Markets & Souvenirs

1. Quantu costa questu?

   How much is this?

   Usage

   Point at an item on a market stall and ask its price

   Grammar Note

   Quantu (singular) asks about price or amount, unlike Quanti, which asks about people or counts. For several items the verb becomes plural: Quantu costanu?

2. Si pò pattighjà u prezzu?

   Can the price be negotiated?

   Usage

   Gently ask whether a flea-market or craft stall will negotiate on price

   Grammar Note

   Si pò + infinitive is the general "is it possible to ..." frame. Haggling is not usual for food, so keep this for craft and second-hand stalls. Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

3. Mi u lasciate à dece euro?

   Would you let me have it for 10 euros?

   Usage

   Counter an asking price by naming the amount you would pay

   Grammar Note

   Lasciate is the polite voi form. The order is mi u (to me, it); for a feminine item it becomes mi a. Euro does not change in the plural. Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

4. Hè fattu à manu?

   Is it handmade?

   Usage

   Check whether a knife, pottery or textile is really made by hand

   Grammar Note

   Fattu means "made"; for a feminine item use fatta, and for plurals fatti / fatte. Manu (hand) ends in -u but is feminine (a manu). Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

5. Di chì materiale hè fattu?

   What material is it made of?

   Usage

   Ask what an item is made of, such as wood, leather, metal or wool

   Grammar Note

   Di chì + noun asks "of what ...". Materiale also appears as matiriale. Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

6. Mi pudete fà un pacchettu regalu, pè piacè?

   Could you gift-wrap it for me, please?

   Usage

   Ask for a purchase to be wrapped as a present

   Grammar Note

   Mi pudete + infinitive is the polite request frame. A gift package is expressed by placing regalu (also written rigalu) after pacchettu. Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

7. Possu avè una ricevuta?

   Can I have a receipt?

   Usage

   Ask for a receipt after buying; you may need it for returns or tax refunds

   Grammar Note

   Possu + infinitive means "may I ...". Possu avè ...? is the standard frame for asking for something. Ricevuta means a receipt or acknowledgement of payment. Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

8. Quale hè l'orariu di u mercatu?

   What are the market hours?

   Usage

   Ask when a morning or weekly market opens and closes

   Grammar Note

   Quale hè + noun asks "what is ...". Orariu is also written urariu, and mercatu has the variant marcatu. Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

9. Guardu soltantu, grazie

   I'm just looking, thanks

   Usage

   Politely decline a sales pitch while you keep browsing

   Grammar Note

   "Only" is soltantu (also written sultantu). Solu can also mean "alone", so it is avoided here. Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

10. Hè un ricordu pè a mo famiglia

    It's a souvenir for my family

    Usage

    Explain what you are buying for, as a lead-in to asking for advice, wrapping or a better price

    Grammar Note

    Ricordu means "memory" and is also used for a souvenir. "My" is a mo before a feminine noun (a mo famiglia) and u mo before a masculine one. Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

11. Pudete spedì questu à l'esteru?

    Can you ship this abroad?

    Usage

    Ask whether a shop can post a bulky item, pottery or wine to your home country

    Grammar Note

    Spedì is an -ì verb (also written spedisce) that takes -isc- in some present forms. Esteru means "abroad", and à + l' gives "to abroad". Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

12. Quale hè u più frescu oghje?

    Which is the freshest today?

    Usage

    At a fish, vegetable, fruit or cheese stall, ask what is best today

    Grammar Note

    The superlative is u più + adjective (for a feminine item a più fresca). Frescu is also written friscu. For several items use Quali sò i più freschi?. Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

13. Avete una misura più chjuca?

    Do you have a smaller size?

    Usage

    Ask for another size of clothes, hats or leather goods at a market stall

    Grammar Note

    Misura is feminine, so the adjective takes the feminine form chjuca (masculine chjucu). Comparison is più + adjective; "bigger" is più grande. Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

14. Hè troppu caru

    It is too expensive

    Usage

    Say it when a price is over budget, before asking for a reduction or another item

    Grammar Note

    Caru means both "expensive" and "dear". In a talk about price it is the first. For a feminine item say Hè troppu cara. Composed from known words and sentence patterns; native review recommended

15. A cipolla

    Onion

    Usage

    Point at this to buy onions or to ask for a dish without them

    Grammar Note

    Cipolla is feminine and has regional spellings such as cipodda. The same spelling also names a fish, but at a market it means the vegetable

16. A frutta

    Fruit

    Usage

    Fruit as a category; use it to ask where fruit is sold

    Grammar Note

    Frutta is the collective word for fruit (also fruttame); one piece of fruit is fruttu. At a market it simply points to the fruit stalls

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