Cosa vuoi?
In Italian, the phrase for "what do you want?" is Cosa vuoi?
Cosa vuoi? is a direct question used to ask someone about their desires or needs. You may also see the alternative Che cosa vuoi?, which carries the exact same meaning.
What does it mean word for word?
The word Cosa literally means "thing", but in this context, it functions as the interrogative pronoun "what".
Which one should you use?
You can also use Che cosa vuoi? to mean the same thing.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the verb changes depending on who you are addressing. Use Cosa vuoi? for one person informally, Cosa vuole? for one person formally and Cosa volete? when asking a group of two or more people what they want.
Did you know?
- While it translates literally as 'what do you want?', using Cosa vuoi? with a stranger can sound extremely aggressive or even confrontational in Italy.
- The word cosa is a descendant of the Latin word causa, which originally meant 'cause' or 'legal case' rather than a physical object.
- The expression che cosa! can be used as an exclamation on its own to mean 'what a thing!' or 'how unbelievable!', moving far beyond a simple question.
Example conversation
Chiara and Lorenzo are talking on the phone about their plans.
- ChiaraCiao Lorenzo, cosa vuoi fare oggi?Hi Lorenzo, what do you want to do today?
- LorenzoNon lo so, Chiara. Tu cosa vuoi?I don't know, Chiara. What do you want?
- ChiaraVorrei andare al cinema.I would like to go to the cinema.
- LorenzoVa bene, andiamo!Okay, let's go!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cosa, CC BY-SA 4.0.
