Italian word of the day
| Pronunciation | |
| English translation | Chocolate |
| Origin | From the Aztec word chocollatl |
Different forms of cioccolato
Like most nouns in Italian, cioccolato has two articles (definite or indefinite articles) and two numbers (singular or plural).
Un cioccolato
A chocolate
Dei cioccolati
Some chocolates
Il cioccolato
The chocolate
I cioccolati
The chocolates
Examples
| La frutta è più sana del cioccolato. | Fruit is healthier than chocolate. |
| Vorrei un gelato al cioccolato. | I would like a chocolate ice cream. |
| Questo cioccolato ha un sapore davvero buono. | This chocolate tastes really good. |
Cioccolatino
Chocolate in Italian translates as cioccolatino when it refers to a small chocolate praline or candy.
| Il cioccolatino | The chocolate |
It is a masculine noun, so it is preceded by the articles il (definite, the chocolate) and un (indefinite, a chocolate).
Un cioccolatino
A chocolate
Dei cioccolatini
Some chocolates
Il cioccolatino
The chocolate
I cioccolatini
The chocolates
The -ino suffix in Italian makes any noun smaller, so this literally means “small chocolate”.
| Ho mangiato una scatola di cioccolatini. | I ate a box of chocolates. |
| Adoro i cioccolatini, soprattutto quelli con le noci. | I love chocolates, especially those with nuts. |
| Tom regala a Mary una scatola di cioccolatini. | Tom gives Mary a box of chocolates. |
Cioccolata
Chocolate in Italian can also be translated as cioccolata. Cioccolata is now used as a synonym for cioccolato, but it commonly refers to hot chocolate.
| La cioccolata | Chocolate |
It is a feminine noun, so it is preceded by the articles la (definite, the chocolate), and una (indefinite, a chocolate).
Una cioccolata
A chocolate
Delle cioccolate
Some chocolates
La cioccolata
The chocolate
Le cioccolate
The chocolates
You will translate cup of hot chocolate always as tazza di cioccolata calda, using cioccolata, and never as tazza di cioccolato caldo.
| Tazza di cioccolata calda | Cup of hot chocolate |
Examples:
| Mi sono preparato una tazza di cioccolata calda. | I made myself a cup of hot chocolate. |
| Tom sorseggiò la sua cioccolata calda in silenzio. | Tom sipped his hot chocolate in silence. |
Kinds of cioccolato in Italian
Chocolate is made of cacao, cocoa. Cocoa has a very distinct flavor, sapore.
Depending on the amount of cocoa in the mixture, chocolate can either be white chocolate (no cocoa whatsoever!), milk chocolate or dark chocolate.
Cioccolato alle nocciole is also called nocciolato, from the fusion of nocciola, hazelnut, and cioccolato.
| Cioccolato bianco | White chocolate | |
| Cioccolato alle nocciole | Chocolate with hazelnuts | |
| Cioccolato al latte | Milk chocolate | |
| Cioccolato fondente | Dark chocolate |
White and milk chocolate are pretty self-explaining, but what about the translation for dark chocolate in Italian?
Be careful: it is not “cioccolato scuro”, with scuro meaning dark, but fondente! Fondente is an adjective that comes from the verb fondere which means to melt or to liquify, so cioccolato fondente literally means “chocolate that melts in your mouth“!
Sometimes, because of its flavor, dark chocolate in Italian is also called cioccolato amaro, “bitter chocolate”.
| Cioccolato amaro | Dark chocolate |
Example:
| Non mi piace il cioccolato fondente al 99%. Non si scioglie bene in bocca ed è amaro. | I don’t like 99% dark chocolate. It does not melt well in your mouth and it’s bitter. |
Melted chocolate is translated as cioccolato fuso.
| Cioccolato fuso | Melted chocolate |
Expressions
You may be wondering what the translation for chocolate bar is in Italian.
| Barretta di cioccolato | Chocolate bar | |
| Tavoletta di cioccolato | Chocolate bar |
Barretta literally means “small bar”, while tavoletta means “small table”. These are completely interchangeable, so you can use either of them.
Then there’s the “box of chocolates”.
| Scatola di cioccolatini | Chocolate box |
Chocolate desserts in Italian
Cioccolato is used to produce a variety of desserts. The most common are…
| Torta al cioccolato | Chocolate cake | |
| Gelato al cioccolato | Chocolate ice cream | |
| Budino al cioccolato | Chocolate pudding |
Examples:
| La torta al cioccolato è la regina dei dessert. | Chocolate cake is the queen of desserts. |
| Non ricordo più dove ho messo il preparato per il budino al cioccolato. | I can no longer remember where I put the chocolate pudding mix. |
Wedding ceremonies often feature a fontana di cioccolato, a chocolate fountain. Guests usually cover some spiedini di frutta, fruit skewers, with melted chocolate for a delicious treat!
| Fontana di cioccolato | Chocolate fountain |
Example:
| La fontana di cioccolato deve essersi rotta. Non gira più. | The chocolate fountain must have broken. It doesn’t spin anymore. |
On Easter (a Pasqua) it’s customary for people to give out some uova di cioccolato, chocolate eggs, as a gift to family members and children.
| Uovo di cioccolato | Chocolate egg |
Example:
| Che tipo di sorpresa hai trovato nell’uovo di cioccolato? | What kind of surprise did you find in your chocolate egg? |
What are you waiting for? Head to a cioccolateria (chocolate shop) for a cup of cioccolata calda (you should already know this one)!
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