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How to Say ‘Excuse me, could you recommend a cheese?’ in Italian

Scusi, mi può consigliare un formaggio?

SKOO-zee mee pwoh kohn-seel-YAH-reh oon for-MAH-joh

[SKOO-zee mee pwoh kohn-seel-YAH-reh oon for-MAH-joh]

🇮🇹 In Italy: Asking the person at the deli counter for advice is completely normal in Italy, and they usually enjoy it. Opening with Scusi is the polite way to get their attention.

Phrase Breakdown

Scusi,

SKOO-zee

Excuse me,

Formal attention-getter. Stress SCU-si.

Example

Scusi, che ore sono?

Excuse me, what time is it?

Words in this phrase

Scusi

[SKOO-zee]

Excuse me

Used to apologize for disturbing or to get someone's attention.

Example

Se urto qualcuno per sbaglio, dico 'Scusi'.

If I bump into someone by mistake, I say 'Excuse me'.

mi può consigliare

mee pwoh kohn-seel-YAH-reh

can you recommend (to me)

'Può' is formal 'you can'. Remember the soft 'gli' sound in 'consigliare'.

Example

Mi può consigliare un ristorante?

Can you recommend a restaurant?

Words in this phrase

[mee]

to me

Indirect object pronoun meaning to me; used to express personal reaction.

Example

Nella frase Mi fa piacere, Mi indica la persona che prova la sensazione.

In the phrase 'Mi fa piacere,' 'Mi' indicates the person feeling the emotion.

può

[pwoh]

can you

Formal singular form of potere, used to ask politely.

Example

Può ripetere? lo chiedo se non capisco bene.

Can you repeat? I ask it if I do not understand well.

consigliare

[kohn-seel-YAH-reh]

to recommend

Infinitive verb meaning to advise or suggest something.

Example

Puoi consigliare un buon vino?

Can you recommend a good wine?

un formaggio?

oon for-MAH-joh

a cheese?

'Formaggio' is stressed on 'MAG'. The 'ggio' sounds like 'jo': for-MAD-jo.

Example

Mi piace questo formaggio.

I like this cheese.

Words in this phrase

[oon]

a / an

An indefinite article meaning 'a' before a masculine singular noun.

Example

È stato un incontro molto utile.

It was a very useful meeting.

formaggio

[for-MAH-joh]

Cheese

A dairy product, often used as a topping on pizza.

Example

Il negoziatore offre una pizza con extra formaggio al rapitore.

The negotiator offers a pizza with extra cheese to the kidnapper.

Guides for Italian learners

Duolingo vs Busuu: Which Is Better for Actually Improving?Duolingo vs Busuu compared: a free gamified habit versus structured levels with corrections from native speakers. Which to choose, and when to use both.

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