# Breakfast, lunch and dinner



## TimLA

Parliamo adesso di cose importante -- cibo! 

A Los Angeles direi: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

A Louisiana direbbero: Breakfast, dinner, supper

In Italia come usereste: Prima collazione, collazione, pranzo, cena?

E' diverso nelle varie regioni del paese?

tim


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## Alice_in_Wonderland

Here in Bologna people say:

-colazione
-pranzo 
-cena

Ciao da
Marta


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## AndrewUofR

Nello stato di New York direi : breakfast, lunch, dinner
Ma gli anziani direbbero: breakfast, dinner, supper

Andrea


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## cas29

In Canada, at least wehre I'm from,  (Ottawa, Ontario) breakfast, lunch and supper -- but for important meals like Thanksgiving, Christmas etc, the meal is almost always called "dinner" no matter if it is eaten at midday or in the early evening.


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## TimLA

In Italy -

Is "cena" always used for the evening meal?
Is "pranzo" always used for the mid-day meal?
Can "collazione" be used for the mid-day meal? (collazione = pranzo)
Does Prima Collazione mean "First Meal" or "Meal before (prima di) lunch"?


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## cas29

My answers are for northern Italy  - it may be different in other areas


Is "cena" always used for the evening meal?      YES
Is "pranzo" always used for the mid-day meal?   YES
Can "collazione" be used for the mid-day meal? (collazione = pranzo) YES
Does Prima Collazione mean "First Meal" or "Meal before (prima di) lunch"?

I believe it means first meal.


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## max63

Mind guys: it's colazione with one "l" only. In colloquial italian colazione only refers to breakfast, but in more formal language we should have to call it "prima colazione" while "colazione" is a synonim of "pranzo" that is lunch (colazione di lavoro = pranzo di lavoro = a lunch where people is supposed to talk about job......but where job is the last considered subject and everybody in the end are completely drunk!). Finally, cena is definitely dinner.
Max


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## TimLA

Superb!

Are there regional differences like in the US?

tim


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## Raphillon

cas29 said:
			
		

> My answers are for northern Italy - it may be different in other areas
> 
> 
> Is "cena" always used for the evening meal? YES
> Is "pranzo" always used for the mid-day meal? YES
> Can "collazione" be used for the mid-day meal? (collazione = pranzo) YES
> Does Prima Collazione mean "First Meal" or "Meal before (prima di) lunch"?


 
It is "colazione" actually and I don't think it can be used as a synonym of "pranzo", it is synonym of "prima colazione", instead:

"Colazione" = Morning
"Prima colazione" = Morning
"Pranzo" = mid-day
"Cena" = evening

Any break between is called "Merenda"  

Ciao. Mi avete fatto venir fame, vado a fare merenda 

Edit: Max, scusa l'incrocio.


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## max63

TimLA said:
			
		

> Superb!
> 
> Are there regional differences like in the US?
> 
> tim


 
Not to my knowledge. I think that colazione, pranzo e cena are used "Italywide"


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## Silvia

As far as I know we all talk about colazione (breakfast), pranzo (lunch), cena (dinner/supper).

If you want to be formal or rather oldfashioned/snobbish as you please (but that's what you get if you read some touristic leaflets): prima colazione, seconda colazione, cena.

P.S.: we do have inbetweens (usually when you're a student, after that you're too old to eat that much!)... merenda  (half morning, say 11 am, and mid-afternoon, say 4.30 pm)


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## parodi

Nel mio libro italiano "prima colazione"= "breakfast". Ma anche "colazione"="breakfast".   Qual è la differenza?

è questo corretto?.....Cosa abbiamo PER pranzo?  (What are we having FOR lunch?)

In inglese "I have brought my lunch."  In questo caso "lunch" è il mio cibo nel sacchetto.  Come se dice?


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## kap

parodi said:
			
		

> Nel mio libro italiano "prima colazione"= "breakfast". Ma anche "colazione"="breakfast". Qual è la differenza?
> 
> Colazione cam also be lunch although it is mostly used to indicate breakfast. This is why you sometimes find prima colazione as a supplementary indication that one is refering to breakfast. Colazione di lavoro is an expression where the word colazione is sure to mean lunch. Very few people will be caught having a business breakfast.
> 
> è questo corretto?.....Cosa abbiamo PER pranzo? (What are we having FOR lunch?)
> 
> I would say: "Che cosa c'è a pranzo?"
> 
> In inglese "I have brought my lunch." In questo caso "lunch" è il mio cibo nel sacchetto. Come se dice?


 
packed lunch = pranzo al sacchetto

CIAO

kap


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## kap

parodi said:
			
		

> è questo corretto? *Questo è corretto/giusto?.....*Cosa abbiamo PER pranzo? (What are we having FOR lunch?)
> 
> In inglese "I have brought my lunch." In questo caso "lunch" è il mio cibo nel sacchetto. Come se *si *dice?


 
Just a few small corrections.

kap


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## Frenko

It's a bit tricky due to french pre-rivolutionary influences.

By the way, unless you're invited to an embassy reception, colazione and prima colazione are the same thing (I'm not an expert of business breakfast).

Without any context I would say "cosa c'è per pranzo" too, even if "cosa abbiamo per pranzo" isn't straight wrong.

As for "I brought my lunch" in this case it doesn't matter where your food is.

Use: ho portato la mia colazione if for lunch do you mean breakfast, ho portato il mio pranzo if you mean lunch as afternoon meal or ho portato la mia merenda if you mean sneak (since as far as I know in the USA lunch could even have this last meaning)




			
				kap said:
			
		

> packed lunch = pranzo al sacchetto


I never heard pranzo al sacchetto before. I think that's a typo for pranzo al sacco.


Ciao


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## ElaineG

Ciao Parodi,



> Use: ho portato la mia colazione if for lunch do you mean breakfast, ho portato il mio pranzo if you mean lunch as afternoon meal or ho portato la mia merenda if you mean snack (since as far as I know in the USA lunch could even have this last meaning)


 
Ciao Frenko,

No so che hai sentito, ma qui "lunch" vuol dire "pranzo". Non usiamo "lunch" per "breakfast" o per "snack".


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## Frenko

ElaineG said:
			
		

> Ciao Frenko,
> 
> No so che hai sentito, ma qui "lunch" vuol dire "pranzo".  Non usiamo "lunch" per "breakfast" o per "snack".



Ciao Elaine 

Grazie, sei preziosa come sempre! 
Dove l'ho sentito prorpio non me lo ricordo... forse me lo sono sognato 

F


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## palandar

Ho sentito che la colazione indica sia il pasto della mattina sia il pasto del mezzogiorno.
Che il pranzo indica sia il pasto del mezzogiorno sia il pasto della sera.
Che la cena indica sia il pasto della sera sia quello della tarda nottata (??). 
Allora, quale è la verità? Sono differenze locali?


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## gabrigabri

TimLA said:


> Parliamo adesso di cose importante -- cibo!
> 
> A Los Angeles direi: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
> 
> A Louisiana direbbero: Breakfast, dinner, supper
> 
> In Italia come usereste: Prima colazione, colazione, pranzo, cena?
> 
> E' diverso nelle varie regioni del paese? No, perlomeno esistono dei termini "standard"
> 
> tim


 

Colazione ore 7
spuntino ore 10
pranzo ore 13
merenda ore 16
cena ore 20.

Da notare che più a sud si va, più tardi si mangia (certi torinesi cenano alle 18,30..  ).


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## gabrigabri

palandar said:


> Ho sentito che la colazione indica sia il pasto della mattina  sia il pasto del mezzogiorno (antiquato) .
> Che il pranzo indica sia il pasto del mezzogiorno sia il pasto della sera.
> Che la cena indica sia il pasto della sera sia quello della tarda nottata Il pasto delle tre di notte (o la famosa spaghettata di mezzanotte!) non ha un nome. (??).
> Allora, quale è la verità? Sono differenze locali?


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## beauxyeux

gabrigabri said:


> Colazione ore 7
> spuntino ore 10
> pranzo ore 13
> merenda ore 16
> cena ore 20.
> 
> Da notare che più a sud si va, più tardi si mangia (certi torinesi cenano alle 18,30..  ).


Beh, negli ospedali torinesi si mangia alle 5 p.m. (17.00)!!! Ma normalmente in quel di Torino si mangia alle 7 p.m. o alle 7.30...., neh!
Mentre al sud (mia amata Puglia) d'estate mangio anche alle 10.00 p.m.
Totalmente d'accordo con quello che ha scritto Gabrigabri, questi sono i nomi dei pasti usati solitamente


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## Bionda

cas29 said:


> In Canada, at least wehre I'm from, (Ottawa, Ontario) breakfast, lunch and supper -- but for important meals like Thanksgiving, Christmas etc, the meal is almost always called "dinner" no matter if it is eaten at midday or in the early evening.


 
There does not seem to be a notable difference between the two words except that dinner can refer to a more formal event.

Here's the MSN Encarta dictionary definition of supper:
Definition:
1. evening meal: a light meal eaten in the evening
2. main evening meal: the main meal of the day when taken in the evening
3. social event: an evening social event that includes a meal

Here is the definition for dinner:
Definition: 
1. main meal: the main meal of the day, usually eaten in the evening or sometimes in the early afternoon
2. banquet: a formal evening meal given in honor of somebody or something
3. restaurant meal: a meal that is eaten in a restaurant and consists of several courses, often offered together for a set price
4. food for dinner: the food served during or for a dinner


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## federicoft

palandar said:


> Ho sentito che la colazione indica sia il pasto della mattina sia il pasto del mezzogiorno.
> Che il pranzo indica sia il pasto del mezzogiorno sia il pasto della sera.
> Che la cena indica sia il pasto della sera sia quello della tarda nottata (??).
> Allora, quale è la verità? Sono differenze locali?



Allora, quello che ti ha correttamente scritto gabrigabri è l'idea che si ha generalmente in Italia di colazione-pranzo-cena, però i tuoi dubbi non sono del tutto infondati e quindi facciamo ordine:

La *cena* è il pasto della sera, in tutti i casi. Originariamente era un pasto leggero, oggi non più: si pranza fuori di casa e la cena è quasi sempre il pasto principale.
La *colazione* è il pasto della mattina, in (quasi) tutti i casi. Raramente, il pasto di mezzogiorno.
Il *pranzo *(*desinare *in Tuscany) non è né il pasto di mezzogiorno né il pasto della sera. Tecnicamente è il pasto principale della giornata. In alcune regioni fino a qualche decennio fa veniva consumato a mezzogiorno, in altre la sera. Oggi in tutta Italia coincide quasi sempre con il pasto di mezzogiorno.


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## Karl!!!!

I know nobody has asked this but here in Derby, central England:

Breakfast
Lunch (or dinner)
Tea (or dinner)


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## federicoft

Karl!!!! said:


> I know nobody has asked this but here in Derby, central England:
> 
> Breakfast
> Lunch (or dinner)
> Tea (or dinner)



Do you also have high tea in the evening?


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## aley

Alright, seeing much confusion here, *I* thought *I*'d post the general meanings, understood Italywide.

-*Colazione* = breakfast
-*Prima Colazione *= lunch (mid-day)
-*Pranzo* = lunch (mid-day)
-*Cena* = dinner (evening)

•Now, in italy we have a quite small breakfast, especially in northern areas, we have a short lunch (mid-day) then a huge dinner. 
•We usually eat around 20:00 which would be 8 p.m. 

Just wanted to clear it out


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## kittykate

aley said:


> Alright, seeing much confusion here, i thought i'd post the general meanings, understood Italywide.
> 
> -*Colazione* = breakfast
> -*Prima Colazione *= lunch (mid-day)


 
Sorry, no, it's the other way round: 

_Colazione_ is _breakfast_. _Prima colazione_ would be old-fashioned/snobbish, as Silvia said a long time ago
_Pranzo_ is _lunch_. _Colazione_, same as above. But we do still hear _colazione di lavoro_.

caterina


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## TimLA

It's interesting to see this thread come back around since it was started so many moons ago.

KK, your comment about "prima colazione" is VERY interesting.
I actually learned it at Italian hotels where, with the room, you get "prima colazione".
I thought is was common...I'll start using "colazione" 
Thanks again!


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## kittykate

Tim, others may disagree  

Actually, I never use _prima colazione_ for _breakfast_ and _colazione_ for _lunch_, and they both sound old-fashioned/snobbish to me. But I hardly ever go to hotels in Italy, and when it's abroad it's definitely _breakfast_!  

_Prima colazione_ is fine if you want to use it, only don't say it with 2 l, or else it'll become this

caterina


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## federicoft

I agree.
_Colazione_ is commonly used to mean breakfast, unless it's understood from the context it is a business lunch.


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## lucedamare

max63 said:


> Mind guys: it's colazione with one "l" only. In colloquial italian colazione only refers to breakfast, but in more formal language we should have to call it "prima colazione" while "colazione" is a synonim of "pranzo" that is lunch (colazione di lavoro = pranzo di lavoro = a lunch where people is supposed to talk about job......but where job is the last considered subject and everybody in the end are completely drunk!). Finally, cena is definitely dinner.
> Max




Es verdad? Mi ha fatto ridere con quella risposta


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## kythris

E il brunch dove lo mettiamo? Su entrambe le sponde dell'oceano solo la domenica? Qui (Illinois) e' la mega colazione / pranzo che si fa di domenica di solito, di solito a buffet; a Milano era un pasto light in un posto fashion...
Ciao!
Sara


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## monicamum

This is the true correct Italian

Prima colazione= breackfast
Seconda colazione= lunch 
_Merenda= snack.. but is possible to say _spuntino
Pranzo= supper
Cena= Dinner (always)

many people say _colazione pranzo _and_ cena_, but, even if common, is not educated, anyway there are also:
_Colazione di lavoro, colazione d'affari_ define a businessmen lunch
_Spuntino di mezzanotte_ is something which happens after midnight.
_Merenda_ defines also a picnic


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## monicamum

Desinare is regional, and has a more wide sense... to have a meal....


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## beauxyeux

monicamum said:


> This is the true correct Italian
> 
> Prima colazione= breackfast
> Seconda colazione= lunch
> _Merenda= snack.. but is possible to say _spuntino
> Pranzo= supper
> Cena= Dinner (always)
> 
> many people say _colazione pranzo _and_ cena_, but, even if common, is not educated, anyway there are also:
> _Colazione di lavoro, colazione d'affari_ define a businessmen lunch
> _Spuntino di mezzanotte_ is something which happens after midnight.
> _Merenda_ defines also a picnic



Non capisco bene cosa tu intenda... io non ho mai usato seconda colazione per parlare del pranzo e non mi risulta che supper possa corrispondere al pranzo. Mentre mi risultava che dinner potesse a volte (nei giorni di festa) corrispondere al pranzo e che corrisponda alla cena nei giorni feriali perché indica il pasto principale della giornata... 
Ma forse ho malinteso io....


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## federicoft

monicamum said:


> This is the true correct Italian



Calling the midday meal 'pranzo' is as correct as calling it 'colazione'. 
They are just used in different contexts and registers.


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## beauxyeux

federicoft said:


> Calling the midday meal 'pranzo' is as correct as calling it 'colazione'.
> They are just used in different contexts and registers.



Posso capire cosa tu voglia dire, ma da qui a stabilire che la lista scritta sopra sia "the true correct" one....


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## federicoft

Sono d'accordo con te infatti. Non è la 'true correct one' nemmeno per sogno.


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## Odysseus54

monicamum said:


> This is the true correct Italian
> 
> Prima colazione= breackfast
> Seconda colazione= lunch
> _Merenda= snack.. but is possible to say _spuntino
> Pranzo= supper
> Cena= Dinner (always)
> 
> many people say _colazione pranzo _and_ cena_, but, even if common, is not educated, anyway there are also:
> _Colazione di lavoro, colazione d'affari_ define a businessmen lunch
> _Spuntino di mezzanotte_ is something which happens after midnight.
> _Merenda_ defines also a picnic



"True correct Italian" ??  Wow. What is it when it's home ? 

What's your yardstick - how can you so categorically say that "colazione", "pranzo" e "cena" are for the uneducated ?


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## Mary_Italy

monicamum said:


> This is the true correct Italian
> 
> Prima colazione= breackfast
> Seconda colazione= lunch
> _Merenda= snack.. but is possible to say _spuntino
> Pranzo= supper
> Cena= Dinner (always)
> 
> many people say _colazione pranzo _and_ cena_, but, even if common, is not educated, anyway there are also:
> _Colazione di lavoro, colazione d'affari_ define a businessmen lunch
> _Spuntino di mezzanotte_ is something which happens after midnight.
> _Merenda_ defines also a picnic




I truly think it is very hard to define "the _true correct_ Italian" (contesto di riferimento?) and I find risky stating that all those words commonly used by the majority of Italian people are _not educated_

I think that when translating a word for a foreign person it is more important to give a suggestion that correspond to present language, unless we are talking about the origin of words in relation to epochs or their meaning and use in the past

I also believe it is important to consider different customs and habits when it comes to food, because it is always strongly related to culture and geography 

I would say:

colazione or prima colazione (probably formal) for breakfast, both can be used indistinctly  

merenda for snack, commonly used for kids having something light to eat during the mid-morning break at school. I have never heard of an adult having a _merenda_ during working hours; in fact in this case we would say spuntino or most probably we would have just a quick coffee

pranzo for lunch; obviously there are differences in between the ways people eat at lunchtime: generally in the south of Italy lunch is the most important and substantial meal of the day because shops and commercial business are closed in between 1pm and 4/4.30pm and than open again till 8pm, consequentially dinner for those people will consist in a light meal, probably closer to a supper in consistency, but served much later in the day; in summer time because of the very high temperature the lunch will certainly consist in a much lighter meal. Business and professional people would generally have a very light meal every day as they will take just 1hr break and than have a more important dinner. And this is also the case for the majority of people in the north of Italy.

pranzo d'affari for business lunch (used in the the south of Italy) I suppose is the same as colazione d'affari for business breakfast (used in the north of Italy); both take place at lunchtime 

merenda again for kinds as mid-noon break

cena for dinner earlier for the northern regions and later for southern areas, will be heavier for those who generally have a light lunch and the other way round for who probably is used to have an heavier lunch 

hope it helps


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