How do you say 'why' in Italian?

You say perché, with a closed final e, tighter than the e of caffè.

What does chissà mean?

Chissà is what you say when you don't know something and can't even guess it, like in 'chissà se aprono presto anche gli altri bar della città.'

The two t's are held long and the stress falls on the final a, as in 'non conosco questa città, ma il caffè qui è ottimo.'

You're at the counter of a bar in a city you don't know, ordering by listening to how others string their words together.

Prendo un caffè al banco prima di andare al lavoro.

I get a coffee at the counter before heading to work.

10 words10 sentences

caffè/kafˈfɛ/
coffeenoun
A dark, bitter drink you drink hot, made from roasted beans.
tè/tɛ/
teanoun
A hot drink made by leaving dried leaves in boiling water.
città/tʃitˈta/
citynoun
A large inhabited place, with many streets, shops and services.
novità/noviˈta/
newsnoun
News of something that happened recently.
più/pju/
moreadjective
Greater in quantity than before or than something else.
già/dʒa/
alreadyadverb
Says that something happened before now or before expected.
così/koˈzi/
like thisadverb
In this way, in the way you're showing or just described.
perché/perˈke/
whyadverb
You use it to ask the reason for something.
chissà/kisˈsa/
who knowsadverb
You say it when you don't know something and can't even guess it.
laggiù/ladˈdʒu/
over thereadverb
At a point lower down or farther away than where you are.

Spell it1 of 3

Prendo un caffè al banco prima di andare al lavoro.
I get a coffee at the counter before heading to work.
Preferisco un tè caldo, perché il caffè mi tiene sveglio la notte.
I'd rather have a hot tea, because coffee keeps me up at night.
Non conosco questa città, ma il caffè qui è ottimo.
I don't know this city, but the coffee here is excellent.
Ci sono novità sul lavoro o è tutto come prima?
Any news at work, or is everything the same as before?
Oggi prendo un caffè più lungo, perché quello normale è troppo forte.
Today I'm getting a longer coffee, because the regular one is too strong.
Ho già pagato alla cassa, ecco lo scontrino del caffè.
I already paid at the register, here's the coffee receipt.
Il caffè lo bevo così, senza zucchero e senza latte.
I drink my coffee like this, no sugar and no milk.
Perché qui tutti bevono il caffè in piedi al banco?
Why does everyone here drink coffee standing at the counter?
Chissà se aprono presto anche gli altri bar della città.
Who knows if the other bars in the city open early too.
Il bar si trova laggiù, in fondo alla strada principale.
The bar is over there, at the end of the main street.

caffè/kafˈfɛ/
The stress is on the last syllable and the f is long: caf-FÈ, with an open e.
tè/tɛ/
Just one syllable, with an open e.
città/tʃitˈta/
The two t's are held long and the stress falls on the final a.
più/pju/
Just one syllable: the p, i and u are pronounced one after the other, without separating them.
già/dʒa/
It's all in one syllable, with the soft g of gelato.
così/koˈzi/
The s in the middle is soft, like in rose.
perché/perˈke/
The final e is closed, tighter than the e of caffè.
chissà/kisˈsa/
The double s is held long and the stress falls at the end.
laggiù/ladˈdʒu/
The gg group sounds like a long soft g, as in oggi.

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How do you say 'why' in Italian?: You say perché, with a closed final e, tighter than the e of caffè.
What does chissà mean?: Chissà is what you say when you don't know something and can't even guess it, like in 'chissà se aprono presto anche gli altri bar della città.'
How do you pronounce città?: The two t's are held long and the stress falls on the final a, as in 'non conosco questa città, ma il caffè qui è ottimo.'

10 wordsabout 6 min