A kilo of and a bit of
When you buy food, Italian often uses quantity phrases before nouns. Two useful chunks are and . They work with many foods: , , .
After these quantity expressions, Italian uses . If the next word begins with a vowel, may combine in pronunciation, and you often see .
changes with the noun when it comes before nouns: , , , . This is a very useful everyday pattern.
At A1 level, you do not need many complex shopping expressions. Short chunks like and are enough.
| Form | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| a kilo of | ||
| a kilo of | ||
| a bit of / some | ||
| a bit of / some | ||
| a lot of (feminine singular) | ||
| a lot of (feminine singular) | ||
| many (feminine plural) | ||
| many (feminine plural) | ||
Vorrei un chilo di mele.I'd like a kilo of apples.
Abbiamo un po' di latte.We have some milk.
Milo vuole molto pesce.Milo wants a lot of fish.
Chiara ha molte uova.Chiara has many eggs.
C'è molta acqua qui.There is a lot of water here.
Lukas vuole un po' di pane.Lukas wants some bread.
Lena vuole un po' di pane.Lena wants some bread.
Karim vende un chilo di pesce.Karim sells a kilo of fish.
Practice 1/6 · Finding words
Notice the useful pattern
Tap the form practised in this unit.
.
I'd like a kilo of apples.
.
We have some milk.
.
Milo wants a lot of fish.
.
Chiara has many eggs.
Practice 2/6 · The right form
Choose the form
Use the English meaning and the pattern in this unit.
Vorrei mele.
I'd like a kilo of apples.
Abbiamo latte.
We have some milk.
Milo vuole pesce.
Milo wants a lot of fish.
Chiara ha uova.
Chiara has many eggs.
C'è acqua qui.
There is a lot of water here.
Lukas vuole pane.
Lukas wants some bread.
Lena vuole pane.
Lena wants some bread.
Karim vende pesce.
Karim sells a kilo of fish.
Practice 3/6 · Fill the gaps
Complete the messages
Fill the gaps with the words from the box.
Milo vuole pesce.
Milo wants a lot of fish.
Chiara ha uova.
Chiara has many eggs.
C'è acqua qui.
There is a lot of water here.
Lukas vuole pane.
Lukas wants some bread.
Lena vuole pane.
Lena wants some bread.
Karim vende pesce.
Karim sells a kilo of fish.
Practice 4/6 · Building sentences
Build a sentence
Put the words in order.
I'd like a kilo of apples.
We have some milk.
Milo wants a lot of fish.
Chiara has many eggs.
There is a lot of water here.
Lukas wants some bread.
Practice 5/6 · In situations
What would you say?
Choose the right words for the situation.
I'd like a kilo of apples.
You say:
Use the meaning and Italian pattern explained in this unit.
I'd like a kilo of apples.
You say:
Use the meaning and Italian pattern explained in this unit.
We have some milk.
You say:
Use the meaning and Italian pattern explained in this unit.
We have some milk.
You say:
Use the meaning and Italian pattern explained in this unit.
Milo wants a lot of fish.
You say:
Use the meaning and Italian pattern explained in this unit.
Milo wants a lot of fish.
You say:
Use the meaning and Italian pattern explained in this unit.
Chiara has many eggs.
You say:
Use the meaning and Italian pattern explained in this unit.
Chiara has many eggs.
You say:
Use the meaning and Italian pattern explained in this unit.
Practice 6/6 · Matching
Connect messages and meanings
Match the pairs.
Unit complete
