Italian for English speakers Bakery · Lesson 0

Eating

Italian for eating habits — Mangi verdure a pranzo? (Do you eat vegetables for lunch?) — with the verb mangiare and the negative mai (never) with non.

Conversation

  1. Yaya Yaya

    Mangi le verdure a pranzo e a cena?

    Do you eat vegetables for lunch and dinner?

    Tip: <Mangio> = I eat <Mangi> = you eat <Cena> = dinner

  2. Magicat Magicat

    No! Sono un gatto. Non mangio mai le verdure!

    No! I am a cat. I never eat vegetables!

    Tip: <Non Mangio> = I do not eat <Mai> = Ever (or never)

  3. Yaya Yaya

    Cosa mangi allora?

    What do you eat then?

    Tip: At the start of a sentence, <cosa> means "what?" So here, it is literally: "what you eat then?" (<allora> = then)

  4. Magicat Magicat

    Compro la carne o il pesce alla mensa dell'università

    I buy meat or fish at the university canteen

    Tip: <La carne> is a feminine ♀ noun <Il pesce> is a masculine ♂ noun

Common questions

Quick answers about this lesson's grammar and vocabulary.

How do you say 'do you eat ...?' in Italian?

Mangi ...? — second-person singular of mangiare (to eat). Formal: Mangia ...? (Lei form).

How does non ... mai work?

'Never' — two-part negation. Non mangio mai verdure = 'I never eat vegetables'. Non goes before the verb, mai after.

Lunch and dinner in Italian?

Il pranzo (lunch), la cena (dinner), la colazione (breakfast), la merenda (snack).

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