Learn Italian: La cena non sarà modesta, anzi, mangiamo senza pensare al conto! - The dinner will not be modest, on the contrary, we are eating without thinking about the check!

Here, anzi acts as a corrective connector meaning "on the contrary." Since the first part of the sentence is a negative statement (non sarà modesta), anzi is used to completely flip the negative expectation and introduce a contrasting reality.

Why do we switch from the future tense in sarà to the present tense in mangiamo?

While using the future tense mangeremo would be grammatically correct, Italian frequently uses the present tense for planned or highly certain future actions. Shifting to mangiamo makes the intention feel immediate, definite, and much more emphatic.

In English we say "thinking about the check." Why does the Italian use al conto?

The verb pensare, when it means directing your mind toward someone or something, requires the preposition a. Because conto is masculine singular, a combines with the definite article il to become al. It is a common trap for learners to try to use di or su to translate the English "about," but pensare a is the required structure.

Why does Italian use the infinitive pensare to translate the English gerund "thinking"?