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E questo è quanto

People have different ways of concluding a discussion or discourse. In English, we sometimes say, "And that's it," or, "And that's about it," or "That's all there is to it." In Italian, there are various ways to begin or conclude a conversation, but one way to end a conversation where you have shared information is: E questo è quanto.

 

It has a certain symmetry; There is the e that means "and," and an è that means "is." Then, we have two words with the same number of letters, beginning with qu and ending with o. Italians like these kinds of word pairs. 

Noi abbiamo libri di tutti i tipi, tutti i tipi di letteratura, di, di filosofia, di generi, di, di storia, ma siamo molto specializzati su quello che riguarda la storia di Venezia e romanzi che raccontano la città. E questo è quanto, insomma.

We have books of all kinds, all kinds of literature, on, on philosophy, of all kinds, about, about history, but we are very specialized in what concerns the history of Venice and novels that tell about the city. And that's it, in short.

Captions 27-31, In giro per l'Italia Venezia - Part 2

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In the following example, a police team has been discussing how a victim was murdered, and after listing the available information, the coroner says this to conclude:  

E questo è quanto.

And that's all we have.

Caption 19, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone S1EP5 Misericordia - Part 8

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So, depending on the context, the meaning can be just conclusive, or it can mean to say, I've told you everything there is to tell. 

The word questo means "this" or "that," so that is pretty clear. But let's dig a little deeper into the word quanto. It has a number of nuances, and can function as an adjective, adverb, or pronoun. In the expression, e questo è quantoquanto is a pronoun representing "as much as there is." Check out the dictionary to see more about quanto

 

We typically use quanto when we want to know how much something costs.

Quanto costa il giubbino? -Trentacinque.

How much does the jacket cost? -Thirty-five.

Caption 19, Serena in un negozio di abbigliamento - Part 2

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We can use it as an adjective to say "how much":

Quanta pasta devo buttare (how much pasta should I throw in [the pot])?

 

When quanto is used as an adjective, it has to agree with the noun it's modifying, in this case, la pasta

 

If the noun is in the plural, quanto also has to have a plural ending and agree with the gender of the noun. In the next example, it modifies anni,  the plural of the masculine noun anno (year).

Quanti anni sono che studi?

How many years have you been studying?

Caption 46, La compagnia del cigno EP1 - Part 5

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In the following example, Marika and Anna are talking about recipes. Sometimes a recipe says, when indicating the quantity of something, "Q.b." What does that mean?

Il sale quanto? Q.b. Q. b. -Q.b. Vuol dire quanto basta.

How much salt? Q B. Q B. -Q B. It means "quanto basta" [as needed, to taste].

Captions 33-36, L'Italia a tavola Timballo di cicoria - Part 1

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We also use quanto when commenting on something, either bad or good. It can mean "so." When used as an adverb, as in our final example, its ending doesn't change. In the example, quanto has been truncated, but it's short for quanto è bella.

Ma questa non è la macchina che ci è passata avanti l'altro giorno? -Ma quant'è bella.

But isn't this the car that passed us the other day? -It's so beautiful [how beautiful it is].

Captions 23-25, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP5 Rione Serra Venerdì - Part 9

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We have covered the expression e questo è quanto, but there is more to say. Stay tuned for another lesson where we delve even deeper into quanto.

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Lo Shopping: Useful vocabulary for shopping in Italy

 

One English word has been largely adopted all over Italy: Shopping.

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Non si deve fare shopping sulla spiaggia a fine stagione.

One shouldn't shop on the beach at the end of the season.

Caption 31, Francesca - sulla spiaggia - Part 2

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Italians pronounce it with their kind of O and they give the double P some importance, but it’s recognizable.


They also use the article lo (the) since the S is phonetically “impure” (esse impuro) meaning that it’s followed by another consonant, in this case, H. For more on articles, see Daniela’s lessons.


But let’s be clear. Lo shopping is not grocery shopping. To do the grocery shopping is fare la spesa (literally, to do the spending).


Whatever you do — lo shopping to buy some new shoes, or fare la spesa to buy groceries for a dinner you are planning, it’s handy to have some words to communicate with the shopkeepers.


More and more Italians are able to communicate with tourist-shoppers in English. But to be on the safe side, let’s look at some essential vocabulary.

Prices are often indicated, but if not, you need to ask:

Quanto costa il giubbino? -Trentacinque.

How much does the jacket cost? -Thirty-five.

Caption 19, Serena - in un negozio di abbigliamento - Part 2

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You won’t get arrested if you leave a store without a receipt, but it’s advisable to have it. In some places, the salesperson might try to get out of giving you a receipt, but it is your right to obtain it. Since tourists don’t necessarily know that, it’s easy to overlook it. If you need to return an item or exchange it, you will need the receipt. Sometimes you have to ask for it.

 

Mi dà lo scontrino per favore (can you give me a receipt, please)?

 

When it's offered, it's a good sign.

Grazie. -Aspetta che ti devo fare lo scontrino.

Thanks. -Wait, because I have to give you your receipt.

Caption 36, Serena - un pacchetto regalo

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Most shops accept electronic payment, but at the outdoor markets, cash is more common.

Pago icontanti.

I'll pay in cash.

Caption 40, Marika spiega - L'euro in Italia, con Anna

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If you do pay in cash, you might not have any change, especially if you got some nice crisp banconote (bills) from the Bancomat (ATM machine).

Mi dispiacenon ho spiccioli.

I'm sorry, I don't have any change.

Caption 21, Marika spiega - L'euro in Italia, con Anna

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So spiccioli  (with the accent on the first syllable) means "small change," but when we're talking about someone giving you change, it's a different story. Il resto does mean "the rest" but here, it means "[the rest of] what I owe you."

Ah, vabbé, non si preoccupi, ora Le do il resto. Prego.

Oh, OK, don't worry about it, now I'll give you your change. Here you are.

Caption 22, Marika spiega - L'euro in Italia, con Anna

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Italians use the English word “cash” to mean “cash,” but sometimes they say "the cash" to mean la cassa, which is the cashier or check-out counter.

Dove si paga (where does one pay)?
Alla cassa (at the cash register/check-out counter).

 

Have you had any negative experiences in buying things on vacation in Italy? Do you have questions about shopping vocabulary or customs?

Write to us at newsletter@yabla.com.

 

Vocabulary