Italian word of the day: 'Assaggiare'
Have you given this word a try yet?
This word is an important one for anyone whose primary goal in Italy is to sample as much cheese, wine, gelato, and olive oil as possible.
If you want a little taste of any of those things, assaggiare is the transitive verb you'll need, whether you're at a food market or the family dinner table.
- Ti piacerebbe assaggiare il vino?
- Magari!
- Would you like to taste the wine?
- You bet!
The double 'g' sound in assaggiare is soft. It's pronounced 'ah-sad-jar-eh', with a slight stress on the third syllable. Hear an example here.
I learned to use this word thanks to – who else? - my suocera, or Italian mother-in-law, who is forever imploring me to try every dish on the table, every piece of produce plucked from the orto (vegetable garden), and every variety of homemade jam, honey, wine, cheese, and cake she and the extended family can produce.
A typical lunchtime conversation between us goes something like this:
- Hai assaggiato la mozzarella?
- No, grazie. Sono piena. Ho mangiato troppo.
- Ma l'ho appena fatto sta mattina. Assaggia un po', dai.
- Va bene, solo un pezzetino.
- Have you tasted the mozzarella?
- No, thanks, I'm stuffed. I've eaten too much.
- But I just made it this morning. Try a bit, come on.
- Alright, just a little piece.
The Italians in your life will probably most often use the verb in the imperative form, like this:
- Assaggia com’è buono!
- Taste how good this is!
As you can see, this verb can translate as 'try', 'taste', or 'sample'.
A common mistake among Italian language beginners is to use the verb provare, meaning 'to try', for anything from trying on clothes in a shop (when it would be correct) to tasting wine (not really correct).
While if you use provare in that sense you will probably be understood, there is a slight difference in meaning. Provare is more commonly used when talking about testing, trying out or attempting to do something:
- Provaci e vedrai!
- Try it and see!
Or you can even use it like this:
- Ci ha provato con tutte in ufficio
- He's tried it on with every woman in the office
Instead of provare, Italian has quite a few other words to use when it comes to sampling foods.
As well as assaggiare, you could use assaporare, degustare, gustare, pregustare, or even sperimentare.
Unlike provare, these words are all given as synonyms of assaggiare in most dictionaries.
As fun as these verbs are to say, they are probably too flowery for most situations - using them could make the staff at your local caseificio (cheese shop) think you're a little eccentric. In most cases, assaggiare does the job.
Happy tasting!
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This word is an important one for anyone whose primary goal in Italy is to sample as much cheese, wine, gelato, and olive oil as possible.
If you want a little taste of any of those things, assaggiare is the transitive verb you'll need, whether you're at a food market or the family dinner table.
- Ti piacerebbe assaggiare il vino?
- Magari!
- Would you like to taste the wine?
- You bet!
A typical lunchtime conversation between us goes something like this:
- Hai assaggiato la mozzarella?
- No, grazie. Sono piena. Ho mangiato troppo.
- Ma l'ho appena fatto sta mattina. Assaggia un po', dai.
- Va bene, solo un pezzetino.
- Have you tasted the mozzarella?
- No, thanks, I'm stuffed. I've eaten too much.
- But I just made it this morning. Try a bit, come on.
- Alright, just a little piece.
The Italians in your life will probably most often use the verb in the imperative form, like this:
- Assaggia com’è buono!
- Taste how good this is!
As you can see, this verb can translate as 'try', 'taste', or 'sample'.
A common mistake among Italian language beginners is to use the verb provare, meaning 'to try', for anything from trying on clothes in a shop (when it would be correct) to tasting wine (not really correct).
While if you use provare in that sense you will probably be understood, there is a slight difference in meaning. Provare is more commonly used when talking about testing, trying out or attempting to do something:
- Provaci e vedrai!
- Try it and see!
Or you can even use it like this:
- Ci ha provato con tutte in ufficio
- He's tried it on with every woman in the office
Instead of provare, Italian has quite a few other words to use when it comes to sampling foods.
As well as assaggiare, you could use assaporare, degustare, gustare, pregustare, or even sperimentare.
Unlike provare, these words are all given as synonyms of assaggiare in most dictionaries.
As fun as these verbs are to say, they are probably too flowery for most situations - using them could make the staff at your local caseificio (cheese shop) think you're a little eccentric. In most cases, assaggiare does the job.
Happy tasting!
Do you have an Italian word you'd like us to feature? If so, please email us with your suggestion.
Don't miss any of our Italian words and expressions of the day by downloading our new app (available on Apple and Android) and then selecting the Italian Word of the Day in your Notification options via the User button.
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