在意大利千万别点拿铁

在意大利，千万别点"拿铁"。原因是这样的。你坐在罗马一家漂亮的咖啡馆里，很累了，想喝咖啡。你说出"拿铁"这个词，因为在你自己的国家，这个词就是加奶咖啡的意思。服务员笑了笑，给你端来一杯纯牛奶，没有咖啡，只有牛奶。在意大利语里，"拿铁"的意思就是牛奶。趁朋友去意大利旅行之前，把这个故事发给他们看看。

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.

那应该怎么说呢？如果你想要加奶的咖啡，就说"caffè latte"。如果你只想要一小杯浓缩咖啡，说"un caffè"就够了。意大利人通常只在早上喝加奶咖啡，下午几乎不喝。晚饭后喝一小杯咖啡没问题，但那一般是一小杯不加奶的浓缩黑咖啡。

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.

罗马的服务员每天都会遇到这样的误会。他不会生气，反而觉得有点好笑。他把那杯牛奶放在你的桌上，等一会儿，然后温和地问："要不要在里面也加点咖啡？"现在你知道这个小秘密了。一个小小的词，却造成了天大的区别。

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.