bicchiere d'acqua
A glass of water in Italian is bicchiere d'acqua.
This phrase describes a serving of water contained in a glass.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of bicchiere, meaning glass and d'acqua, meaning of water. The d' is a contraction of di (of) used before a word starting with a vowel.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
When ordering in a restaurant or cafe, it is standard and polite to use the phrase Vorrei un bicchiere d'acqua (I would like a glass of water). Using Voglio un bicchiere d'acqua (I want a glass of water) is very direct and can sound demanding or impolite in a service setting.
How does it change in a sentence?
The indefinite article un is used for the masculine noun bicchiere. To make the phrase plural, only the word for glass changes to its plural form, resulting in due bicchieri d'acqua (two glasses of water).
Did you know?
- If you want tap water specifically, you should ask for 'acqua del rubinetto' rather than just 'un bicchiere d'acqua', as the latter often implies bottled water.
- In Italy, you will often be asked to choose between naturale (still) and frizzante (sparkling) when ordering a bicchiere d'acqua.
- The word bicchiere is a distant linguistic cousin to the English word 'beaker' and the German 'Becher'.
Examples in context
- Bevi un bicchiere d'acqua.Drink a glass of water.This sentence is useful for giving a command to drink a glass of water.Tatoeba #13142185 by Guybrush88, translation #11063881 by sundown
- Vorrei un bicchiere d'acqua.I'd like a glass of water.This sentence shows the polite way to request a glass of water.Tatoeba #634390 by Guybrush88, translation #270846 by CK
- Voglio un bicchiere d'acqua.I want a glass of water.This sentence shows a direct way to state that you want a glass of water.Tatoeba #6276670 by Guybrush88, translation #6276484 by Kiwi
- Posso avere un bicchiere d'acqua, per favore?Can I have a glass of water, please?
- Mi passi un bicchiere d'acqua, per favore?Can you pass me a glass of water, please?
- 66 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofia and Lorenzo are at the dinner table.
- SofiaLorenzo, mi passi un bicchiere d'acqua?Lorenzo, can you pass me a glass of water?
- LorenzoCerto, Sofia, eccolo qui.Of course, Sofia, here it is.
- SofiaGrazie mille.Thank you very much.
- LorenzoPrego, non c'è problema.You're welcome, no problem.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bicchiere, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
