Episode 11 · Living in Italy
Frizzante o naturale? The water question in Italy
Order water in Italy and the waiter asks one more question: frizzante o naturale? Sparkling or still.
Tom asks for water. Laura, playing the waiter, asks the follow-up nobody prepares you for.
Laura ·
In this lesson
| Italian | Word for word | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Frizzante | sparkling | con le bollicine, with bubbles |
| Naturale | still | in the north you will also hear liscia |
| Un'acqua, per favore | a water, please | the waiter will ask which kind |
| Un'altra lezione | another lesson |
Water in Italian restaurants usually comes as a bottle you pay for. Tap water: acqua del rubinetto - ask politely, not every place serves it.
The dialogue
Every line from the video, with the English meaning under the Italian.
Tom
Un'acqua, per favore.
A water, please.
Laura
Frizzante o naturale?
Sparkling or still?
Tom
Uh... yes?
Laura
Sì... cosa? Con le bollicine o senza?
Yes... what? With bubbles or without?
Tom
Oh! Without bubbles, please.
Laura
In italiano?
In Italian?
Tom✓ Correct
Naturale, per favore!
Still, please!
Laura
Perfetto! Frizzante, con le bollicine. Naturale, senza.
Perfect! Frizzante: with bubbles. Naturale: without.
Tom
And if I want wine?
Laura
Ah, quella è un'altra lezione!
Ah, that's another lesson!
The voices in this video are synthetic and the on-screen host is generated. The Italian itself is written and checked by a native speaker.
Ready to speak, not just watch?
Practise these phrases out loud with Laura in a small group or a private lesson.
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