fare la spesa
/ˈfa.re la ˈspe.za/word by word
Grocery shopping in Italian is fare la spesa.
fare la spesa is a common way to express the activity of buying food and other essential household items from a store. It is often translated as 'to do the shopping'.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to 'to do the shopping' or 'to do the expense'.
Which one should you use?
While fare la spesa refers specifically to grocery shopping for food and household essentials, fare shopping is used for general retail shopping like clothes or electronics.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˈfa.re la ˈspe.za/. It has 4 syllables, and the stress is on the 1st syllable.
Did you know?
- Grocery shopping in Italy often involves visiting multiple specialized stores, such as a macelleria for meat and a panificio for bread, rather than one supermarket.
- In Italy, the experience of fare la spesa often involves a 'bottega', a small family-run shop where the owner knows the customers by name.
- The word spesa shares a common ancestor with the English word 'expense' through the Latin 'expendere'.
Examples in context
- Vado a fare la spesa ogni mattina.I go grocery shopping every morning.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase fare la spesa.Tatoeba #738156 by Guybrush88, translation #430012 by witbrock
- Oggi devo fare la spesa per la cena. Vuoi venire con me?Today I have to do the grocery shopping for dinner. Do you want to come with me?
- Dobbiamo acquistare generi alimentari prima della festa di sabato.We need to purchase groceries before the Saturday party.
- Ho fatto la spesa al supermercato e ora torno a casa.I did the grocery shopping at the supermarket, and now I'm going back home.
- Vado a fare la spesetta al negozio di quartiere.I'm going for a quick grocery shopping at the neighborhood store.
- Devo fare la spesa per la cena.I have to go grocery shopping for dinner.
- Ti va di fare la spesa con me?Do you want to go grocery shopping with me?
Example conversation
Giulia and Lorenzo are talking in their kitchen.
- GiuliaLorenzo, dobbiamo fare la spesa oggi.Lorenzo, we need to go grocery shopping today.
- LorenzoVa bene, prendo le chiavi della macchina.Okay, I'll grab the car keys.
- GiuliaOttimo, andiamo subito al supermercato.Great, let's go to the supermarket right away.
- LorenzoSì, così torniamo presto a casa.Yes, so we can get back home early.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (fare, la, spesa) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries fare, la, spesa, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
