Words borrowed from Italian

1. 1
   espresso/ˌeˈspresoʊ/iAlso said ˌekˈspreˌsoʊ.

   noun

   Strong black coffee made by forcing hot water through finely ground beans.
2. 2
   prosciutto/prəˈʃuːˌtoʊ/

   noun

   Italian ham cured in salt and cut very thin.
3. 3
   gnocchi/ˈnoʊki/

   noun

   Small soft dumplings of potato or flour, usually served with a sauce.
4. 4
   mozzarella/ˌmɑːtsəˈrelə/

   noun

   A soft, mild, white Italian cheese.
5. 5
   tiramisu/ˌtɪrəˈmɪˌsuː/

   noun

   An Italian dessert of coffee-soaked sponge layered with sweet cheese and grated chocolate.
6. 6
   ditto/ˈdɪtoʊ/

   verb

   To say the same thing the person before you said.
7. 7
   opera/ˈɑːprə/

   noun

   A play where the whole story is sung, with an orchestra playing.
8. 8
   maestro/ˈmaɪstroʊ/

   noun

   An artist who is superbly good at what they do.
9. 9
   soprano/səˈprɑːnoʊ/iAlso said səˈprænoʊ.

   adjective

   Belonging to the highest range of voice or instrument.
10. 10
    finale/fəˈnæli/

    noun

    The last part of a performance.

The sentences

1. Could I get an espresso after the meal?

2. Does the prosciutto come with melon or bread?

3. Is the gnocchi made fresh here every day?

4. I'd like the tomatoes with fresh mozzarella, please.

5. Could we get the tiramisu before we leave?

6. I'll ditto that and have the gnocchi too.

7. The opera starts at eight, so we should hurry.

8. The maestro conducting tonight is worth the ticket.

9. She sings the soprano part in the last act.

10. The finale is the best part of the night.

Pronunciation

• espresso/ˌeˈspresoʊ/

  No k sound anywhere in it: es-PRESS-oh.

• prosciutto/prəˈʃuːˌtoʊ/

  The sci is a sh sound, and the first o is barely there: pruh-SHOO-toh.

• gnocchi/ˈnoʊki/

  The g is silent and the cch is a k: NYOH-kee comes out as NOH-kee here.

• mozzarella/ˌmɑːtsəˈrelə/

  The zz is a ts sound: mots-uh-RELL-uh.

• tiramisu/ˌtɪrəˈmɪˌsuː/

  Stress lands on the third syllable and the end is a long soo.

• opera/ˈɑːprə/

  Two syllables, with the stress on the first one.

• maestro/ˈmaɪstroʊ/

  The ae is one sound, like the word my: MY-stroh.

• finale/fəˈnæli/

  The final e is said out loud, and the stress sits in the middle: fuh-NAL-ee.

Questions

How do you say tiramisu?

You say tiramisu, as in 'Could we get the tiramisu before we leave?'

What does ditto mean here?

Ditto means saying the same thing the person before you said, as in 'I'll ditto that and have the gnocchi too.'

How do you say someone is excellent at what they do?

You use the word maestro, as in 'The maestro conducting tonight is worth the ticket.'