Dialogue

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Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Ciao tutti! Benvenuti su ItalianPod101.com.
Ciao! Hello and welcome back to Italian Survival Phrases brought to you by ItalianPod101.com. This course is designed to equip you with the language skills and knowledge to enable you to get the most out of your visit to Italy. You'll be surprised at how far a little Italian will go.
Now, before we jump in, remember to stop by ItalianPod101.com, and there, you will find the accompanying PDF and additional info in the post. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment.
Finally, you’re at the table, at your seat. And now, it’s time to order!
So, in today’s lesson, we'll cover how to ask for a menu and then order your food and drinks.
GRAMMAR POINT
Normally, to get the waiter’s attention you can just raise your hand and simply say Scusi! “Excuse me,” and then ask for a menu: Un menù per favore. “A menu, please”
Let’s hear the entire sentence. Scusi, un menù per favore. Scusi, un menù per favore.
And now, let’s break down the words by syllable: Scu-si. Scusi, which is followed by Un menù, which in English means “a menu.” Un is the masculine indefinite article. Un-me-nù. Un menù. And then, finally, we have Per favore, "please." Per fa-vo-re. Per favore. Once you have looked at the menu, you can finally call the waiter for the order.
Now, a typical Italian menu is composed by Antipasto, “appetizer;” Primo, “first dish,” which can be pasta or pizza; Secondo, “second dish,” which can be fish or meat; and then you have Contorno, “side dish;” and finally Dolce, “dessert”.
So, you will be probably asked by the waiter Cosa desidera ordinare? Cosa desidera ordinare? “What would you like to order?”
Cosa is the Italian for “what.” Let’s break it down by syllable: Co-sa. Cosa. It’s followed by Desidera. The third singular person of the verb Desiderare, which in English literally means “to wish.” Please note that it is used in a formal level of speech. Let’s break it down by syllable: De-si-de-ra. Desidera. Then, you have Ordinare, “to order.” Let’s break it down by syllable: Or-di-na-re. Ordinare.
The ideal way to answer this question would be starting with Vorrei, “I would like.” Followed by the name of the things you want to eat. Let’s break down this word and hear it one more time. Vorrei. Vor-re-i. Vorrei.
Now, let’s go and see some good dishes you can find on a typical Italian menu.
Carbonara
Margherita
Bistecca alla fiorentina
Frittura di pesce.
Let’s break down these words and hear them one more time:
Carbonara. Car-bo-na-ra. Carbonara.
Margherita. Mar-ghe-ri-ta. Margherita
Bistecca alla fiorentina. Bi-stec-ca al-la fio-ren-ti-na. Bistecca alla fiorentina.
Frittura di pesce. Frit-tu-ra di pe-sce. Frittura di pesce.
Let’s imagine you would like to order Margherita and Frittura di pesce. You should say to the waiter, "Vorrei una margherita e una frittura di pesce, per favore." Vorrei una margherita e una frittura di pesce, per favore. "I would like a margherita and mixed fried fish.”
Vorrei, as we have seen means “would like,” and it’s simply followed by the name of the food you are ordering. Please note that before Margherita and Frittura, you find the indefinite female article Una, “a,” which in Italian is very important. And, at the end of the sentence, we add Per favore, “please,” to be polite.
Then, the waiter will ask you about the beverages.
Cosa desidera da bere? Cosa desidera da bere? “What would you like to drink?”
Let’s break down these words and hear them one more time. Co-sa de-si-de-ra da be-re? Cosa desidera da bere? In this sentence, Cosa desidera, is followed by Da bere, "to drink."

Outro
Okay, to close out this lesson, we'd like you to practice what you've just learned. I'll provide you with the English equivalent of the phrase and you're responsible for shouting it aloud. You have a few seconds before I give you the answer. So, buona fortuna, which means “good luck” in Italian.
“A menu, please.” - Scusi, un menù per favore.
Scusi, un menù per favore.
Scusi, un menù per favore.
“What would you like to order?” - Cosa desidera ordinare?
Cosa desidera ordinare?
Cosa desidera ordinare?
"I would like a margherita and fried seafood.” - Vorrei una margherita e una frittura di pesce, per favore.
Vorrei una margherita e una frittura di pesce, per favore.
Vorrei una margherita e una frittura di pesce, per favore.
“What would you like to drink?” - Cosa desidera da bere?
Cosa desidera da bere?
Cosa desidera da bere?
That’s going to do it for today. Remember to stop by ItalianPod101.com and pick up the accompanying PDF. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment. Ciao ciao!

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