Recently, a visitor to my blog asked if I knew of a place to learn about vocabulary related to Italian coffee.This supplement is related to ordering coffee when you're in Italy. You might think ordering coffee is easy, but in Italy, there are many choices.
Remember, in Italy it is typical to drink your coffee at the counter, standing up. Expect to pay a bit more for a seat in some places to sit down and order your drink.
bere: to drink
irregular in many tenses
ordinare: to order
pagare: to pay
Vorrei un caffè...: I would like a coffee...
(io) Vorrei is the first-person singular conditional of the verb, volere
un caffè: a coffee (masc., invariable: il caffè, i caffè)
In Italy, if you order 'un caffè' you will get a small (and strong!!) cup of espresso with a small bit of caramel-colored foam on top.
- un caffè...
- Hag: means you want a decaf coffee
- con panna: with whipped cream
- senza/con zucchero: without/with sugar
typically you sweeten your own sugar at the counter, but in some places sugar is added. So if you are watching your sugar intake, always specify 'senza zucchero'. - lungo: long
Americans typically drink their coffee 'long' - more water than coffee. - ristretto: strong
- macchiato: 'stained'
typically 'un caffè macchiato' is espresso with a small amount of milk, just enough 'to stain' the coffee. - corretto: coffee with a touch of liqueur (liquore)
- Hag: means you want a decaf coffee
Espresso mixed with hot milk, often frothy; in Italy, drunken only in the morning hours
i fondi di caffè: coffee grounds
il bicchiere: cup
il piattino: saucer
il cucchiaino (da caffè): (coffee) spoon
Small spoon used to stir your coffee after adding sugar or milk.
Want to learn more about Italian coffee? Check out this beautiful podcast from Learnitalianpod.com which goes over some (and more) of the same words and expressions about coffee and ordering coffee.
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