The Three Meals of the Italian Day
You already know the meal nouns — la colazione, il pranzo, la cena. Italian turns two of them into dedicated verbs, while breakfast takes fare.
Fare colazione — to have breakfast
There is no verb colazionare: breakfast is always fare colazione, with no article.
| I have breakfast at eight. | Faccio colazione alle otto. |
| On Saturdays I have breakfast late. | Il sabato faccio colazione tardi. |
Pranzare and cenare — dedicated verbs
Lunch and dinner have their own regular -are verbs: pranzare and cenare.
| I have lunch at noon. | Pranzo a mezzogiorno. |
| In the evening we have dinner at eight. | La sera ceniamo alle otto. |
On the Table
Il panino (a filled roll), il riso, il pollo — everyday staples. Note that la frutta and la verdura are collective singulars: fruit and vegetables in general take a singular noun where English often thinks plural.
| I eat a lot of vegetables. | Mangio molta verdura. |
| Fruit is good for your health. | La frutta è buona per la salute. |
La cucina is both the kitchen and a cuisine — la cucina italiana.
| I prepare dinner in the kitchen. | Preparo la cena in cucina. |
Meal Verbs at a Glance
| meal | noun (known) | verb |
|---|---|---|
| breakfast | la colazione | fare colazione |
| lunch | il pranzo | pranzare |
| dinner | la cena | cenare |
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