Did you know Italian contains numerous word pairs where only the gender ending is different? For example, we have mattino and mattina (morning), tavolo and tavola (table), and today’s scrumptious example, cioccolato and cioccolata (chocolate). Curious to discover the subtle yet important difference? Then keep reading!
cioccolato
cioccolata
Now, before we begin, it needs to be said that in 95% of all cases, chocolate is going to be considered masculine in Italian, which means it will have the -o ending.
Almost all children prefer il cioccolato al latte (milk chocolate) due to its sweetness, whereas many adults trying to live a healthier lifestyle while also enjoying the occasional sweet treat may opt for il cioccolato fondente (dark chocolate). Il cioccolato bianco (white chocolate) is more of an acquired taste, with many people finding it quite sickly. (For the record, I am not one of those people!)
Ti piace di più il cioccolato fondente o il cioccolato al latte?
Do you like dark chocolate or milk chocolate more?
Then we have all the different desserts that are al gusto di cioccolato (chocolate flavoured), such as the birthday favourites, la torta al cioccolato (chocolate cake) and il gelato al cioccolato (chocolate ice cream). You might like to sprinkle a few gocce di cioccolato (chocolate chips) on your cereal in the morning, like my husband, or maybe you simply prefer to indulge in a square or two of a barretta / tavoletta di cioccolato (chocolate bar) in the evening before bed. Whatever your preference, just remember that when describing these food items, you need to use the masculine cioccolato. Easy right?
Ho mangiato una tavoletta di cioccolato intera e adesso non mi sento bene.
I ate a whole bar of chocolate and now I don’t feel well.
Keep in mind that when describing individual chocolates, such as the kind you buy in bulk, you need to use the diminutive cioccolatino – literally “little chocolate.”
So, when do we use the feminine cioccolata? There is only one case where you’ll hear this word, which is when describing chocolate in its liquid as opposed to its solid form – or in other words, la cioccolata calda (hot chocolate).
- fare la cioccolata = to make a hot chocolate
- una tazza di cioccolata (calda) = a cup of hot chocolate
Avrei proprio voglia di bere una buona cioccolata calda.
I’d really like to drink a delicious hot chocolate.
Important: What I’ve shared here is a general rule I feel learners should follow, and that is widely accepted across Italy. However, it should be noted that there are regional differences across Italy, where the feminine cioccolata may actually be preferred to the masculine cioccolato. For example, in some regions, you may hear una tavoletta di cioccolata rather than una tavoletta di cioccolato.
Heather Broster is a graduate with honours in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, proficient in English and Italian, as well as Japanese, Welsh, and French to varying degrees of fluency. Originally from Toronto, Heather has resided in various countries, notably Italy for a period of six years. Her primary focus lies in the fields of language acquisition, education, and bilingual instruction.
