LinguaThe Italian bar and three ways to order
In Italy il bar is a café: people stop there in the morning for breakfast standing up – un caffè and un cornetto (a croissant) – and come back during the day. To order, three short phrases are enough: Vorrei … (I would like …) is the polite fixed form; Per me … (for me …) is what you say when the waiter asks a group; Prendo … (I’ll have …) is direct and perfectly normal. Add per favore (please) and grazie at the end.
| At the bar | What it means |
|---|---|
| Vorrei un caffè. | I would like an espresso. |
| Per me un cappuccino. | A cappuccino for me. |
| Prendo un cornetto. | I’ll have a croissant. |
| Un bicchiere d'acqua, per favore. | A glass of water, please. |
| Quant'è? | How much is it altogether? |
– Buongiorno, che cosa prende? – Vorrei un cappuccino e un cornetto, per favore.– Good morning, what will you have? – I’d like a cappuccino and a croissant, please.
La cassa, lo scontrino, il banco
Caffè means an espresso: a small, strong coffee. In many bars, especially in big cities, you first pay at la cassa (the till), get lo scontrino (the receipt) and show it at il banco (the counter), where you drink standing. Al banco is quick and usually cheaper; al tavolo (sitting at a table) often costs more, because someone serves you. To ask the price of everything together, say Quant’è? A coffee is served in una tazza (a cup), water and juice in un bicchiere (a glass).
– Quant'è? – Due euro e venti. Ecco lo scontrino.– How much is it? – Two euros twenty. Here’s the receipt.
Words in this lesson
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| il caffè | coffee; café | Il caffè italiano è piccolo e forte. Italian coffee is small and strong. |
| il cappuccino | cappuccino | Molti italiani prendono il cappuccino solo la mattina. Many Italians only have cappuccino in the morning. |
| il cornetto | croissant (Italian breakfast pastry) | Il cornetto alla crema è il mio preferito. The custard croissant is my favourite. |
| il tè | tea | Un tè caldo con il limone, per favore. A hot tea with lemon, please. |
| la spremuta | freshly squeezed juice | Una spremuta d'arancia è fresca e buona. A freshly squeezed orange juice is fresh and good. |
| il succo | juice | Prendo un succo di frutta alla pesca. I’ll have a peach juice. |
| l'acqua | water | Un'acqua naturale o frizzante? Still or sparkling water? |
| il bicchiere | glass (for drinking) | Il bicchiere è sul tavolo. The glass is on the table. |
| la tazza | cup | Questa tazza è troppo piccola per il tè. This cup is too small for tea. |
| il tramezzino | tramezzino (triangular sandwich of soft white bread) | A pranzo mangio un tramezzino al bar. At lunchtime I eat a sandwich at the bar. |
| vorrei | I would like | Vorrei un caffè macchiato, per favore. I’d like a coffee with a drop of milk, please. |
| per me | for me (when ordering) | – E per Lei, signora? – Per me un tè. – And for you, madam? – A tea for me. |
| il banco | counter (in a bar, a shop) | Paghiamo alla cassa e poi andiamo al banco. We pay at the till and then go to the counter. |
Exercises
This lesson has 10 exercises in the app:
- multiple choice: 3
- match the pairs: 1
- fill the gap: 2
- build the sentence: 1
- translate the sentence: 2
- listen and type: 1
Try the first one
You want a small, strong espresso. What do you ask for?
The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.