ELONIO
Log inSign up

Abbiamo fatto una figuraccia al ristorante.

Abbiamo fatto una figuraccia al ristorante.
We made a terrible impression at the restaurant.
From Lesson 226:Pejorative suffixes (-accio, -accia)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Abbiamo fatto una figuraccia al ristorante.

How does the -accia suffix change the meaning of figura here?
Figura in this context means "impression." By adding the negative suffix -accia, it becomes una figuraccia, meaning a terrible impression or an embarrassing situation. It is a more colorful way to say una brutta figura (a bad impression).
Is fare una figuraccia a set phrase?
Yes! It is based on the common Italian idiom fare una figura, which means "to make an impression." You will always use the verb fare (here in the past tense as abbiamo fatto) when talking about the kind of impression you left.
I see an 'i' in the -accia suffix. Is that pronounced?
No, the 'i' is silent. It is only there as a spelling rule to keep the 'c' soft, sounding like the "ch" in "cheese." You pronounce it "fee-goo-RAH-chah," not "chee-ah."
Why do we use al instead of nel for "at the restaurant"?
For common locations like dining out, Italian uses the preposition a for "at" or "to." We combine a + il to get al ristorante. You would only use nel (in + il) if you specifically needed to emphasize being physically inside the building.

Learn Abbiamo fatto una figuraccia al ristorante and more in Italian

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Italian →