poco appetitoso
The English phrase unappetizing can be translated into Italian as poco appetitoso.
You can also use poco invitante to express that food is not inviting.
Meaning: not appetizing (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of poco, meaning little or not much and appetitoso, meaning appetizing.
Which one should you use?
An alternative way to express that food looks unappetizing is poco invitante. If you want to describe something as truly disgusting or nasty, you can use the colloquial term schifoso.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase must agree in gender with the noun it describes. For feminine nouns, change the final vowel of poco appetitoso to a to form poco appetitosa.
Did you know?
- Italian often prefers using poco (little) instead of a direct negative prefix to soften a critique, making 'poco appetitoso' a polite way to avoid saying the food is bad.
- The word poco shares a common ancestor with the English word 'few', as both stem from the Proto-Indo-European root for 'small in number'.
- The suffix in appetitoso is -oso, which in English functions similarly to the suffix '-ous' in 'delicious' or 'dangerous'. This indicates that the noun 'appetito' possesses a large amount of that specific quality.
Examples in context
- La zuppa era davvero sgradevole.The soup was really unappetizing.
- La pasta era completamente insipida.The pasta was utterly tasteless.
- Questa minestra è davvero poco appetitosa!This soup is so unappetizing!
- Trovo questa pizza insipida.I find this pizza tasteless.
- Quel dolce sembra davvero poco allettante.That dessert looks really unappetizing.
- L'insalata è così insipida.The salad is so bland.
- La carne era assolutamente disgustosa!The meat was absolutely disgusting!
- Questo piatto è poco appetitoso.This dish is unappetizing.
- Il colore della carne è poco appetitoso.The color of the meat is unappetizing.
- Troppo sale rende il cibo poco appetitoso.Too much salt makes the food unappetizing.
Example conversation
Matteo and Giulia are looking at a menu in a cheap restaurant.
- MatteoGuarda quel piatto, è poco appetitoso.Look at that dish, it's unappetizing.
- GiuliaHai ragione, Matteo, non lo ordino.You're right, Matteo, I won't order it.
- MatteoPreferisci la pasta?Do you prefer the pasta?
- GiuliaSì, sembra molto più buona.Yes, it looks much better.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries appetitoso, poco, CC BY-SA 4.0.
