Breakdown of Lui si beve un calice di vino rosso e si sgranocchia il popcorn.
lui
he
un
a / an (masculine)
e
and
rosso
red
di
of, from
il vino
the wine
si
himself, herself, themselves (reflexive)
bere
to drink
sgranocchiare
to nibble / to munch
il popcorn
the popcorn
il calice
the wine glass / the goblet
Questions & Answers about Lui si beve un calice di vino rosso e si sgranocchia il popcorn.
Why use si beve instead of just beve?
This is the affective or ethical dative (dativo etico). Adding the reflexive pronoun si isn't grammatically required for the sentence to make sense, but it completely changes the tone. It emphasizes that he is fully enjoying the action for his own benefit or pleasure. That's why the English translation uses "treats himself to" rather than just "drinks".
Can I use this "unrequired si" with absolutely any verb, like si sgranocchia here?
Not with every verb. While the ethical dative is very common in everyday Italian, it is mostly restricted to verbs of consumption (eating, drinking, smoking) and entertainment (watching a film, listening to music, reading). Using it with sgranocchia (munches) perfectly highlights his personal satisfaction as he eats.
Why use calice instead of bicchiere for the glass of wine?
Why is it il popcorn (singular) and not plural?
In Italian, English loanwords are overwhelmingly assigned the masculine gender. Furthermore, many of these imported food words become uncountable mass nouns. So, even though popcorn consists of many individual pieces, Italian treats it as a single collective noun: il popcorn.
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