Choice of bean which can vary by origin, roast type, or blend – Ordering a coffee (Advanced) in Italian

🤔👍❓

Cosa mi consiglierebbe?

KO-sa mee kohn-seel-yeh-REB-beh

What would you recommend?

💬 The -ebbe ending turns a verb into a polite "would you" when you're addressing someone as Lei. Same pattern: Mi direbbe il prezzo? "Would you tell me the price?"

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☕

Per un espresso

pehr oon Es-PREH-soh

For an espresso

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🤔👍☕❓

Cosa mi consiglierebbe per un espresso?

KO-sa mee kohn-seel-yeh-REB-beh pehr oon Es-PREH-soh

What would you recommend for an espresso?

🇮🇹 A regular Italian bar usually has just one house blend, so this question fits a specialty café or a torrefazione "coffee roastery". In those places, staff are happy to talk beans with you.

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👅🎚️

Dipende dai gusti.

dee-PEN-deh dye GOO-stee

It depends on taste.

💬 Italian says "depends from": dipende da, never su. Here da + i merges into dai, as in dipende dal prezzo "it depends on the price".

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💪☕

Corposo

kor-POH-zoh

Full-bodied

💬 Like most Italian describing words, this changes its ending to match the noun: un caffè corposo, but una miscela corposa "a full-bodied blend".

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🍋🍓

Acidulo e fruttato

ah-CHEE-doo-loh eh froot-TAH-toh

Acidic and fruity

💬 Acidulo is a softer word than acido "acidic, sour". It suggests a pleasant tang rather than outright sourness, which is why it shows up in tasting descriptions.

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🗣️💪☕

Direi corposo

dee-RAY-ee kor-POH-zoh

I'd say full-bodied

💬 Direi is a handy way to soften an opinion or a choice. Use it on its own as Direi di sì "I'd say yes" or Direi di no "I'd say no".

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🚫😖

Non troppo amaro

nohn TROH-poh ah-MAH-roh

Not too bitter

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🗣️💪☕🚫😖

Direi corposo, ma non troppo amaro.

dee-RAY-ee kor-POH-zoh mah nohn TROH-poh ah-MAH-roh

I'd say full-bodied, but not too bitter.

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🔥

La tostatura

lah toh-stah-TOO-rah

The roast

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☕🌀

La vostra miscela

lah VOH-strah mee-SHEH-lah

Your blend

💬 Vostra is the plural "your". You use it for the whole business, even when you're talking to only one person behind the counter. Same idea: il vostro caffè "your (the café's) coffee".

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☕🌀🔥❓

Com'è la tostatura della vostra miscela?

kohm eh lah toh-stah-TOO-rah DEL-lah VOH-strah mee-SHEH-lah

How is your blend roasted?

💬 Della is di + la merged into one word. The same thing happens with other nouns: il gusto del caffè "the taste of the coffee" uses di + il = del.

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🔥🎚️

Una tostatura media

oo-na toh-stah-TOO-rah MEH-dyah

A medium roast

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🍫

Con note di cioccolato

kohn NOH-teh dee choh-koh-LAH-toh

With chocolate notes

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🌍1️⃣

Il monorigine

eel moh-noh-REE-jee-neh

Single origin

💬 It takes il because it's short for il caffè monorigine, so the coffee stays masculine even though origine "origin" is feminine.

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📋

Sulla lavagna

SOOL-lah lah-VAHN-yah

On the board

💬 Sulla is su + la merged into one word. It works the same with other nouns: sul banco "on the counter" uses su + il.

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☕❓

Si può fare come espresso?

see pwaw FAHR-ay KOH-meh Es-PREH-soh

Can you make it as an espresso?

💬 Si può means "can it be done" without pointing at anyone in particular, which makes requests sound easy-going. Swap the ending: Si può pagare con la carta? "Can I pay by card?"

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😔

Purtroppo

poor-TROH-poh

Unfortunately

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🇪🇹☕🚫

L'etiope l'abbiamo finito

l eh-tee-OH-peh l ah-BYAH-moh fee-NEE-toh

We've run out of the Ethiopian

💬 The thing is named first, then repeated as l' before the verb. This is a common spoken way to put the focus on it, as in il caffè lo prendo dopo "the coffee, I'll have it later".

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🌅

Stamattina

stah-maht-TEE-nah

This morning

💬 Sta- is a shortened questa "this". The same trick gives stasera "this evening" and stanotte "tonight".

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😞

Mi dispiace

mee dee-SPYAH-cheh

I'm sorry

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😔🇪🇹☕🚫🌅😞

Purtroppo l'etiope l'abbiamo finito stamattina, mi dispiace.

poor-TROH-poh l eh-tee-OH-peh l ah-BYAH-moh fee-NEE-toh stah-maht-TEE-nah mee dee-SPYAH-cheh

Unfortunately we ran out of the Ethiopian this morning, sorry.

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🔄🚶‍♂️

Se vuole ripassare

seh VWOH-leh ree-pahs-SAH-reh

If you'd like to come back

💬 Ri- at the front means "again": passare "to drop by" becomes ripassare "to drop by again". Similarly, rifare means "to redo".

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😣

Peccato!

pek-KAH-toh

Too bad!

💬 Peccato literally means "sin", but in everyday talk it just means "what a pity". Add che for more feeling: Che peccato!

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👉☕

Allora prendo un espresso

ahl-LOH-rah PREHN-doh oon Es-PREH-soh

Then I'll have an espresso

💬 Italians order with plain prendo "I take", not a "would like" form. It sounds natural, not rude: Prendo un cornetto "I'll have a croissant".

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🏠☕🌀

Con la miscela della casa

kohn lah mee-SHEH-lah DEL-lah KAH-zah

With the house blend

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👉☕🏠🌀🙏

Allora prendo un espresso con la miscela della casa, grazie.

ahl-LOH-rah PREHN-doh oon Es-PREH-soh kohn lah mee-SHEH-lah DEL-lah KAH-zah GRAHT-tsee-eh

Then I'll have an espresso with the house blend, thanks.

🇮🇹 In most Italian bars, un caffè already means an espresso. Saying espresso is fine, but it's most natural in a specialty place where you're choosing between beans.

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👍❤️

Se le piace

seh leh pee-AH-cheh

If you like it

💬 Piacere works backwards from English: it means "if it pleases you". The le here is the polite "to you", so the informal version would be se ti piace.

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🛒➕

La vendiamo anche

lah ven-DYAH-moh an-keh

We also sell it

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📦

In pacchetti da duecentocinquanta grammi

een pahk-KET-tee dah doo-eh-chen-toh-cheen-KWAHN-tah GRAHM-mee

In 250-gram packs

💬 Da in front of a size or amount tells you what kind of package it is. Same pattern: una bottiglia da un litro "a one-litre bottle".

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👍❤️🛒➕📦

Se le piace, la vendiamo anche in pacchetti da duecentocinquanta grammi.

seh leh pee-AH-cheh lah ven-DYAH-moh an-keh een pahk-KET-tee dah doo-eh-chen-toh-cheen-KWAHN-tah GRAHM-mee

If you like it, we also sell it in 250-gram bags.

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👍

Ottimo

OTT-ee-moh

Great

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📦❓

Me ne prepara un pacchetto?

meh neh preh-PAH-rah oon pahk-KET-toh

Could you make me up a pack?

💬 Ne means "of it" and is needed whenever you ask for an amount of something already mentioned. Before ne, mi changes to me: me ne dà due? "could you give me two (of them)?"

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👍🛍️❓

Ottimo, me ne prepara un pacchetto?

OTT-ee-moh meh neh preh-PAH-rah oon pahk-KET-toh

Great, could you get me a bag?

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☕🫘➡️🔲

Macinato per la moka

mah-chee-NAH-toh pehr lah MOH-kah

Ground for the moka pot

🇮🇹 Almost every Italian home makes coffee in a stovetop moka pot. Coffee ground for it is slightly coarser than espresso grind, so roasters will ask, or expect you to say, how you brew.

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🤞

Se possibile

seh pos-SEE-bee-leh

If possible

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☕🫘➡️🔲🙏

Macinato per la moka, se possibile.

mah-chee-NAH-toh pehr lah MOH-kah seh pos-SEE-bee-leh

Ground for the moka pot, if possible.

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👍

Certo

CHEHR-toh

Of course

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🫘⚙️⏩

Glielo macino subito

GLYEH-loh MAH-chee-noh SOO-bee-toh

I'll grind it for you right away

💬 Glielo packs "it" and "for you" into one word: gli + lo. You'll hear it constantly in shops, as in glielo incarto "I'll wrap it for you".

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👍🫘⚙️⏩

Certo, glielo macino subito.

CHEHR-toh GLYEH-loh MAH-chee-noh SOO-bee-toh

Of course, I'll grind it for you right away.

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➕🟰

In tutto

een TOOT-toh

Altogether

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💶1️⃣1️⃣2️⃣0️⃣

Sono undici euro e venti

SOH-noh OON-dee-chee EH-oo-roh eh VEN-tee

It's eleven euros twenty

💬 Prices take sono "they are" because the amount counts as plural; only exactly one euro gets è: è un euro "it's one euro". euro never changes shape, so it's un euro and undici euro alike.

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➕💶1️⃣1️⃣2️⃣0️⃣

In tutto sono undici euro e venti.

een TOOT-toh SOH-noh OON-dee-chee EH-oo-roh eh VEN-tee

That's eleven euros twenty in total.

🇮🇹 In many Italian bars you pay at the till (cassa "till") first, then hand the receipt to the barista when you order. Cents are usually just tacked on after e, so centesimi "cents" is rarely said.

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🤲

Ecco a lei

EHK-koh ah Lei

Here you are

🇮🇹 Lei makes this the polite version you'll hear from staff. Among friends, it's ecco a te.

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