What is the word for “water” in Italian? And how do I order it in Italian?
Here, you’ll find the word for water and useful, common phrases to help you order it in Italy.
You’ll also get some cultural tips, because there are a few things about ordering water in Italy that might surprise you.
How do you say water in Italian?
The Italian word for “water” is:
| L’acqua | LAH-kwah |
Notice anything familiar? English words like aquarium and aqueduct also come from the same root. They’re all things to do with water.
Here’s how you might talk about water in Italian:
Quando fa caldo bevo molta acqua -When it’s hot, I drink a lot of water
Dove posso comprare l’acqua? -Where can I buy water?
How do you order water in Italian?
These phrases give you everything you need to order water in Italian.
To ask what you’d like to drink, the waiter might ask you:
| Da bere? | To drink? | Dah BEH-reh |
| Porto qualcosa da bere? | Shall I bring something to drink? | POR-toh kwal-KOH-sah dah BEH-reh |
| Porto dell’acqua? | Shall I bring some water? | POR-toh dell-AH-kwah |
To order the type of water you want, you can use these phrases:
| Acqua del rubinetto | Tap water | AH-kwah del roo-bee-NET-toh |
| Acqua frizzante | Sparkling water | AH-kwah freet-ZAN-teh |
| Acqua gassata* | Sparkling water | AH-kwah gah-SAH-tah |
| Acqua naturale | Still water | AH-kwah nah-too-RAH-leh |
| Vorrei un bicchiere d’acqua | I’d like a glass of water | Vor-RAY oon beek-KYEH-reh DAH-kwah |
| Vorrei una bottiglia d’acqua naturale | I’d like a bottle of still water | Vor-RAY OO-nah bot-TEE-lyah DAH-kwah nah-too-RAH-leh |
*There’s no difference in meaning between acqua gassata and acqua frizzante. They both mean “sparkling water”. But acqua frizzante is more common, so expect to hear that more.
For example:
Porto dell’acqua? -Shall I bring some water?
Sì, una bottiglia d’acqua frizzante per favore -Yes, a bottle of sparkling water please
Ho sete . Vorrei un bicchiere d’acqua. -I’m thirsty. I’d like a glass of water.
Of course, you might not just want water while in Italy. If you want to know how to order all kinds of food and drink, we cover it in more detail in our post on ordering in Italian .
Where can I get water in Italy?
Surely I can just get water in normal places, like supermarkets, restaurants, and cafes, right?
Yes, but there’s another Italian word you should learn to do with water:
| Fontana | Fountain | Fon-TAH-nah |
Here’s how you can use it in a sentence:
C’è una fontana in questo parco? -Is there a fountain in this park?
Dov’è la fontana più vicina? -Where’s the nearest fountain?
Did you know that in Italy, you can find free, drinkable water?
You can find public drinking fountains in places like in town squares, parks and along footpaths. So, if you're out and about, you don't always have to buy bottled water. You can just fill up your borraccia (flask) with water from the fontana.
Water in Italian: Some Cultural Tips
When you’re ordering in Italian, there are some cultural tips to be aware of. Knowing how it all works will help you order confidently in Italian.
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Tap water – It’s not very common to drink acqua del rubinetto (tap water) in Italy, both in restaurants and at home. When you ask for water, expect waiters to bring you bottled water.
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Still or sparkling? – Italians usually have their preferences when it comes to drinking acqua naturale or acqua frizzante . If you don’t specify which one you’d like, the waiter will probably ask you.
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Coffee and Water – If you order a coffee in Italy, especially an espresso, you might get a drink of acqua frizzante on the side. This is because you’re meant to cleanse your mouth before drinking the coffee, so you can really appreciate the coffee flavors.
Water in Italian: How to Say It and Order It: Review
Let’s quickly recap the key tips and phrases for ordering water in Italy.
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The word for water in Italian is acqua.
Quando fa caldo, bevo molta acqua -When it’s hot, I drink a lot of water
Dove posso comprare l’acqua? -Where can I buy water?
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Before taking your full order, waiters in Italy will probably ask you what you want to drink.
Porto qualcosa da bere? -Shall I bring something to drink?
Porto dell’acqua? - Shall I bring some water?
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You don’t always have to buy water! You can fill up your borraccia (flask) at the fontana (fountain).
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There are few cultural differences to be aware of. For example, it’s not very common to ask for acqua del rubinetto (tap water) in Italy and waiters will want to know whether you want acqua frizzante (sparkling water) or acqua naturale (still water).
Matteo pouring himself a refreshing glass of aqua frizzante
K: Ciao a tutti e benvenuti! Hi everyone and welcome to “Learn Italian with Joy of Languages”.
M: In today’s episode we’re talking about a very useful word: acqua , or water…Yes, sorry, wine can’t be the only thing you drink in Italy.
K: You’ll want to know how to ask for water the right way so when you’re ordering, you can do it just like the locals.
But before we get started, can we ask you a quick favore? If you’re listening to this on your podcast app, could you hit the subscribe or follow button? This way you’ll get notified when we release a new episode and you’ll help our podcast grow so that we can keep making free lessons like this. Grazie!
M: We said that the word for water is: acqua (x2)
K: When you arrive at a restaurant in Italy, before the waiter takes your order, he might ask you: M: Porto dell’acqua? Can I bring some water? Literally:
Porto – I bring
Dell’ – some
Acqua – water
M: Porto dell’acqua?
But if you just say yes thanks, or sì grazie, it’s very likely that you’ll be asked a follow-up question.
M: The waiter will want to know if you want naturale or frizzante?
K: Still or sparkling? It’s a very common question in Italy, because Italians usually choose to drink either still or sparkling.
K: So, to say “still water” in Italian, it’s:
M: Acqua naturale . Literally:
Acqua - water
Naturale natural
Acqua naturale
K: And sparkling water is: M: Acqua frizzante (x2) . Literally:
Acqua - water
Frizzante - fizzy
M: For sparking water, you might sometimes also hear: acqua gassata (x2). It’s the same thing, just a different way of saying it.
K: Everyone in Italy has their own preferences when it comes to still or sparkling. So if you’re out for dinner in a group, you might order both types so everyone gets what they want.
M: For example, Katie and I prefer sparkling water. We like to live on the edge with fizzy water. And it’s meant to help with digestion.
K: To say that you’d like a sparkling water, you could say:
M: Vorrei una bottiglia d’acqua frizzante - I’d like a bottle of sparkling water. Literally:
Vorrei - I would like
Una - a
Bottiglia - bottle
Di - of
acqua - water
Frizzante - fizzy
Vorrei una bottiglia d’acqua frizzante
K: Did you hear how Matteo pronounced ‘of water’? He didn’t say “di acqua”, instead he said:
M: d’acqua (x2)
K: when you’re using “of”, “ di ” in Italian and the next word starts with a vowel very often the two words get squished together. So, if you want to say “a bottle of water”, you could say:
M: una bottiglia d’acqua (x2)
K: If you prefer still water, you’d say:
M: Vorrei una bottiglia d’acqua naturale - I’d like a bottle of still water. Literally:
Vorrei - I would like
Una - a
Bottiglia - bottle
Di- of
acqua -water
Naturale - still
Vorrei una bottiglia d’acqua naturale
K: And as a last thing, there’s something a bit unusual to do with water that only happens in Italy.
M: Have you ever ordered a coffee in Italy and got a little glass of acqua frizzante , or sparkling water, on the side?
K: If you get this, it’s not because Italians are worried you’re thirsty. It’s because the water is meant to clear your mouth before you take the first sip of coffee, so you can really appreciate the flavors.
M: Usually you get given acqua frizzante because Italians think the bubbles are better for cleaning away any lingering flavors in your mouth.
K: Ok, so you’ve heard some very common phrases that you’ll need for ordering water in Italy. Let’s see what you can remember.
What’s the Italian for sparkling water?
[...]
M: Acqua frizzante (x2) Or another way, which has the same meaning, is acqua gassata (x2).
K: What about still water?
[...]
M: Acqua naturale
K: Putting that altogether, how would you say “I’d like a bottle of sparkling water?”
M: Vorrei una bottiglia d’acqua frizzante
[...]
K: And what about “I’d like a bottle of still water?”
[...]
M: Vorrei una bottiglia d’acqua naturale
K: We’ve mentioned most of the unique things about ordering water in Italy, but there’s one we haven’t mentioned yet.
M: And you’ll want to know it, because it’s something you might do when ordering at home, but it’s actually fairly rare in Italy.
K: To find out what this is, plus more phrases and cultural tips, click the link to the blogpost in the description, or visit italian.joyoflanguages.com/podcast and search for episode 180.
M: See you next time.
K: Or as we say in Italian.
Alla prossima!
Time to check your understanding and remember everything you just learned! Below you’ll find a mini-quiz and some vocabulary cards to help it all go in.
Quiz: Water in Italian
How much did you learn? Find out in the quiz!
Click here to take the quiz for this episode: Water in Italian
Vocabulary
Porto dell’acqua? = Can I bring some water?
Porto qualcosa da bere? = Can I bring something to drink?
Quando fa caldo, bevo molta acqua = When it’s hot, I drink a lot of water
Dove posso comprare l’acqua? = Where can I buy water?
Ho sete. Vorrei un bicchiere d’acqua = I’m thirsty. I’d like a glass of water
Una bottiglia d’acqua frizzante per favore = A bottle of sparkling water please
Acqua naturale = Still water
Acqua frizzante = Sparkling water
Vorrei una bottiglia d’acqua frizzante = I’d like a bottle of sparkling water
Vorrei una bottiglia d’acqua naturale = I’d like a bottle of still water
Flashcards: Water in Italian
Not sure how it works? Click here to watch the tutorial
