How do you translate junk food in Italian?
In this lesson, we’ll take a look at this very expression, also known as collocation, and even talk about what other kinds of junk food there are in Italian.
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Junk food in Italian
First of all, let’s translate junk food in Italian.
Cibo spazzatura
Junk food
Junk food in Italian – Let’s break it down!
Junk food literally means garbage food.
Cibo
Food
Spazzatura
Garbage, trash
Il cibo spazzatura costa poco, ma fa male alla salute.
Junk food is cheap but bad for your health.
Junk is actually translated as ciarpame or cianfrusaglie. Here’s how you pronounce them:
Ciarpame, cianfrusaglie
Junk
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For example, you could say…
C’era un sacco di ciarpame sul pavimento.
There was a lot of junk on the floor.
Mio fratello compra spesso delle cianfrusaglie inutili.
My brother often buys useless junk.
Cibo
We said that the most common translation for junk food in Italian is cibo spazzatura. Cibo is a masculine noun (IL).
Un cibo
A (kind of) food
Dei cibi
Some (kinds of) food
Il cibo
The food
I cibi
The foods
Some common expressions with cibo are…
Cibo fresco
Fresh food
Cibo biologico
Organic food
Cibo prelibato
Delicious food, delicacy
For example, you could say:
Preferisco il cibo fresco a quello confezionato.
I prefer fresh food to packaged food.
Il cibo biologico è più caro, ma è anche più salutare.
Organic food is more expensive, but it is also healthier.
Il caviale è un cibo prelibato.
Caviar is a delicacy.
Kinds of junk food in Italian
What kinds of junk food can you find in Italian? Here are some suggestions!
Le patatine fritte
French fries
La merendina (preconfezionata)
The (prepackaged) snack
La crema spalmabile
The spreadable cream (like Nutella)
La bevanda zuccherata
The sugary drink
L’hamburger
The hamburger
For example, you could say…
Non si dovrebbero mai bere le bevande zuccherate.
Sugary drinks should never be drunk.
Le merendine contengono molti grassi e poche fibre.
Snacks contain a lot of fat and little fiber.
Gli hamburger contengono tantissimi conservanti.
Hamburgers contain lots of preservatives.
Junk food in Italian – Examples
Quali sono alcuni tipi di cibo spazzatura?
What are some types of junk food?
Il cibo spazzatura fa ingrassare e ha pochi nutrienti.
Junk food is fattening and low in nutrients.
Le patatine fritte sono cibo spazzatura.
French fries are junk food.
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