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Food Quantities in Italian
When shopping at an Italian market or ordering at a deli counter, you need to know how to ask for specific amounts. Unlike English, where we often just say 'some' or 'a kilo', Italian uses specific partitive structures.
Key Phrases
- un etto di – 100 grams of (an etto is one-tenth of a kilo)
- un chilo di – a kilo of
- mezzo chilo di – half a kilo of
- un po' di – a little bit of
- una bottiglia di – a bottle of
- una fetta di – a slice of
Notice that the preposition di comes right after the quantity. If the following noun starts with a vowel, di often becomes d' (for example: un etto d'uva).
Common Mistake
Don't forget the preposition di! Say 'un chilo di mele' (a kilo of apples), not just 'un chilo mele'.
Words
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Patterns
Vorrei ___ di ___, per favore.
Polite request for a specific weight or quantity of an item.
Mi dà ___?
Asking a shopkeeper to give you a quantity of something.
Prendo ___.
Stating what quantity you are taking.