il cibo era delizioso
/il ˈt͡ʃi.bo ˈɛ.ra de.litˈt͡sjo.zo/word by word
In Italian, the phrase for "the food was delicious" is il cibo era delizioso.
This phrase is a statement used to say that the food tasted very good. A very common and natural alternative to il cibo era delizioso is era buonissimo, which uses the absolute superlative of buono (good).
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the imperfect tense era to describe the state or quality of the food during the meal.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of il cibo era delizioso is /il ˈtʃi.bo ˈɛ.ra de.litˈtsjo.zo/. It has 8 syllables, with the stress on the 2nd syllable.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying il cibo era deliziosa. Although English speakers may treat "food" as a general concept, cibo is a masculine noun and requires the masculine adjective delizioso to ensure correct gender agreement.
Did you know?
- To express that food is truly delicious, Italians often use the phrase da leccarsi i baffi, which literally means 'to lick one's whiskers'.
- In Italy, it is common to express satisfaction by making a 'chef's kiss' gesture, where the fingertips are pressed to the lips and then moved away.
- The word cibo shares an unexpected history with the Spanish word cebo, which means 'bait' used for fishing or hunting.
Examples in context
- Il cibo era delizioso.The food was delicious.This example shows how to use il cibo era delizioso.Tatoeba #2819125 by Guybrush88, translation #2819117 by Hybrid
- Il cibo era buonissimo! Mi è piaciuto tantissimo il tiramisù!The food was extremely delicious! I loved the tiramisu so much!
- Sì, il cibo era delizioso ieri.Yes, the food was delicious yesterday.
- Non dimenticherò mai quel pasto, il cibo era delizioso.I will never forget that meal, the food was delicious.
Example conversation
Lorenzo and Chiara are discussing a dinner they had at a restaurant.
- LorenzoTi è piaciuta la cena di ieri?Did you like yesterday's dinner?
- ChiaraSì, il cibo era delizioso.Yes, the food was delicious.
- LorenzoConcordo, la pasta era ottima.I agree, the pasta was excellent.
- ChiaraDobbiamo tornarci presto, Lorenzo.We must go back soon, Lorenzo.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (il, cibo, era, delizioso) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cibo, delizioso, era, il, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
