Picture (a) is a glass of red wine.Picture (b) is a pint of beer.Picture (c) is fruit juice in a tall glass.Picture (d) is an aperitif in a glass with an olive.Picture (e) is a small bottle of mineral water.Picture (f) is a glass of white wine.Picture (g) is a cup of tea.Picture (h) is cappuccino in a cup.Picture (i) is a small cup of coffee.1. un cappuccino2. un’acqua minerale3. una birra4. un caffè5. un succo di frutta6. un bicchiere di vino bianco7. un aperitivo8. un tè9. un bicchiere di vino rosso1 – h; 2 – e; 3 – b; 4 – i; 5 – c; 6 – f; 7 – d; 8 – g; 9 – aActivity 2Now listen to the audio track and repeat aloud the names of the drinks you hear. Try to copy the pronunciation and intonation of the speaker as closely as possible.TranscriptListen and repeat these words for different drinks, trying to match the pronunciation and intonation of the speaker.un succo di frutta un’acqua minerale una birra un caffèun cappuccinoun bicchiere di vino biancoun aperitivo un tè un bicchiere di vino rossoCulture: Coffee drinking in ItalyYou may find coffee-drinking traditions in Italy different from those in the UK or in your own culture. If you ask for un caffè, you will be served an espresso coffee. A caffè ristretto is an espresso which is even more concentrated than usual. An espresso with a tiny amount of milk is a macchiato, sometimes described as a macchiato caldo (if the milk is hot) or a macchiato freddo (if the milk is cold). You might like to try a caffè corretto, a coffee with a drop of a spirit or liqueur such as grappa in it. For Italians un cappuccino is a morning drink only, never taken after a meal. If you want a long coffee, you should ask for un caffè americano. Another milky but not so frothy coffee is un caffelatte, which is sometimes served in hotels at breakfast. Such is the importance of coffee in Italian life that some customers pay for two coffees, one to drink themselves and one paid for in advance as a charitable act for anyone in need who might drop in in the hope of a free coffee – the so-called caffè sospeso.
Figure 2
2 Italian pronunciation of <i>c</i> and <i>ch</i>This section will guide you in pronouncing some important food and drink words in the the right way.Pronunciation: c, ci and chThe letter c has a ‘soft’ sound before i or e. It is pronounced /tʃ/, as in the English word ‘church’:cappuccinoThe letter c has a hard sound before a, o or u. It is pronounced /k/, as in the English word ‘cat’:caffèThe letter combination ch always has a hard sound. It is pronounced /k/, as in the English word ‘cat’:bicchiereNote that the same rule applies regardless whether the word is spelled with a single or a double c.Activity 3Now listen to each audio clip below and repeat, paying particular attention to the different ways in which the letter c is pronounced.. Record yourself and compare your recording to the original.1
Figure 3
una cioccolata2
Figure 4
un'aranciata3
Figure 5
un bicchiere di vino4
Figure 6
un cappuccino5
Figure 7
un caffè6
Figure 8
un cornetto7
Figure 9
un caffè macchiato8
Figure 10
un succo di fruttaActivity 4A group of friends are ordering drinks from a waiter. Listen to the audio track and identify the drinks mentioned. Then write down the names of the drinks in Italian.Listen to a group of friends ordering drinks from a waitress and try to identify what drinks they are ordering.Cameriera Buongiorno. Prego.Paolo Vorrei una birra. Anna Per me, un caffè. Tommaso Un bicchiere di vino bianco. Marisa Un tè.Filippo Un succo di frutta. Cameriera Va bene. Una birra, un caffè, un bicchiere di vino bianco, un tè e un succo di frutta. Ecco. Paolo Grazie.The drinks mentioned are: una birra, un caffè, un bicchiere di vino bianco, un tè and un succo di frutta.Culture: Per favore, grazie, pregoThe expression per favore (‘please’) is used much less often than ‘please’ is in English. It is not considered impolite to omit per favore when asking for something.On the other hand, grazie (‘thank you’) is used often.It is customary to respond to grazie by saying prego. This means ‘not at all / you’re welcome / don’t mention it’ (the literal meaning is ‘I beg you’) but is used more routinely than these equivalent English expressions.Later you will come across several other meanings of prego, which vary according to the context, such as ‘Can I help you?’, ‘Come in’, ‘Do sit down’ and ‘After you’.3 Ordering and payingIn this activity you learn and practise the language needed to place an order in a café and you will find out more about il bar.Activity 5Maria and Piera have met for breakfast in a café. Listen to the audio track and try to work out what they are ordering. They seem to be placing their order twice. Do you know why that is?TranscriptListen to Maria and Piera ordering drinks in a café and try to work out what they are ordering and why they seem to be ordering twice.Cassiere Desidera? Maria Vorrei un cappuccino e una brioche. Piera E per me un caffè e una pasta. Cassiere Quattro euro. Maria Ecco. Cassiere Ecco lo scontrino. Maria Grazie. Maria Scusi! Barista Mi dica. Maria Vorrei un cappuccino e una brioche. Barista E per Lei? Piera Per me un caffè e una pasta. Barista Allora, un cappuccino, un caffè, una brioche e una pasta.The two friends are having a cappuccino (un cappuccino), a brioche (una brioche), a coffee (un caffè) and a cake or pastry (una pasta). They pay at the till first and then go to the counter with the receipt and repeat their order.Culture: Paying for drinks and snacksIn many bars and cafés, particularly in train stations, airports or more upmarket bars in cities, you go to the cash desk (la cassa) first and say what you want. You pay and are given a receipt (uno scontrino), which you then give to the person serving, repeating your order. In fact there is often a sign (un cartello) telling you to go the cash desk first, pay the cashier (il cassiere / la cassiera) and get a till receipt. The sign might say something like Si prega di fare lo scontrino alla cassa (‘Please obtain a receipt [first] from the till’) or simply Si prega di pagare alla cassa (‘Please pay [first] at the till’).It is also worth remembering that in most cafés in Italian towns there are two sets of prices, both of which, by law, should be clearly displayed: the price you pay standing at the counter (al banco) and the price you pay sitting down at a table (al tavolo). In smaller towns or rural areas, there is usually only one set of prices and you can sit either inside or outside without paying extra.
Figure 11 Uno scontrino
Figure 12 Un cartello
Activity 6The following expressions were used by the speakers in the previous dialogue. Match each expression to its English equivalent, as in the example, and then listen to the audio track again and see if you can hear them.Example: 1 – f
1 Desidera?
(a) For me
2 Vorrei
(b) How can I help?
3 Per me
(c) For you
4 Scusi!
(d) Here you are!
5 Mi dica
(e) Excuse me!
6 Per Lei
(f) What would you like?
7 Allora
(g) I would like
8 Ecco!
(h) So …
1 – (f); 2 – (g); 3 – (a); 4 – (e); 5 – (b); 6 – (c); 7 – (h), 8 - (d)Language: Ordering drinksIn an Italian bar, the person serving – or the cassiere if you have to pay first – will ask you what you want in one of the following ways:Desidera?What would you like? (literally: You want?) Mi dica. How can I help? (literally: Tell me.) E per Lei? (And) for you? To say what you would like, use:Vorrei… I would like … (E) per me… (And) for me …If you need to attract the waiter’s or barman’s attention, you say:Scusi! Excuse me! When the person serving sums up the order to check that they have got it right, they usually begin with:Allora… So …When they are serving your order, they are likely to say:Ecco!Here you are!As a beginner, it is useful to learn common expressions like these as set phrases rather than trying to work out what each word means.3.1 Practising ordering and payingActivity 7Listen to the audio track and repeat the expressions. Try to match the pronunciation and intonation of the speaker as closely as possible.Desidera?Mi dica.E per Lei?Vorrei…Per me…Scusi!Allora…Ecco!Activity 8Now see if you can use the expressions you’ve just learned. Complete the dialogue using the following words. The first one has been done for you as an example.Activity 9Now you can order some drinks yourself. Listen to the audio track and answer the questions following the prompts in English, as in the example below.TranscriptNow you will be placing some orders yourself. Listen to the questions and follow the prompts, as in the example.EsempioYou hear:Buongiorno. Desidera?(A coffee.)You say:Un caffè.Your turn now.1 Che cosa prendi?(For me, a beer.)Per me una birra.2 Tu cosa prendi, Antonella?(An ice cream.)Un gelato.3 Carlo. Per te?(A glass of red wine.)Un bicchiere di vino rosso.4 Buongiorno. Desidera?(A mineral water.)Un’acqua minerale.ExampleYou hear: Buongiorno. Desidera?(A coffee.)You say: Un caffè.You hear: Un caffè.Culture: Al barIl bar is a very important part of Italian life. There are an estimated 121,000 in Italy, usually open from early morning until late evening. The bar is more like a café than an English bar, a place where one can drop in for un caffè during the working day (the so-called pausa caffè) and have a chat with friends and colleagues. Customers often share opinions on a variety of subjects ranging from politics and football, to work, gossip, cinema and fashion.The Italian bar is probably at its busiest first thing in the morning, when people grab a coffee and a cornetto (‘croissant’) at the counter. It is busy again at lunchtime when those not going home for lunch eat a sandwich or a snack. Finally, in the early evening (at the end of the working day) people drop in for an aperitivo before dinner. Some people might also come and have a drink or an ice cream later in the evening.Most bars, however basic, have small tables on the pavement outside where you can sit and watch the world go by and smoke if you want. As in other EU countries, smoking is not permitted inside the bar but is common practice at tables outside.Another role played by the bar is that of a corner shop. Most of them will sell you milk if you run out. The bar-gelateria will sell you ice cream by the litre to take home for a special occasion, while at the bar-pasticceria you can buy trays of pasticcini (‘little cakes’) or dolci such as tiramisù to take to friends’ homes if you are invited for a meal.4 Gender of nounsIn this section you will learn about the gender of nouns and the forms of the Italian equivalent of English ‘a/an’.In the previous section you heard people ordering una birra and un bicchiere di vino bianco, among other drinks. In Italian the word for beer (birra) is feminine, while the word for glass (bicchiere) is masculine. Read the following explanation to find out about Italian nouns and their grammatical gender.Language: Nouns and their gender All Italian nouns have a gender: they are either masculine or feminine.Knowing the gender of nouns is important since it determines the form of the article (‘a’ and ‘the’ in English) that you use with them and the form of the adjectives that describe them.Nouns ending in -o are usually masculine:un aperitivo an aperitif uno spuntino a snack Nouns ending in -a are usually feminine:una birra a beer un’aranciata an orangeade Nouns ending in -e are not so easy: some are masculine and some are feminine. Where they relate to people, it is easy to guess their gender:un padrea father (masculine) una madrea mother (feminine) In other cases you simply have to learn the gender of each noun rather than follow a rule. For example, liquore (‘liqueur’) is masculine but lezione (‘lesson’) is feminine.Most words imported into Italian from other languages are masculine:un caffè a coffeeun tè a tea un toast a toasted sandwich As for any rule, there are exceptions which you will meet later. If in doubt, a dictionary will tell you the gender of each word.Activity 10Look at the following words and try to work out which ones are masculine and which ones are feminine, using the information above.un cappuccino una cioccolata un’aranciata un succo una spremuta un aperitivo una birra un amaro uno spuntino una pizza un cornetto una brioche uno scontrino un’acqua minerale una pasta uno spumanteuna spremutaa freshly squeezed juiceMasculine: Feminine:The masculine words are:un cappuccino, un succo, un aperitivo, un amaro, uno spuntino, un cornetto, uno scontrino, uno spumante.The feminine words are:una cioccolata, un’aranciata, una spremuta, una birra, una pizza, una brioche, un’acqua minerale, una pasta.Culture: Amaro and spumanteAmaro (literally ‘bitter’) is a type of liqueur usually made with herbs, which is commonly drunk after dinner as a digestif. It has a strong flavour and a syrupy consistency not unlike cough medicine but may have an alcohol content as high as 40%. Amaro is commercially produced in every Italian region, for example Amaro Averna in Sicily and Amaro Montenegro in Emilia Romagna, just to name but two. Many of the recipes for it originated in monasteries.Amaro is typically drunk neat but can also be drunk on ice.Spumante is a sparkling wine. Sparkling wines are made throughout Italy but the best-known are probably Asti from Piedmont, Lambrusco from Emilia Romagna and Prosecco from Veneto.5 The indefinite article in ItalianYou'll need to know how to say 'a' (or 'an') in Italian.Language: Indefinite article un/uno/una/un’ The Italian equivalent of English ‘a’ or ‘an’ (the indefinite article) is either un, uno, una or un’. The form depends on whether the noun it relates to is masculine or feminine and whether the noun starts with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) or a consonant.Masculine nouns Use un with most masculine nouns:un bicchierea glass un aperitivoan aperitif Use uno before a masculine noun beginning with s + consonant (for example sc-, sp-):uno scontrino a receipt uno spuntino a snack Use uno before a masculine noun beginning with gn, pn, ps, x, z, or with i or y followed by another vowel:uno zioan uncle uno yogurta yogurt Feminine nouns Use una with a feminine noun beginning with a consonant:una birra a beer una pizzaa pizza Use un’ before a feminine noun beginning with a vowel:un'aranciataan orangeadeun’acqua mineralea mineral water Activity 11From following the explanation above, add the appropriate indefinite article un, uno, una or un’ to each of the following words.Example: un gelato
___ acqua minerale
___ succo di frutta
___ vino bianco
___ amaro
___ scontrino
___ bar
___ pasta
___ acqua gassata
___ espresso
___ succo di mela
___ spumante
___ aranciata
___ pizza
___ cornetto
un’acqua minerale
un succo di frutta
un vino bianco
un amaro
uno scontrino
un bar
una pasta
un’acqua gassata
un espresso
un succo di mela
uno spumante
un’aranciata
una pizza
un cornetto
6 Famous cafésIn this activity you are going to be introduced to some historic Italian coffee houses.Activity 12Listen to the audio track and write down the town in which each caffè is located.TranscriptHere is some information about some historic Italian coffee houses.In Italia ci sono molti caffè storici. Sono eleganti e raffinati, e offrono varie specialità. Il Caffè Fiorio è a Torino. Le sue specialità sono il gelato in estate e la cioccolata calda in inverno. A Napoli c’è il Caffè Gambrinus, famoso per le sfogliatelle e i babà. È anche molto conosciuto il Caffè Florian di Venezia, dove servono il tipico liquore al caffè. Un caffè storico molto importante di Roma è il Caffè Greco, rinomato per la focaccia di polenta. Il Caffè San Marco, invece, è a Trieste. Serve gli aperitivi con gli spuntini salati.1 Caffè Fiorio: 2 Caffè Gambrinus: 3 Caffè Florian: 4 Caffè Greco: 5 Caffè San Marco:1. Caffè Fiorio: Torino (Turin)2. Caffè Gambrinus: Napoli (Naples)3. Caffè Florian: Venezia (Venice)4. Caffè Greco: Roma (Rome)5. Caffè San Marco: Trieste (Trieste)Skills: Listening to longer extracts Listening to longer authentic recordings is a good way of building up your listening skills, but you shouldn’t worry if you only catch some of the words or only get a very general idea of what is being talked about. The context or instructions will help you form an idea of what to expect and, depending on the purpose of the exercise, it may be enough to listen for the gist, or you may want to focus on understanding specific information. Remember that you can do this without understanding every word; even when you listen to something in your own language you will find that you rarely hear every word, unless you are really concentrating on the message.Here are two items of vocabulary used in the activity below.
Figure 13 Una sfogliatella
Figure 14 Un babà
Activity 13Listen to the audio track again and match each café with its speciality (la specialità).TranscriptHere is some information about some historic Italian coffee houses.In Italia ci sono molti caffè storici. Sono eleganti e raffinati, e offrono varie specialità. Il Caffè Fiorio è a Torino. Le sue specialità sono il gelato in estate e la cioccolata calda in inverno. A Napoli c’è il Caffè Gambrinus, famoso per le sfogliatelle e i babà. È anche molto conosciuto il Caffè Florian di Venezia, dove servono il tipico liquore al caffè. Un caffè storico molto importante di Roma è il Caffè Greco, rinomato per la focaccia di polenta. Il Caffè San Marco, invece, è a Trieste. Serve gli aperitivi con gli spuntini salati.1. Caffè Fiorio 2. Caffè Gambrinus3. Caffè Florian 4. Caffè Greco 5. Caffè San Marco Culture: Historic Italian coffee houses The history of the Gran Caffè in Italy goes back to the introduction of coffee into Europe in the early seventeenth century. The first European coffee houses were established in Venice, a centre of trade between Italy and the East. The coffee houses were a meeting place for intellectuals and artists, and often became cultural landmarks. A few famous examples are the Gran Caffè Gambrinus in Naples (1860), favoured by Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway and Jean-Paul Sartre, the Florian in Venice (1720), frequented by Giacomo Casanova and Charles Dickens, the Caffè Pedrocchi in Padua (1831), the Caffè degli Specchi in Trieste (1839), the Caffè Greco in Rome (1760), haunt of Richard Wagner and Orson Welles, and the Caffè Fiorio in Turin (1780), whose customers included Cavour and Nietzsche.