the auxiliary verb preceding the modal verb is essere, the past participle of the modal verb agrees in gender and number with the subject of the sentence.

Sono dovuta andare via – I had to leave (dovuta, feminine singular).

Ci siamo alzati tardi – we got up late (alzati, masculine plural)

Non siamo potuti venire – we could not come (potuti, masculine plural)

How to Use the Modal Verbs with the Pronouns

This is more advanced topic, if you are a beginner Italian learner, you can skip it for now.

Modal verbs in Italian allow for the position of pronouns to be flexible. In Italian, a pronoun usually comes before the verb, unlike in English where it comes after. However, with modal verbs, the pronoun can come before the modal verb or after the infinitive verb that follows the modal verb. For example:

Voglio comprarlo – I want to buy it [pronoun attached onto the infinitive]

Lo voglio comprare – I want to buy it [pronoun before the modal verb]

Both structures are interchangeable and commonly used in spoken Italian.

If you don’t understand well the idea of pronouns in Italian, I encourage you to visit this page: The Italian Direct Pronouns

Let’s recap:

There are three modal verbs in Italian.

They are volere, potere, and dovere. And we call them modal verbs to remind us that they are different from the majority of other verbs in Italian, because:

they are irregular.

they are always followed by an infinitive verb.

they can use both essere and avere as auxiliaries in compound tenses, like the passato prossimo

when they come in conjunction with a pronoun, the pronoun can either precede the modal verb or be joined onto the end of the infinite that follow the modal verb.

The imperfetto of modals verbs

If this is easy for you, you might be interested in learning about the difference of usage of the modal verbs between the passato prossimo and the imperfetto.

What’s The Difference Between “Dovevo & Ho Dovuto?”

How to use the verb METTERSI

Mettersi is an Italian verb that non-native speakers may struggle with. It is, nevertheless, commonly used in everyday Italian, and you may want to learn how to use it.

First of all, you might be familiar with mettere, which simply means to put. Well, mettersi, the reflexive version of mettere, is a whole different verb with a number of different meanings.

Before learning the meaning of this peculiar verb, let’s have a look at the conjugation of the verb in presente and passato prossimo of this reflexive verb.

Present Tense

mi metto
ti metti
si mette
ci mettiamo
vi mettete
si mettono

Passato prossimo (past tense)

mi sono messo/a
ti sei messo/a
si è messo/a
ci siamo messi/e
vi siete messi/e
si sono messi/e

Now, let’s dive into the most common meanings of mettersi.

To put on/to wear

Mettersi is to put on or wear something in its most basic sense.

Mi metto sciarpa e cappello – I’m wearing a scarf and a hat
Ti metti una gonna o un vestito per la cerimonia? – Are you putting on a skirt or a dress for the reception?
Luca si mette gli occhiali da sole anche in inverno – Luca is wearing shades even in the winter

To start doing something

Mettersi is also commonly used with the pattern mettersi a + infinitive verb. Mettersi indicates to begin doing something in this context. It’s very common in spoken and informal Italian.

Domani mi metto a dieta – Tomorrow I am starting a diet
Devo mettermi a pulire la casa – I need to start cleaning up
Mettiamoci a lavoro – let’s get down to business

Sometimes we can use mettersi in the context of taking up a new hobby or starting a new interest, for example

Patrizia si è messa a studiare russo – Patrizia took up Russian
MI sono messa a fare yoga – I took up yoga

To stay/to stand

Mettersi is a colloquial Italian word that implies to stay or stand.

For example,

Mettiti seduto – stay sit
Mettiti qui – stay here
Mettiti in piedi – stay still

(all the forgoing sentences are in the imperative form)

Turning out well (or badly)

Mettersi can also be used to say that things are turning out well or badly for you in the expressions mettersi bene per and bettersi male per.

Le cose si mettono bene per Franco, ha appena ricevuto una bella promozione a lavoro – Things are turning out well for Franco, he’s just got a promotion at work.
Le cose si mettono male per Federica, ha perso il lavoro e ha finito i soldi – Things are turning out badly for Federica, she lost her job and ran out of money.

Common idiomatic expressions with mettersi

In addition, the verb mettersi appears in a number of idiomatic expressions.

The following are the most well-known:

Mettersi in proprio: to set up one’s own business
Mettersi a letto: to go to bed
Mettersi in agitazione : to get worked up
Mettersi all’opera : to get down to business
Mettersi da parte: to back away, to set oneself aside
Mettersi d’accordo su/con: to agree on/with
Mettersi in cattiva luce : to appear in a bad light
Mettersi in guardia: to take one’s guard
Mettersi insieme: to start having a love affair
Mettersi in malattia: to go on a sick leave
Mettersi l’anima in pace: to send one’s mind at rest
Mettersi nei panni di qualcuno: to put oneself in somebody else’s shoes
Mettersi nei guai: to get into troubles
Mettersi in contatto con qualcuno: to reach/contact someone

Common expressions using ESSERE and AVERE

In Italian, the verbs “essere” and “avere” are certainly amongst the most popular ones. This is why they are widely used in many common Italian idiomatic expressions like the one following.

Bear in mind that a certain number of recurring expressions use the verb avere (to have) while English would use the verb essere (to be) and vice-versa. For instance, being hungry becomes having hunger in Italian.

The rule of thumb is to memorize the most common expressions, by making a list of the oens that use “avere” and the ones that use “essere”.

Common expressions with “avere”

avere sonno: to be sleepy
avere fame: to be hungry
avere sete: to be thirsty
avere freddo: to be cold
avere caldo: to be hot
avere 20 anni: to be 20 years old
avere fretta: to be in a hurry
avere ragione: to be right
avere torto: to be wrong
avere successo: to be successful
avere fortuna: to be lucky
avere paura di: to be afraid
avere mal di pancia: to have a stomach ache
avere mal di testa: to have a headache
aver mal di gola: to have a sore throat
avere la febbre: to have a fever

Common expressions with “essere”

essere in ritardo: to be late
essere bravo: to be good at doing something
essere buono: to be nice (food), to be good people
essere sveglio: to be awake
essere malato: to be sick
essere ammalato: to be sick
essere occupato: to be busy
essere pronto: to be ready
essere fidanzato: to be in relationship
essere sposato: to be married
essere felice: to be happy
essere triste: to be sad
essere depresso: to be depressed
essere contento: to be content
essere innamorato: to be in love

5 Italian sayings on love

1. L’amore non è bello, se non è litigarello

There is no equivalent in English, although searching, I came across a quote by Shakespeare that sums up the meaning of the Italian provarb above.

“The course of true love never runs smooth.”

When do Italians say “l’amore non è bello se non è litigarello?”

This Italian proverb pretends to ease the tension after a little quarrel by objecting that a relationship can’t always be “bella‘(or healthy) without a small fight from time to time. Of course, the hardest times make your relationship stronger. The adjective litigarello (originating from the verb litigare) is not used in any other expressions, but this one.

2. Chi s’assomiglia si piglia

Literally, those who are alike end up with each other.

The proverb originates from the Tuscany dialect and means that those who have similar features (both in their bodies and their characters) are attracted to each other.

3. Sfortunato al gioco fortunato in amore

Literally: unlucky at cards, lucky in love.

This Italian saying is often used to ease the pain of somebody who is losing while playing a game, usually playing cards.

4. Il primo amore non si scorda mai

English: You never forget your first love. The proverb explains itself.

5. Al cuore non si comanda

English: Love is blind, or you can’t rule the heart. A person who is in love might not see the faults in his/her partner the way others might see them. It sounds pretty malicious, but I have heard it a few times.

23 expressions with the verb “FARE”

Other than being an irregular verb, FARE is used in Italian in a number of many useful expressions. Let’s see some of them:

Fare i compiti: to do the homework

Fare le pulizie: to do the cleanings

Fare un biglietto: to buy a ticket

Fare una passeggiata: to go for a walk

Fare un giro: to go around

Fare una fotografia: to take a picture

Fare colazione: to eat breakfast

Fare la spesa: to buy groceries

Fare shopping: to go shopping

Fare la valigia (le valigie): to pack

Fare pace: to make peace

Fare il compleanno: to have a birthday

Fare il pieno: to tank up

Fare una domanda: to ask a question

Fare la coda/la fila: to queue

Fare soldi: to become rich

Far bene: to be good (for something)

Far male: to be painful, to ache

Fare una vacanza: to go on vacation (holiday)

Fare una prenotazione: to make a reservation

Fare un errore (o sbaglio): to make a mistake

Fare tardi: to be late

FARE is also the verb used to ask information about the weather and to answer about it. In Italian, we say CHE TEMPO FA? And we answer FA bel/cattivo tempo o FA caldo/freddo.

tempo

As I was previously mentioning, FARE does not follow the regular pattern of the second conjugation, being irregular.

Presente indicativo: io faccio, tu fai, lui fa, noi facciamo, voi fate, loro fanno

Imperfetto: io facevo…

Passato prossimo: io ho fatto…

Futuro semplice: io farò…

Condizionale semplice: io farei…

Gerundio: facendo…

Congiuntivo presente: che io faccia…

Congiuntivo imperfetto: che io facessi..

BELLO vs. BEL/QUELLO vs. QUEL

Everybody knows that quello means that and bello means beautiful or nice.

And if you have been learning Italian for a while, you may have noticed that sometimes bello and quello are used in different forms.

In fact, it is not rare that bello becomes bel or begli or bei and quello becomes quel or quegli or quei.

Many students are not sure about the difference between bel and bello in Italian, or between quel and quello. Their use is easier than you think, and I’ll explain why in the followings sections.

Bello, bel, bei, begli

What is the difference between bello and bel/begli/bei?

When bello is positioned before a noun, it changes its ending in the same way as the definite articles (il, l’, gli, i).

In other words, the root of the adjective (be-) merges with the definite articles that would precede the noun, and so it results in the following variations:

Bel libro – nice book
Bell’albero – beautiful tree
Begli alberi – beautiful trees
Bei libri – nice books
Bella donna – beautiful woman
Belle donne – beautiful women

If the adjective bello follows the noun or the verb essere, it doesn’t follow the above rule, but it will simply change its ending just as a regular adjective does.

Questa casa è bella – this house is beautiful
Queste case sono belle – these houses are beautiful
Questo uomo è bello – this guy is handsom
Questi uomini sono belli – these guys are handsome

Quello, quel, quei, quegli

When does quello change its form and become quello/quel/ quei/quegli?

The rule for bello applies to quello too.

If quello is positioned before a noun (and so it is used as an adjective), its spelling changes by merging its root with the definite articles (il, lo, la, i, gli, le) that would normally precede the noun, as in the following examples.

Quel libro – that book
Quell’albero – that tree
Quegli alberi – those trees
Quei libri – those books
Quella donna – that woman
Quelle donne – those women

The above varieties are possible only when quello is used as an adjective.

If quello is used as a pronoun instead of an adjective, the changes only reflect gender and the number of people in the group.

Quello è il mio gatto – That one is my cat
Quelle sono le mie amiche – those are my girlfriends

Buono, buon

What is the difference between buon and buono?

The same rule for bello and quello applies to the adjective buono.

Buono changes its endings by following the pattern of the indefinite adjective (uno, una, un, un’), when preceding a noun.

un buon amico – a good friend
una buon’amica – a good girl-friend

Giorno and Giornata: the Difference Explained

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN “GIORNO” AND “GIORNATA“

Today I thought about writing about of the most frequent questions I got from students of Italian.

“Is there any difference between GIORNO and GIORNATA?” Yes, there is. And it is not a tiny one. Let’s explore the Italian language…

GIORNATA

Giornata is used when referring to the approximate duration of the day from morning to evening or when speaking about the weather or characteristics of day.

Che bella giornata oggi! – What a beautiful day~~Ho passato un bel giorno!~~
Una giornata soleggiata – A sunny day ~~Un giorno soleggiato~~
Ho passato una bella giornata – I had a beautiful day~~Ho passato un bel giorno.~~
Ho avuto una giornata pienissima – I had a busy day – ~~Ho avuto un giorno pienissimo~~

As you see from the above sentences, giornata is often matched with by a specification or an adjective.

we could also say that when the word “day” comes with an adjective, the correct translation in Italian would be giornata.

Giornata is also used when referring to a special celebration or commemoration, often with a social or political aim such as

Giornata della musica – The day of Music
Giornata delle lingue moderne nel mondo – The day of languages
Giornata della donna – Women’s Day

Giornata is also the amount of hours worked in a day, thus it is used to say something about the working day.

Che giornata faticosa a lavoro! – What a busy day at work!
Questa giornata non finisce più! – This is a never ending day!

Of course, there are several idiomatic expressions including giornata

Idiomatic expressions with GIORNATA

Fare le cose in giornata – doing something by the end of the day
È a una giornata di macchina – it’s a day by car
Giornata lavorativa – working day

GIORNO

Giorno is used when referring to the astronomical days, indicating the 24 h period.

Giorno is more generic and is used when referring to several days or a duration of time

Vado in vacanza per 10 giorni – I go on vacation for 10 days
Ho preso 3 giorni di ferie – I took 3 days off

As you can see no sign of adjectives or specification to the noun, otherwise we would use giornata.

Idiomatic expressions with GIORNO

Ogni giorno/settimana/mese/anno – every day/week/month/year
Da un giorno all’altro – from one day to the next
Tutto il giorno – all day long
Uno di questi giorni – one of these days