Descrivere la propria giornata tipica in italiano
A1 Italian listening practice · Italian · Curated for beginners
What does “merenda” mean in Italian?
Italian counts a small fourth meal that English has no single word for: la merenda, a light bite eaten in the mid-afternoon, usually between lunch and dinner. You don’t “have” it, you “make” it — the set phrase is fare merenda, “to have a snack.” It can be fruit, bread, or something sweet — especially common for kids, though adults have it too.
In the clip the speaker walks through a typical day and says: “Nel pomeriggio faccio merenda con un po' di frutta e ascolto musica” — “In the afternoon I have a snack with a bit of fruit and listen to music.” Notice the verb: Italian pairs merenda with fare (to make/do), so faccio merenda = “I have a snack.” The word goes back to Latin merenda, from merēre, “to earn or deserve” — literally “things to be earned,” a small treat you’ve worked up to in the late afternoon. It’s standard across Italy. Related everyday meal words from the same day-in-the-life: colazione (breakfast), pranzo (lunch), and cena (dinner).