🇮🇹 Italian · A2 · Cooking & Food

Following a recipe

5 min read · imperativo (aggiungere, mescolare, versare) · sequenzieri (prima, poi, quindi)

Vocabulary

ingredienteingredient
ricettarecipe
mescolareto mix / to stir
bollireto boil
cuocere al fornoto bake / to roast
tagliareto cut / to chop
versareto pour
scolareto drain
condireto season
assaggiareto taste
mescolareto mix / stir
il fornothe oven
il coperchiothe lid
la padellathe frying pan

The imperative and sequencers

In Italian, the imperative is used to give instructions in a recipe. For the second-person plural (*voi*), the form is regular: mescolate, versate, aggiungete. In more formal contexts or when addressing a group, the infinitive can also be used as an instruction: *mescolare bene, versare lentamente*.

Sequencers help structure the steps:

Prima di tutto → first of all / to begin with
Poi → then / next
Quindi → so / therefore / then
Infine → finally / lastly

Prima di tutto, tagliate le verdure. *(First of all, chop the vegetables.)* Poi, versate l'olio nella padella. *(Then, pour the oil into the pan.)* Infine, assaggiate e aggiustate di sale. *(Finally, taste and adjust the salt.)*

Expressions

Prima di tutto, preriscaldate il forno.Start recipe instructions
Aggiungete un pizzico di sale.Add a small amount of salt
Mescolate fino a ottenere un composto.Describe the expected result of mixing
Lasciate riposare per dieci minuti.Indicate a resting time
Assaggiate e aggiustate di sale.Finish preparation by adjusting seasoning
Per prima cosa, tagliare...Starting the recipe steps
Cuocere a fuoco lento per...Indicating the cooking method
Servire caldo con...Explaining how to serve the dish

Common mistakes

~~mescoliate la cipolla~~
mescolate la cipolla
Voi imperative for -are verbs ends in -ate not -iate
~~Poi, versare l'olio~~
Poi, versate l'olio
Use voi imperative not infinitive when addressing readers
~~cuocere il riso a fuoco forte~~
cuocete il riso a fuoco basso
Fuoco forte burns rice; use fuoco basso or medio
~~assaggia e aggiusti di sale~~
assaggiate e aggiustate di sale
Keep voi form consistent throughout the recipe
~~Metti l'olio in la padella.~~
Metti l'olio nella padella.
in + la contracts to nella
~~Cuoci il pasta per dieci minuti.~~
Cuoci la pasta per dieci minuti.
pasta is feminine: la pasta

Quick quiz

Question 1 of 5

How do you say “the oven” in Italian?

This is the mini version

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