Never Order a Latte in Italy

Do not order a latte in Italy. Here is why. You are in a beautiful café in Rome. You are tired and you want coffee. You say the word latte, because at home that means coffee with milk. The waiter smiles and brings you a glass of plain milk. No coffee. Just milk. In Italian, latte means milk. Send this to a friend before their trip to Italy.

Neobjednávaj si latte v Taliansku. Tu je dôvod. Si v krásnej kaviarni v Ríme. Si unavený a chceš kávu. Povieš slovo latte, pretože doma to znamená kávu s mliekom. Čašník sa usmeje a prinesie ti pohár čistého mlieka. Žiadna káva. Len mlieko. V taliančine latte znamená mlieko. Pošli to kamarátovi pred jeho cestou do Talianska.

Here is what to say instead. If you want coffee with milk, ask for a caffè latte. If you want a small strong coffee, just say un caffè. Italians drink their milky coffee in the morning, almost never in the afternoon. A little coffee after dinner is fine, but it is small and black.

Tu je, čo povedať namiesto toho. Ak chceš kávu s mliekom, popýtaj si caffè latte. Ak chceš malé silné espreso, povedz jednoducho un caffè. Taliani pijú svoju mliečnu kávu ráno, takmer nikdy poobede. Malá čierna káva po večeri je v poriadku, ale je malá a čierna.

The waiter in Rome sees this mistake every single day. He is not angry. He thinks it is a little funny. He puts the glass of milk on your table, waits a moment, and then asks kindly, would you also like some coffee in that? Now you know the secret. One small word makes all the difference.

Čašník v Ríme vidí túto chybu úplne každý deň. Nie je nahnevaný. Myslí si, že je to trochu smiešne. Postaví ti pohár mlieka na stôl, chvíľu počká a potom sa láskavo opýta, chcel by si do toho aj trochu kávy? Teraz poznáš tajomstvo. Jedno malé slovo mení všetko.