Lesson 17 of 18 · Café & Bar
Report a Spill or Broken Glass and Ask for Help
Factually report an incident involving spilled liquid or broken glassware near a table or counter (*è caduto un bicchiere*, *c'è del liquido per terra*), ask a coworker for assistance (*serve aiuto*), identify who has been notified, and distinguish the reported incident from unresolved physical hazards without giving false reassurance.
Learn these expressions
È caduto un bicchiere.
A glass fell / dropped.
Reporting a dropped item.
C'è del liquido per terra.
There is liquid on the floor.
Reporting a liquid spill.
Per terra è bagnato.
It is wet on the floor.
Describing a slippery surface hazard.
Serve aiuto vicino al tavolo uno.
Help is needed near table one.
Requesting assistance with location.
Ho avvisato il collega.
I notified my coworker.
Stating who was informed.
Il problema non è ancora risolto.
The issue is not yet resolved.
Distinguishing notification from resolution.
New words
- è caduto
- fell / dropped (past phrase from cadere with essere)
- il liquido
- the liquid / spilled drink (masculine singular noun)
- per terra
- on the floor / on the ground (prepositional phrase)
- bagnato
- wet (masculine singular adjective)
- il vetro
- glass (material: masculine singular noun)
- rotto
- broken (adjective / past participle)
- serve aiuto
- help is needed
- l'aiuto
- help / assistance (masculine singular noun)
- vicino a...
- near / close to (preposition phrase: vicino al tavolo uno, vicino al banco)
- ho avvisato
- I notified / I alerted (past phrase from avvisare)
- c’è del vetro / del liquido
- there is glass / liquid (fixed reporting phrases)
- Cosa è successo?
- what happened?
- ma
- but
- il problema
- the problem
- Attenzione!
- Careful! / Attention! (reporting cue)
- non è ancora risolto
- is not yet resolved (ancora = yet + risolto = resolved)
You may hear
- Cosa è successo? = What happened?
Grammar tipsShow
Describing Dropped Objects (È caduto...):
To report that an object fell, say È caduto followed by the masculine singular noun:
È caduto un bicchiere. (A glass fell.)
È caduto un piatto. (A plate fell.)
Describing Floor Conditions (Per terra...):
Use the phrase per terra (on the floor) to state conditions:
C'è del liquido per terra. (There is liquid on the floor.)
Per terra è bagnato. (On the floor it is wet.)
Distinguishing Notification from Resolution:
Telling a coworker alerts the team, but the hazard remains active until cleared. Clarify the status factually:
Ho avvisato Marco, ma il problema non è ancora risolto. (I notified Marco, but the problem is not yet resolved.)
Listen to the conversation
Listen once without reading. Then step through the lines below, one turn at a time.
Listening practice
Listen, pick an answer, then reveal the spoken words to check. Practice only, not an exam.
Question 1
What incident and location does Sam report?
Question 2
What does Sam confirm regarding the incident status?