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How to Say ‘Here coffee means espresso.’ in Italian

Da noi il caffè è l'espresso.

dah noi eel kahf-FEH eh l Es-PREH-soh

[dah noi eel kahf-FEH eh l Es-PREH-soh]

🇮🇹 In Italy: Ordering un caffè anywhere in Italy gets you a short espresso. Most Italians drink it standing at the counter in a minute or two.

Phrase Breakdown

Da noi il caffè

dah noi eel kahf-FEH

Here (where we are), coffee

'Da noi' means 'at our place' or 'in our country'. Say it in one flow, and stress caf-FÈ.

Example

Da noi il caffè costa poco.

Here, coffee is cheap.

Words in this phrase

[dah]

at our place / here with us

With a person, 'da' means 'at the place of' or 'where someone is from'.

Example

Da noi si mangia bene.

Here at our place you eat well.

noi

[noi]

Refers to the speaker and others.

Example

Ci vediamo domani.

See you tomorrow.

[eel]

the

Masculine singular definite article used before a masculine singular noun.

Example

Nella frase Il tempo personale, Il introduce il concetto di tempo privato.

In the phrase 'Il tempo personale,' 'Il' introduces the concept of private time.

caffè

[kahf-FEH]

coffee

"Caffè" means "coffee" and often suggests an informal meeting, very common in Italian professional culture.

Example

Dopo la conferenza, ci incontriamo davanti a un caffè.

After the conference, we’ll meet over a coffee.

è l'espresso.

eh l Es-PREH-soh

is espresso.

Link 'l'' smoothly to 'espresso', stress es-PRES-so, and hold the double 's'.

Example

Il mio preferito è l'espresso.

My favorite is espresso.

Words in this phrase

[eh]

Third-person singular of 'essere'; used to describe a person, company, or situation.

Example

Quando dici È in È molto umana, stai descrivendo l'azienda.

When you say 'È' in 'È molto umana,' you are describing the company.

[l]

the (before a vowel)

Contracted article used before a vowel; part of the expression "l'importante."

Example

"L'" atmosfera dello stadio è unica.

The atmosphere of the stadium is unique.

espresso

[Es-PREH-soh]

Espresso

A strong coffee brewed by forcing hot water through ground coffee beans.

Example

L'espresso è il mio tipo di caffè preferito.

Espresso is my favorite type of coffee.

Guides for Italian learners

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