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How to Say ‘Then you need a coffee.’ in Italian

Allora ci vuole un caffè.

ahl-LOH-rah chee VWOH-leh oon kahf-FEH

[ahl-LOH-rah chee VWOH-leh oon kahf-FEH]

💬 Usage Tip: ci vuole means "it takes" or "you need", and becomes ci vogliono for more than one thing: ci vogliono due ore "it takes two hours".

Phrase Breakdown

Allora

[ahl-LOH-rah]

so; well

Filler word used to open or resume a topic.

Example

Allora, cominciamo.

So, let's begin.

ci vuole un caffè.

chee VWOH-leh oon kahf-FEH

a coffee is needed

'Ci vuole' means 'it takes' or 'you need'. 'Ci' sounds like 'chee'. Stress the end of 'caf-FÈ' and hold the double 'f'.

Example

Ci vuole pazienza.

It takes patience.

Words in this phrase

[chee]

(part of 'volerci')

With 'vuole' forms 'ci vuole': it takes / you need.

Example

Ci vuole pazienza.

It takes patience.

vuole

[VWOH-leh]

is needed

In 'ci vuole' it means something is needed.

Example

Ci vuole un'ora.

It takes an hour.

[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.

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.

Guides for Italian learners

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