Cooking & Markets

1. Unni è u mircatu locali?

   Where is the local market?

   Usage

   Used to find a market for fresh ingredients

   Grammar Note

   È (is) carries an accent and is a different word from e (and). Fera is a synonym of mircatu. Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

2. Comu si chiama stu ingredienti?

   What is this ingredient called?

   Usage

   Used at a market or cooking class to ask the name of an ingredient

   Grammar Note

   Si chiama is reflexive, "is called". Stu is the short form of chistu. Ingredienti is a loanword spelled as in Italian. Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

3. Chista carni è frisca oggi?

   Is this meat fresh today?

   Usage

   Used at a market or butcher to check how fresh the meat is

   Grammar Note

   The adjective agrees with the noun: carni is feminine, so frisca rather than friscu. Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

4. Stu pisci è friscu oggi?

   Is this fish fresh today?

   Usage

   Used at a market or fishmonger to check how fresh the fish is

   Grammar Note

   Pisci is masculine, so the adjective is friscu. Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

5. Comu si cucina stu piattu di la tradizzioni?

   How do you cook this traditional dish?

   Usage

   Used to ask how a traditional dish is made

   Grammar Note

   Si cucina is an impersonal "one cooks / is cooked" construction. The Italian -zione ending becomes a doubled -zz- in this spelling. Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

6. Pozzu tastari prima di accattari?

   Can I taste it before buying?

   Usage

   Used at a market or stall to ask for a taste before buying

   Grammar Note

   Pozzu + infinitive asks "may I ...?". "To buy" is accattari, a different word from Italian comprare. Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

7. Chi spezii si usanu nta sta ricetta?

   What spices are used in this recipe?

   Usage

   Used to ask which spices go into a dish

   Grammar Note

   Chi can sit before a noun to mean "which / what kind of". Si usanu is the impersonal plural "are used". Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

8. Vogghiu fari nu cursu di cucina

   I want to take a cooking class

   Usage

   Used to sign up for or ask about a cooking class

   Grammar Note

   "To take a course" is fari nu cursu (literally "to do a course"). Cucina means both "kitchen" and "cooking". Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

9. Unni pozzu truvari na bona ricetta locali?

   Where can I find a good local recipe?

   Usage

   Used when looking for authentic local recipes

   Grammar Note

   Bonu (good) becomes bona before a feminine noun. Locali has one form for both genders. Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

10. Chi bonu! Quali è l'ingredienti sicretu?

    How delicious! What is the secret ingredient?

    Usage

    Used to praise a dish and ask what makes it so good

    Grammar Note

    Chi bonu! is an exclamation. L' is the article before a vowel. In sicretu the unstressed e is written i. Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

11. Sali

    Salt

    Usage

    Point at this to ask for salt or to say you are cutting down on it

    Grammar Note

    Sali is masculine; with the article it is u sali

12. Zùccaru

    Sugar

    Usage

    Refers to sugar for coffee or cooking

    Grammar Note

    The stress falls on the third syllable from the end, so the accent mark is written

13. Pipi nigru

    Black pepper

    Usage

    The pepper spice; say it with nigru to keep it apart from the pepper vegetable

    Grammar Note

    Pipi alone can mean either the spice or the vegetable pepper, so adding nigru (black) avoids confusion

14. Ogghiu

    Oil

    Usage

    Cooking oil in general

    Grammar Note

    The gghi spelling writes a palatal lateral sound. Ogghiu covers edible oil as well as fuel oil

15. Acìtu

    Vinegar

    Usage

    Vinegar for salads and cooking

    Grammar Note

    Acitu is masculine; with the article it is l'acitu

16. Burru

    Butter

    Usage

    Used both to ask for butter and to check for dairy

    Grammar Note

    Burru is masculine; with the article it is u burru

17. Agghia

    Garlic

    Usage

    Also useful when asking for a dish without garlic

    Grammar Note

    Agghia is feminine. The gghi spelling writes a palatal lateral sound

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