Faccio colazione alle otto.
I have breakfast at eight o'clock.
IPA /ˈfattʃo kolatˈtsjone ˈalle ˈɔtto/
Say it FAHT-choh koh-laht-TSYOH-neh AHL-leh OHT-toh
Fare colazione is the everyday way to say 'to have breakfast'.
Lesson 10 of 16
Meals, Weather and Time Expressions
Talk about breakfast, lunch and dinner, describe the weather like an Italian, and handle two tiny words with huge power: fa for 'ago' and tra/fra for 'in' a period of time.
What you will learn
- Use fare in the present tense and in everyday expressions like fare colazione, fare la spesa and fare una passeggiata
- Talk about meals with fare colazione, pranzare and cenare
- Describe the weather with fa caldo, fa freddo, piove, nevica and c'è il sole
- Say that you feel hot or cold with avere caldo and avere freddo
- Say how long ago something happened with fa: due giorni fa
- Talk about the future with the present tense and tra/fra: Domani parto. Tra una settimana.
Quick review
Say these aloud before you start. They come from earlier lessons.
- Parlo inglese. I speak English.
- Dove abiti? Where do you live?
- Ho una domanda. I have a question.
- Ho parlato con Marco. I spoke with Marco.
- Abbiamo mangiato molto bene. We ate very well.
- Non lavoro qui. I do not work here.
Theory
Fare: six irregular forms, dozens of everyday expressions
Fare (to do, to make) is one of the most frequent verbs in Italian, and it is irregular: faccio, fai, fa, facciamo, fate, fanno. Learn the six forms as a set.
Fare teams up with nouns to build expressions that English renders with 'have' or 'go': fare colazione (to have breakfast), fare la spesa (to do the food shopping), fare una passeggiata (to go for a walk). Do not translate word by word — learn each expression as a single block.
- Faccio colazione alle otto. I have breakfast at eight o'clock.
- Facciamo una passeggiata dopo cena. We go for a walk after dinner.
- Fanno la spesa il sabato. They do the food shopping on Saturdays.
Meals: fare colazione, pranzare, cenare
For breakfast, Italians say fare colazione: Faccio colazione alle sette. For lunch and dinner the language gives you a choice: the dedicated verbs pranzare (to have lunch) and cenare (to have dinner), or fare pranzo and fare cena.
Pranzare and cenare are completely regular -are verbs, so you already know all their endings. Both patterns are standard; the single verbs are simply shorter.
- Pranzo all'una. I have lunch at one o'clock.
- Ceniamo fuori stasera. We are eating out tonight.
- Vuoi fare pranzo con noi? Do you want to have lunch with us?
Weather: fare for the sky, avere for people
To describe the weather, Italian uses fare impersonally: Fa caldo (it is hot), Fa freddo (it is cold), Fa bel tempo (the weather is nice). Weather verbs appear in the third person: Piove (it is raining), Nevica (it is snowing). For sunshine, say C'è il sole — literally 'there is the sun'.
Careful: when a person feels hot or cold, Italian switches to avere: Ho caldo (I am hot), Ho freddo (I am cold). Caldo and freddo are nouns here, so they never change ending: Maria ha caldo, i ragazzi hanno freddo.
- Fa molto freddo oggi. It is very cold today.
- Nevica in montagna. It is snowing in the mountains.
- Ho caldo: apro la finestra. I am hot: I am opening the window.
Looking back and looking forward: fa, tra/fra and the present tense
Put fa after a length of time and it means 'ago': due giorni fa (two days ago), una settimana fa (a week ago). Combine it with the passato prossimo you already know: Ho parlato con Anna due giorni fa.
For the future, tra and fra both mean 'in' a period of time and are fully interchangeable: tra una settimana, fra due mesi (in a week, in two months). And notice something liberating: with a future time word like domani, the plain present tense already points to the future: Domani parto (Tomorrow I am leaving).
- Ho mangiato qui una settimana fa. I ate here a week ago.
- Ci vediamo tra una settimana! See you in a week!
- Domani parto per Roma. Tomorrow I am leaving for Rome.
| fare | |
|---|---|
| io | faccio |
| tu | fai |
| lui / lei | fa |
| noi | facciamo |
| voi | fate |
| loro | fanno |
Watch the io and loro forms: faccio and fanno. The past participle is fatto.
| fare + noun | single verb | |
|---|---|---|
| breakfast | fare colazione | — |
| lunch | fare pranzo | pranzare |
| dinner | fare cena | cenare |
Breakfast has no dedicated verb: always fare colazione. Pranzare and cenare are regular -are verbs.
| the weather (impersonal) | how a person feels | |
|---|---|---|
| heat | Fa caldo. | Ho caldo. |
| cold | Fa freddo. | Hai freddo? |
| rain | Piove. | — |
| snow | Nevica. | — |
| sun | C'è il sole. | — |
The weather 'does' with fare or a weather verb; people feel hot and cold with avere: ho caldo, hai freddo.
| fa (ago) | tra / fra (in) | |
|---|---|---|
| one hour | un'ora fa | tra un'ora |
| two days | due giorni fa | tra due giorni |
| one week | una settimana fa | fra una settimana |
| one month | un mese fa | fra un mese |
Fa follows the time expression and looks back; tra and fra come before it and look forward.
Vocabulary
Learn these words with their pronunciation. Nouns are given with their article — always learn them together.
| Italian | English | Pronunciation | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| fare | to do, to make | /ˈfare/ FAH-reh | |
| pranzare | to have lunch | /pranˈdzare/ prahn-DZAH-reh | |
| cenare | to have dinner | /tʃeˈnare/ cheh-NAH-reh | |
| piovere | to rain | /ˈpjɔvere/ PYOH-veh-reh | |
| nevicare | to snow | /neviˈkare/ neh-vee-KAH-reh | |
| partire | to leave, to depart | /parˈtire/ par-TEE-reh | |
| la colazione | breakfast | /kolatˈtsjone/ koh-laht-TSYOH-neh | |
| il pranzo | lunch | /ˈprandzo/ PRAHN-dzoh | |
| la cena | dinner | /ˈtʃɛna/ CHEH-nah | |
| la passeggiata | walk, stroll | /passedˈdʒata/ pahs-sehd-JAH-tah | |
| la spesa | food shopping | /ˈspɛza/ SPEH-zah | |
| il sole | sun | /ˈsole/ SOH-leh | |
| la pioggia | rain | /ˈpjɔddʒa/ PYOHD-jah | |
| la neve | snow | /ˈnɛve/ NEH-veh | |
| il tempo | weather; time | /ˈtempo/ TEHM-poh | |
| il caldo | heat | /ˈkaldo/ KAHL-doh | |
| il freddo | cold (the cold) | /ˈfreddo/ FREHD-doh | |
| il giorno | day | /ˈdʒorno/ JOHR-noh | |
| la settimana | week | /settiˈmana/ seht-tee-MAH-nah | |
| il mese | month | /ˈmɛze/ MEH-zeh | |
| l'anno | year | /ˈanno/ AHN-noh | |
| l'ora | hour | /ˈɔra/ OH-rah | |
| il fine settimana | weekend | /ˈfine settiˈmana/ FEE-neh seht-tee-MAH-nah | |
| fa | ago | /ˈfa/ FAH | |
| tra / fra | in (a period of time), between | /ˈtra, ˈfra/ TRAH / FRAH | |
| domani | tomorrow | /doˈmani/ doh-MAH-nee | |
| ieri | yesterday | /ˈjɛri/ YEH-ree | |
| stasera | this evening, tonight | /staˈsera/ stah-SEH-rah |
Ready-to-use phrases
Pranzo a casa oggi.
I am having lunch at home today.
IPA /ˈprandzo a ˈkaza ˈɔddʒi/
Say it PRAHN-dzoh ah KAH-zah OHD-jee
Ceniamo fuori stasera.
We are eating out tonight.
IPA /tʃeˈnjamo ˈfwɔri staˈsera/
Say it cheh-NYAH-moh FWOH-ree stah-SEH-rah
Facciamo una passeggiata dopo cena.
We go for a walk after dinner.
IPA /fatˈtʃamo ˈuna passedˈdʒata ˈdopo ˈtʃɛna/
Say it faht-CHAH-moh OO-nah pahs-sehd-JAH-tah DOH-poh CHEH-nah
The noi form also works as a suggestion: Let's go for a walk after dinner.
Faccio la spesa il sabato.
I do the food shopping on Saturdays.
IPA /ˈfattʃo la ˈspɛza il ˈsabato/
Say it FAHT-choh lah SPEH-zah eel SAH-bah-toh
Fare la spesa is food shopping; fare spese is general shopping.
Che tempo fa oggi?
What is the weather like today?
IPA /ke ˈtempo ˈfa ˈɔddʒi/
Say it keh TEHM-poh FAH OHD-jee
The standard question about the weather — literally 'what weather does it make?'
Fa caldo oggi.
It is hot today.
IPA /fa ˈkaldo ˈɔddʒi/
Say it fah KAHL-doh OHD-jee
Fa molto freddo qui.
It is very cold here.
IPA /fa ˈmolto ˈfreddo ˈkwi/
Say it fah MOHL-toh FREHD-doh KWEE
Piove molto qui.
It rains a lot here.
IPA /ˈpjɔve ˈmolto ˈkwi/
Say it PYOH-veh MOHL-toh KWEE
Nevica in montagna.
It is snowing in the mountains.
IPA /ˈnevika im monˈtaɲɲa/
Say it NEH-vee-kah een mohn-TAH-nyah
C'è il sole oggi.
It is sunny today.
IPA /tʃɛ il ˈsole ˈɔddʒi/
Say it cheh eel SOH-leh OHD-jee
Literally 'there is the sun'.
Ho caldo!
I am hot!
IPA /o ˈkaldo/
Say it oh KAHL-doh
People feel heat with avere: literally 'I have heat'.
Hai freddo?
Are you cold?
IPA /ai ˈfreddo/
Say it eye FREHD-doh
Ho parlato con Anna due giorni fa.
I spoke with Anna two days ago.
IPA /o parˈlato kon ˈanna ˈdue ˈdʒorni ˈfa/
Say it oh par-LAH-toh kohn AHN-nah DOO-eh JOHR-nee FAH
Time expression + fa = ago.
Abbiamo mangiato qui una settimana fa.
We ate here a week ago.
IPA /abˈbjamo manˈdʒato ˈkwi ˈuna settiˈmana ˈfa/
Say it ahb-BYAH-moh mahn-JAH-toh KWEE OO-nah seht-tee-MAH-nah FAH
Domani parto per Roma.
Tomorrow I am leaving for Rome.
IPA /doˈmani ˈparto per ˈroma/
Say it doh-MAH-nee PAR-toh pehr ROH-mah
The present tense with domani talks about a fixed future plan.
Ci vediamo tra una settimana!
See you in a week!
IPA /tʃi veˈdjamo ˈtra ˈuna settiˈmana/
Say it chee veh-DYAH-moh trah OO-nah seht-tee-MAH-nah
Fra works exactly the same: ci vediamo fra una settimana.
Fra due giorni è sabato.
In two days it is Saturday.
IPA /fra ˈdue ˈdʒorni ˈɛ ˈsabato/
Say it frah DOO-eh JOHR-nee eh SAH-bah-toh
Vuoi pranzare con me domani?
Do you want to have lunch with me tomorrow?
IPA /ˈvwɔi pranˈdzare kon ˈme doˈmani/
Say it VWOY prahn-DZAH-reh kohn MEH doh-MAH-nee
Vuoi + infinitive is the direct, friendly way to invite someone.
Ti va di cenare fuori stasera?
Do you fancy eating out tonight?
IPA /ti ˈva di tʃeˈnare ˈfwɔri staˈsera/
Say it tee VAH dee cheh-NAH-reh FWOH-ree stah-SEH-rah
Ti va di...? is the relaxed way to suggest a plan: does it suit you?
Andiamo a fare una passeggiata?
Shall we go for a walk?
IPA /anˈdjamo a ˈfare ˈuna passedˈdʒata/
Say it ahn-DYAH-moh ah FAH-reh OO-nah pahs-sehd-JAH-tah
Andare a + infinitive: to go and do something.
Ieri ha piovuto tutto il giorno.
It rained all day yesterday.
IPA /ˈjɛri a pjoˈvuto ˈtutto il ˈdʒorno/
Say it YEH-ree ah pyoh-VOO-toh TOOT-toh eel JOHR-noh
Weather verbs build the past with avere: ha piovuto, ha nevicato.
Stasera faccio io la cena.
Tonight I am making dinner.
IPA /staˈsera ˈfattʃo ˈio la ˈtʃɛna/
Say it stah-SEH-rah FAHT-choh EE-oh lah CHEH-nah
Io after the verb adds emphasis: I am the one cooking.
Pranziamo insieme domani?
Shall we have lunch together tomorrow?
IPA /pranˈdzamo inˈsjɛme doˈmani/
Say it prahn-DZYAH-moh een-SYEH-meh doh-MAH-nee
Dialogues
Fancy lunch tomorrow?
Emma and Giulia, colleagues in Bologna, make a plan for the next day.
-
Giulia
Ciao Emma! Che tempo fa domani?
Hi Emma! What is the weather like tomorrow?
-
Emma
Fa caldo e c'è il sole.
It is hot and sunny.
-
Giulia
Perfetto! Vuoi pranzare con me?
Perfect! Do you want to have lunch with me?
-
Emma
Volentieri! Dove?
I'd love to! Where?
-
Giulia
C'è un bar nuovo vicino all'ufficio.
There is a new café near the office.
-
Emma
Bene. E dopo pranzo facciamo una passeggiata?
Good. And shall we go for a walk after lunch?
-
Giulia
Sì! Stasera invece ceno fuori con Marco.
Yes! Tonight, though, I am eating out with Marco.
-
Emma
Allora ci vediamo domani all'una!
See you tomorrow at one, then!
A rainy Saturday
Tom and Chiara, flatmates in Milan, plan their weekend around the weather.
-
Tom
Che brutto tempo oggi! Piove e fa freddo.
What horrible weather today! It is raining and it is cold.
-
Chiara
Lo so. Ho freddo io!
I know. I am cold!
-
Tom
Anch'io. Che facciamo oggi?
Me too. What shall we do today?
-
Chiara
Prima facciamo colazione, poi faccio la spesa.
First we will have breakfast, then I will do the food shopping.
-
Tom
E stasera?
And tonight?
-
Chiara
Stasera faccio io la cena.
Tonight I am making dinner.
-
Tom
Ottima idea!
Great idea!
-
Chiara
Domani c'è il sole: andiamo a fare una passeggiata?
Tomorrow it is sunny: shall we go for a walk?
Exercises
Answer actively — try to recall the Italian before you look at any hint.
Choose the correct form of fare.
Io ___ colazione alle otto.
Choose the correct word to describe the weather.
___ caldo oggi.
Choose the correct form of fare.
I miei amici ___ una passeggiata dopo cena.
Choose the word that means 'ago'.
Ho parlato con Luca due giorni ___.
Choose the correct form of partire for a future plan.
Domani ___ per Roma.
Write the correct form.
fare — tu (present tense)
Write the correct form.
fare — noi (present tense)
Write the correct form.
pranzare — io (present tense)
Write the correct form.
nevicare — lui (present tense)
Fill the gap with the Italian word.
Dopo pranzo facciamo una ___. (a walk)
Fill the gap with the Italian word.
Apriamo la finestra: ho ___! (hot, as a person feels it)
Fill the gap with the Italian preposition.
___ una settimana partiamo per l'Italia. (in)
Fill the gap.
___ il sole: andiamo al mare! (there is)
Choose the correct article for spesa.
Faccio ___ spesa al mercato.
Choose the pronoun that completes this goodbye.
___ vediamo tra una settimana!
Translate into Italian.
It is cold today.
Translate into Italian.
Are you cold? (informal)
Translate into Italian.
We ate here a week ago.
Translate into Italian.
See you in a week!
Translate into English.
Faccio la spesa il sabato.
Translate into English.
Nevica in montagna.
Tap the words in the correct order.
Build the sentence: I spoke two days ago.
Tap the words in the correct order.
Build the sentence: It is very hot today.
Tap an Italian expression, then tap its English meaning.
Match each fare expression to its meaning.
Tap an Italian sentence, then tap its English meaning.
Match each weather sentence to its meaning.
True or false?
To say that a person feels hot, an Italian says fa caldo.
True or false?
Tra and fra both mean 'in' a period of time and are interchangeable.
Rewrite the sentence in the past with fa.
Parlo con Anna oggi. → Say it happened two days ago.
Play the audio, then type exactly what you hear.
Listen and write the Italian sentence.
Play the audio, then tap the matching sentence.
Listen and choose the sentence you hear.
Say the sentence aloud, then show the meaning and rate yourself.
Ho caldo!
Speak now
Say each sentence aloud three times: once slowly, once at normal speed, once from memory. Then change the time expression or the meal and say your own version.
- Faccio colazione alle otto e pranzo all'una. I have breakfast at eight and lunch at one.
- Che tempo fa oggi? Fa caldo e c'è il sole. What is the weather like today? It is hot and sunny.
- Ho parlato con un amico due giorni fa. I spoke with a friend two days ago.
- Domani parto e torno tra una settimana. Tomorrow I am leaving and I am coming back in a week.
- Stasera ceniamo fuori: ti va? Tonight we are eating out: are you up for it?
Lesson checkpoint
Before you move on, make sure you can do all of this without looking:
- Say all six present-tense forms of fare from memory
- Say when you have breakfast, lunch and dinner with fare colazione, pranzare and cenare
- Describe today's weather in three different ways: with fare, with a weather verb and with c'è il sole
- Say that you feel hot or cold with ho caldo and ho freddo
- Say something that happened two days or a week ago with fa
- Arrange a meal for tomorrow using the present tense and tra/fra
Remember this
- Fare is irregular: faccio, fai, fa, facciamo, fate, fanno — and it builds key expressions: fare colazione, fare la spesa, fare una passeggiata.
- Meals: fare colazione for breakfast, but pranzare and cenare (regular -are verbs) for lunch and dinner.
- The weather 'does': fa caldo, fa freddo, piove, nevica, c'è il sole. People feel it with avere: ho caldo, ho freddo.
- Fa after a time expression means ago: due giorni fa, una settimana fa.
- Tra and fra mean 'in' a period of time: tra una settimana. With domani, the plain present tense already talks about the future: Domani parto.
Go deeper: fare · avere · Present tense · -are verbs · essere (c'è)