Italian · Beginner (A1) · Chapter 8 of 12
Food and shopping
Fare la spesa
Buy food at an Italian market: say what you would like with vorrei, ask for quantities, make nouns plural and say “some”.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Ask for things politely with vorrei
- Ask for quantities like a kilo or 100 grams
- Make nouns plural
- Say “some” with del, della, dei and delle
Listen
Silvia is buying fruit and vegetables at a market stall in Bologna. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Stallholder
Buongiorno, signora. Mi dica.
Good morning. What can I get you?
Silvia
Buongiorno. Vorrei un chilo di mele, per favore.
Good morning. I'd like a kilo of apples, please.
Stallholder
Queste sono molto buone.
These ones are very good.
Silvia
Va bene. E vorrei anche dei pomodori.
OK. And I'd also like some tomatoes.
Stallholder
Mezzo chilo?
Half a kilo?
Silvia
Sì, mezzo chilo. E due limoni.
Yes, half a kilo. And two lemons.
Stallholder
Ecco a Lei. Altro?
Here you are. Anything else?
Silvia
No, grazie. Quant'è?
No, thanks. How much is it?
Stallholder
Sono sei euro e venti.
That's six euros twenty.
Silvia
Ecco a Lei. Buona giornata.
Here you are. Have a nice day.
Understand
Vorrei: I would like
means “I would like”. It is the polite way to ask for something in shops, bars and restaurants. Use it with a noun or with a verb in the infinitive: (I'd like to pay).
For quantities, use (of) before the food: , , (100 grams of ham), (a bottle of wine).
- Vorrei un chilo di mele.I'd like a kilo of apples.
- Vorrei due etti di prosciutto.I'd like 200 grams of ham.
- Vorrei pagare, per favore.I'd like to pay, please.
One and more than one: plurals
Italian nouns change their last letter in the plural. The article changes too: becomes , becomes , and becomes . Masculine nouns with take ( → ), and feminine nouns with take .
Adjectives change in the same way: , . Adjectives in -e end in -i for both genders: . Nouns ending in an accented vowel or a consonant don't change: , .
The prepositions from chapter 6 join with the plural articles too: + = , + = , + = .
| Singular | Plural | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| -o → -i | ||
| -a → -e | ||
| -e → -i (masculine) | ||
| -e → -i (feminine) | ||
| → | ||
| no change |
Some: del, della, dei, delle
To say “some”, Italian uses joined with the word for “the”, as in chapter 6: + = , + = , + = , + = . So means “some tomatoes”.
| The | Some | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (some bread) | ||
| (some sugar) | ||
| (some fruit) | ||
| (some water) | ||
| (some tomatoes) | ||
| (some snacks) | ||
| (some apples) |
More in the grammar: Adjectives: agreement and position · Articles: il, lo, la, l', i, gli, le and un, uno, una, un' · Nouns: masculine, feminine and plural · Prepositions with articles: del, al, nel, sul…
New words
- Mi dica.What can I get you? / How can I help? · polite, said by shop staff
- Vorrei…I'd like…
- il chilokilo · masculine; … = a kilo of…
- la melaapple · feminine; plural:
- moltovery
- buonogood, tasty · feminine: ; plural: ,
- il pomodorotomato · masculine; plural:
- mezzo chilohalf a kilo
- il limonelemon · masculine; plural:
- Ecco a Lei.Here you are. · polite
- Buona giornata.Have a nice day.
- la fruttafruit · feminine; used in the singular
- la verduravegetables · feminine; usually used in the singular
- l'etto100 grams · masculine; … = 100 grams of…
Practise
1.You're in a shop. How do you ask politely for a bottle of water?
2.Write the plural of .
I'd like two lemons, please.
3.Write “some”: , , or ?
I'd also like some apples.
4.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.I'd like a kilo of tomatoes.
5.What's the plural of ?
6.Match the food words.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
Vorrei un chilo di mele, per favore.
I'd like a kilo of apples, please.
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.