Learn Italian: Il caffè è pronto? Un attimo, per favore! - "Is the coffee ready?" "Just a moment, please!"

Il caffè è pronto? Un attimo, per favore!

"Is the coffee ready?" "Just a moment, please!"

Breakdown of Il caffè è pronto? Un attimo, per favore!

Questions & Answers about Il caffè è pronto? Un attimo, per favore!

Why isn't the verb first in Il caffè è pronto? like it is in English?

In Italian, you don't need to change the word order to ask a yes-or-no question. You just take the normal statement, Il caffè è pronto (The coffee is ready), and make your voice go up at the end.

What exactly is un attimo?

It literally means "a moment" or "an instant." While this lesson focuses on reading the clock, asking someone to wait un attimo is one of the most common ways Italians talk about short amounts of time!

Can I say un momento instead of un attimo?

Absolutely. Both un attimo and un momento mean "just a moment" or "one moment." Un attimo can sometimes feel slightly faster, similar to saying "just a second" in English.

Why does caffè have an accent mark on the last letter?

The written accent tells you where to put the stress when speaking. Instead of stressing the first syllable, you stress the last one. In Italian, words that end with a stressed vowel always get this written mark.