Log inSign up

Ci sono le ostriche, anzi, avremo anche il caviale!

Ci sono le ostriche, anzi, avremo anche il caviale!
There are oysters, better yet, we will also have caviar!
From Lesson 353:Corrective connector (anzi)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Ci sono le ostriche, anzi, avremo anche il caviale!

How does anzi work here, and could it mean "on the contrary" in this sentence?
In this sentence, anzi acts to escalate or intensify what was just said. Since the first part (Ci sono le ostriche) is a positive statement, anzi means "better yet" or "even better." It only means "on the contrary" when it is used to contradict a negative statement.
Why does the sentence switch from the present tense (ci sono) to the future tense (avremo)?
It is common in spoken Italian to mix present and future tenses when describing an upcoming event. Ci sono states a fact that is already established or arranged, while avremo builds excitement about what the speakers will get to experience later.
Why do we use the definite articles in le ostriche and il caviale instead of partitive articles like delle or del?
While you could use partitive articles to mean "some" oysters and caviar, using the definite articles (le and il) is very common when talking about food items as a general category or a known part of an event's menu. It makes the oysters and caviar sound like the main, expected attractions rather than just random quantities.
Why is anche placed before il caviale instead of at the end of the sentence?
In Italian, anche must immediately precede the specific word or phrase it modifies. Since it is emphasizing the addition of the caviar, it has to go right before il caviale. Unlike the English word "too," anche cannot be placed at the very end of the clause.

Learn Ci sono le ostriche, anzi, avremo anche il caviale 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 →