Italian short stories for beginners (A1)

Hi everyone! I’m Sofia. Good morning, Nonna! How are you? — Good morning, Sofia. All good. And you? — I’m well too. What a beautiful day! — Yes, a beautiful day in Dozza. — And here it is: the trattoria. My grandmother’s trattoria — Trattoria da Elena, here in Dozza. My nonna works in the trattoria. She cooks there: she makes the pasta, she bakes the bread. — Yes, I cook in the trattoria. — It opens at eight. — And now? It’s seven — seven in the morning. Still an hour to go, so the trattoria isn’t open yet. — Not yet. — But we’re here, my nonna and I. — We’re here — to work! — Here we are, in the trattoria, with my nonna.

Here it is — the trattoria. — What a beautiful trattoria! Mmm, what a good smell! What is it — the bread? — Yes, my bread. — Fresh bread! — Fresh Dozza bread. Here, Sofia — eat. — Mmm, it tastes so good! — Nonna’s bread, good bread. — Now, Sofia, let’s work. Ready? — Ready! — The trattoria has five tables. — One, two, three, four, five — five tables! — Now let’s set one table. Six plates. — Six plates! — How many plates, Sofia? — Six plates on one table. — And now six glasses: for water, for wine, for beer. — Water, wine, beer — the trattoria has it all. — And six forks: we eat pasta with a fork. Six knives: we eat with fork and knife. Six spoons: we eat soup with a spoon. And six napkins. — Six plates, six glasses, six forks, six knives, six spoons, six napkins — one table, ready! — Ready for six people. — And you? How many plates do you have at home? — Sofia talks to everyone! — And the chairs? How many chairs are there? Count, Sofia! — One, two… nine! Nine chairs: six at the table and three at the counter. — Exactly. And now the wine — how many bottles are there? — One, two… ten! Ten bottles of wine — Italian wine. — And water? — There’s water. — And beer? — There’s beer too. — Water, wine, beer: everything’s ready. — Sofia, what time is it? — Half past seven. — It opens at eight. Half an hour to go. — Ready, Nonna!

Here’s some water, Sofia. — Thank you, Nonna. — Dozza water, good water. — I drink the water. Good. — Another piece of bread? — I want the bread! — Eat, eat. — Mmm, it tastes so good! And that smell — the smell of Nonna’s bread. — The bottles are ready. — All ten bottles. Everything’s ready. What time is it, Nonna? — Five to eight. — Five to eight! — It opens at eight. Ready? — Ready, Nonna! Now I count with Nonna: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten — ten fingers! You too — count with me! Plate, glass, fork, knife, spoon, napkin — six of each! Five tables, nine chairs, ten bottles. I’m in the trattoria with my nonna — Trattoria da Elena. It opens at eight. — It opens at eight. — I feel great. See you soon! — See you soon, Sofia! — Ciao!

Hi everyone! I’m Sofia. Today is Monday — and Nonna’s trattoria opens today! On Sunday the trattoria is closed, but today is Monday: it opens at eight. — Sofia! Good morning. — Good morning, Nonna! How are you? — I’m well, but today I have a lot of work. Sofia, one thing: I have a list — the shopping list, for the trattoria. Today I cook here, and you… go to the market! — I’m going to the market — me, on my own! — Buy the vegetables, the meat, the fish — everything for the trattoria. Here’s the list, and here’s the money. — The list… and the money. Thank you, Nonna! — Buy everything, Sofia. The trattoria opens at eight! — Ready? Off to the market!

Here we are — the Dozza market! So many things! Look, Beppe. The first stall: vegetables! Nonna’s list says potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers. Good morning! I’d like some potatoes — for the trattoria. Lots of them: thirty potatoes! And twenty tomatoes. And ten cucumbers. How much is it? Eighteen euros? That’s a bit expensive! It’s for the trattoria — could you do fifteen? Fifteen euros — thank you! Potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers: fifteen euros. A good price! I pay fifteen euros — here’s the money. Vegetables: done. Onward!

Now, the meat — the butcher’s stall. On the list: chicken and prosciutto, for the trattoria. Good morning! I’d like some chicken. A kilo — no, two kilos! And half a kilo of prosciutto. Twenty euros? That’s expensive! It’s for my nonna’s trattoria — could you do fifteen? Eighteen. All right, eighteen euros — a good price! And now… the fish. Mmm, that smell — what a stink! I don’t like the smell of fish! But the fish is fresh. How much is the fish? All right — fresh fish for the trattoria. The man sells the fish, and I buy it. But that stink — no, not for me! Meat, chicken, prosciutto, fish: everything for the trattoria.

Mmm, what a lovely smell! Here’s the fruit stall. I like this — I love the smell of fruit. Look at the colors! What color is the fruit? Apples — red apples and green apples. Yellow lemons, yellow like the sun. And strawberries — red strawberries! Good morning! I like the apples — mmm, I prefer the green ones! They’re beautiful. Nineteen green apples and six red ones, for the trattoria. And the lemons, and the strawberries. How much is it? That’s expensive — could you do twelve? Twenty-five apples, twelve euros. I pay twelve euros. I prefer the green ones… but I’m buying both! Fresh fruit for the trattoria!

Now, the last thing: cheese, milk, eggs. Good morning! I’d like some cheese. I prefer this one — it’s fresher. Two kilos of cheese, and three liters of milk. How much is it? Twenty-eight euros? That’s expensive — could you do twenty? All right, twenty-eight euros. Sometimes the answer is no! And at the market there are no credit cards — cash only! I pay in cash: here’s thirty euros. Thank you! Two euros change. And the eggs — forty eggs for the trattoria. Cheese, milk, eggs… the list is done! I’ve bought everything for the trattoria!

So — look how many bags! One, two, three bags. And they’re heavy — really heavy! Today I’m at the market with Nonna’s shopping list. I buy the vegetables: thirty potatoes, twenty tomatoes, ten cucumbers. The meat: two kilos of chicken and half a kilo of prosciutto. And the fish — a kilo. It’s fresh… but what a stink! And the fruit: twenty-five apples — nineteen green and six red (I prefer the green ones!) — plus yellow lemons and red strawberries. And then two kilos of cheese, three liters of milk, forty eggs. At the market the vendor sells, and I buy. I pay. How much is it? The price! “That’s expensive — could you do a little less?” Sometimes yes, sometimes no! No cards at the market — cash only! Here’s the money… and here’s the change. And you? What do you buy at the market? Vegetables, meat, fish, fruit — everything for the trattoria! Nonna’s trattoria opens at eight… and I’m on my way! See you soon — ciao!

Hi everyone! Good morning! What a beautiful morning — what a beautiful day. Look at the sky, Beppe: it’s blue, there are no clouds, and it’s not too hot. Nonna! I’m taking Beppe out — we’ll be back soon. This morning we’re going for a walk, Beppe and I. I have two errands: the bank and the pharmacy. Beppe is Nonna’s dog. He’s good and calm, and he loves walking — so do I. No studying today: today we take a nice walk. Ready? Let’s go, Beppe!

So… I go straight ahead — straight along this street. Beppe walks beside me. Good boy. Here I turn right. And now left. We cross the street, Beppe — slowly, slowly. What a lovely street! It’s quiet this morning. On the right there’s a bar; on the left there’s a shop. Look — over there is the park. The park is big, with lots of trees. Beppe loves the park, but we’re not going there today — we have things to do. This is the centre — the centre of Dozza. It’s small, but beautiful. Dozza has no train station; the station is in Bologna — for the train, you go to Bologna. But not today: we’re walking. Look, Beppe — there’s the castle! It’s old and big. And here the walls are painted — Dozza is famous for its painted walls. And there’s the church, next to the square. The bank is on this side of the street; the pharmacy is on the other side. In front of me is the bank; Beppe is behind me. Come on, Beppe!

Here we are — the bank. In front of the bank there’s the opening-hours sign: the bank opens at nine. It’s half past nine, so it’s open. I need cash. I go into the bank. There’s one person ahead of me, so I wait. Now it’s my turn. Good morning, ma’am — I’d like one hundred euros, please. Thank you. Now I count: fifty… one hundred. Perfect. I have my cash — and a coin for coffee. I count the coins: one, two, three. Ah, I have to sign here — there’s a document. There: I sign, my name, right here. Done! I put the money away. All set. The bank is right here in the centre — handy, isn’t it, Beppe? Let’s go. Now, the square.

Now we cross the square. What a beautiful square! Beppe goes to the fountain — he’s thirsty. He drinks… and drinks again! He really was thirsty. The fountain is next to the church; the church is old and beautiful. The sky is blue — what a fine morning. The square is quiet; I like being here. Owww! My foot! It hurts! My foot hurts — the shoe… I need a plaster. Let’s go to the pharmacy, Beppe — it’s right nearby.

Here we are — the pharmacy. Good morning, ma’am. I’d like a plaster, please. How much is it? Two euros? Here you go — I pay in cash. Thank you! I buy it here — it’s convenient. Now, the plaster goes on my foot. There. I feel better — no more pain. My foot’s fine now. Thank you, ma’am! Well, Beppe… the errands are done. Bank and pharmacy: done! And now — a surprise. We’re going to the park! I turn right, then go straight ahead. The park is this way. Come on, Beppe!

Here we are at the park! What a beautiful park — so many green trees. Over there children are playing; they’re happy. Look, Beppe — it’s Signor Gianni! He’s sitting on the bench with his friends. Good morning, Signor Gianni! Have a lovely day! Now Beppe plays on the grass — he loves the park. Good boy, Beppe! What a lovely walk this morning. Beppe’s tired now — me too. Well, Beppe… now we go home. Come on!

Well, Beppe — what a lovely walk! Today I walk through the centre and the park. I go straight ahead, I turn right, then left. I cross the street and the square. Beppe walks behind me, then in front. I see the park, the church, the fountain — and the castle, old and big. At the bank I get my cash and a coin, and I have to sign. And my foot? I’ve got a plaster — no more pain! Beppe is happy, and so am I. Walking together does you good. Look, Beppe… here we are — home! What a beautiful sky this morning. What a lovely walk. See you soon — ciao everyone!