Food, and eating and drinking are very important to all of us. But how to talk about this in Italian? There are different ways, but one of the basic things to know is that being hungry and thirsty are most commonly expressed using the verb avere (to have) plus the noun la fame (the hunger) or the noun la sete (the thirst). We've provided the articles to know the gender, but the article is not used in this formula. 

Io però ho fame.

But I'm hungry.

Caption 88, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone S1 EP6 Buio - Part 9

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Ho sete.

I'm thirsty.

Caption 52, La linea verticale EP 5 - Part 4

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But in the next example, the article is used. Note that who is hungry is identified by an indirect object pronoun — mi or a me (to me) in this case. 

M'è passata la fame.

I've lost my appetite [to me, the hunger has passed]

Caption 59, Com'è umano lui Film - Part 14

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Peppi', t'aspetto fuori, che m'è passata la sete a me.

Peppi', I'll wait outside, since I'm not thirsty anymore [to me the thirst has passed].

Caption 27, Chi m'ha visto film - Part 4

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So, instead of asking, "How hungry are you?" the question can become, "How much hunger do you have?" 

C'avete fame? -Sì, altroché. Ma quanta? -Tanta.

Are you hungry? -Yes, absolutely. But how [hungry]? -Very.

Captions 25-26, Provaci ancora prof! S3 EP2 Doppio imprevisto - Part 21

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Sometimes, we might want to use an adjective, especially when we're very hungry. We can say affamato.

Tutto sommato retaggio di un'Italia che, fino a pochi decenni prima, era un'Italia tutto sommato affamata.

All in all, a heritage of an Italy, which until a few decades earlier, was a hungry Italy, all in all.

Captions 62-63, L'arte della cucina L'Epoca delle Piccole Rivoluzioni - Part 11

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We can also say, when we feel "desperate," Sto morendo di fame (I'm dying of hunger). 

And to remove hunger, in other words, to feed someone, we can use the prefix S: 

Diceva che non avevano abbastanza soldi, non potevano permettersi un'altra bocca da sfamare.

He would say that they didn't have enough money. They couldn't afford another mouth to feed.

Captions 13-14, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone S1EP3 Vicini - Part 19

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We can also "give someone something to eat," dare da mangiare. 

Devo dare da mangiare a mia figlia.

I have to feed my daughter.

Caption 15, Adriano Olivetti La forza di un sogno Ep. 1 - Part 11

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Maybe this lesson has made you affamato. We hope that you can sfamarti. Thanks for reading. You can write to us a [email protected]. 

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I can ask you if you have a pen or a pencil, or I can ask you if you have something to write with. I don't always need to be specific. I can offer you a glass of water, a glass of wine, or I can just offer you something to drink. I might not want to be specific. Let's look at one way to say this in Italian.

We can use the preposition da (from, to, at) and the infinitive of a verb. Let's look at some examples. 

Hai da scrivere (do you have something to write with)?

Scusate, mica avete da accendere? -Sì.

Excuse me, do you happen to have a light? -Yes.

Caption 1, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1EP1 L'estate del dito - Part 26

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The person we ask for a light might have un accendino (a lighter) or dei fiammiferi (some matches). So we don't need to be specific. We just indicate what we need it for.

Faccio da mangiare (I'm going to make something to eat). 

Devo dare da mangiare a mia figlia.

I have to feed my daughter.

Caption 15, Adriano Olivetti La forza di un sogno Ep. 1 - Part 11

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Dai da bere a 'sti [questi] quattro lavoratori qua.

Give these four workers something to drink.

Caption 26, Chi m'ha visto film - Part 4

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Quando viaggio in treno porto sempre da leggere (when I travel by train I always bring something to read).

I can also say:

Porto sempre qualcosa da leggere (I always bring something to read).

Ci vorrebbe da dormire e da mangiare. -Bene.

We need lodging and food. -Fine.

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Ho da fare (I have stuff to do).

Let us know if you have questions at [email protected]. 

When we see the word “ape,” it makes us think of a rather large, ferocious animal. But in Italian, its meaning is almost the opposite. Ape is the word for "bee." The Ape, as we shall see, was built for people who work, for someone who is as busy as a bee.

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At the end of World War II, many, if not most Italians were having money problems, and certainly only a privileged few had the financial means to buy a car, much less pay for its fuel and maintenance. 

The Ape came to the rescue. In 1947, the inventor of the Vespa, (a popular motor scooter whose name means “wasp”) came up with the idea of a light, three-wheeled commercial vehicle to power Italy's economical reconstruction. Piaggio, who had built the Vespa became interested and took on the project. The very first Ape models were glorified Vespas with two wheels in the rear, and a flat-bed structure on top of the rear axle— a sort of tricycle with a motor.

Little by little, the model developed to include a cab to protect the driver. Designed as a one-seater, a passenger is often seen squeezed in, as well, but it's definitely a tight fit. There are now doors on either side to facilitate parking right up next to a wall. Although no longer made principally in Italy, the Ape is still in production today!

Because of its small scooter-sized engine, the Ape doesn’t go fast (maximum around 60 kilometres an hour), and as a result, you don’t need to have an automobile driver’s license to drive one. The motor is strong enough to carry a sizeable load, and to get up the steep hills found in many parts of the country.

We see in the movie Chi m’ha visto, that Peppino’s vehicle is indeed an Ape. Given the size of the streets in so many Italian towns, cities, and country roads as well, the Ape is just right for negotiating them. Peppino races around like a maniac anyway, honking at pedestrians to get out of his way.

Vir a cus' [pugliese: guarda a questo]...

Look at this one...

Au [Ehi]! Levateve [pugliese: toglietevi] da là!

Hey! Get away from there!

Ma statte citt' [pugliese: stai zitto].

Shut up.

Captions 31-33, Chi m'ha visto - film - Part 4

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If you have ever been traveling in Italy, you might have heard an Ape before seeing one. The noise is terrifying especially as it climbs steep, narrow, cobblestone streets in the middle of an old town, where the close stone walls amplify the sound even more. Getting caught behind one on a narrow road can add hours and frustration to your trip. Fortunately, the Ape is so narrow, the driver can hug the side of the road so that cars can pass. Menomale!

Still a familiar sight all over Italy, the Ape is amazingly useful for the handyman, gardener, farm worker, delivery man, etc.

In an episode of Commissario Manara, Manara himself actually drives an Ape to figure out how a crime had been committed. He's putting himself in the killer's place.

Al piazzale davanti allo studio ci potrei andare a piedi,

To the courtyard in front of the studio I could go by foot,

invece ci vado con l' Ape. Perché?

but instead I go with the "Ape." Why?

Perché devo trasportare qualcosa, qualcosa di pesante.

Because I have to transport something, something heavy.

E che cos'è?

And what is it?

Captions 44-47, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP11 - Beato tra le donne

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Even though the Ape is pretty small already, many Italians use a diminutive suffix and call it l'Apino. It also distinguishes it from ape the insect, and it renders the idea of "small."