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Il ristorante è carissimo, ma il servizio è veloce.

Il ristorante è carissimo, ma il servizio è veloce.
The restaurant is very expensive, but the service is fast.
From Lesson 88:The absolute superlative (-issimo)·Italian

Breakdown of Il ristorante è carissimo, ma il servizio è veloce.

essere
to be
ma
but
il ristorante
the restaurant
veloce
fast
caro
expensive, dear
il servizio
the service

Questions & Answers about Il ristorante è carissimo, ma il servizio è veloce.

How does the word carissimo work in this sentence?
Carissimo is the absolute superlative form of the adjective caro, which means expensive. To say something is extremely expensive, you drop the final vowel of caro and add the suffix -issimo. Since ristorante is a masculine singular noun, the suffix takes the masculine singular ending -o.
Could I just say molto caro instead of carissimo?
Yes! Molto caro and carissimo mean exactly the same thing. Adding -issimo to the end of an adjective is simply a very common and natural way Italians emphasize a quality instead of using a separate word for very.
Does the adjective caro always mean expensive?
It depends on the context! When talking about money and prices, like at a restaurant, caro means expensive. But it can also mean dear when talking about people, like in the phrase mio caro amico (my dear friend).
Why does veloce end in -e if il servizio is masculine?
While many Italian adjectives change to end in -o for masculine and -a for feminine, some adjectives naturally end in -e in their base dictionary form. Adjectives like veloce (fast) or grande (big) use this -e ending for both masculine and feminine singular nouns.

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