Italian Phrase
Scusa, stasera ci sono solo bevande fredde.
Meaning
The speaker apologizes and informs the listener that, for this evening, the only drinks available are cold ones. It’s a polite way to set expectations about the menu.
When to use
Use this sentence in a bar, café, or restaurant when a customer asks what drinks are available and you need to explain that only cold beverages are being served tonight.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Scusa,staseracisonosolobevandefredde.
Scusa (imperative)
‘Scusa’ is the informal imperative of ‘scusare’, used to say ‘sorry’ or ‘excuse me’ when speaking to friends or peers.
Stasera (time adverb)
‘Stasera’ means ‘tonight’ and is placed at the beginning of the sentence to set the time context.
Ci sono (impersonal existence)
The construction ‘ci sono’ translates to ‘there are’ and is used for plural nouns to indicate existence.
Solo (only)
‘Solo’ functions as an adverb meaning ‘only’; it precedes the noun phrase it limits.
Bevande fredde (noun + adjective)
In Italian adjectives usually follow the noun; ‘fredde’ agrees in gender (feminine) and number (plural) with ‘bevande’.
🗨In Conversation
Cosa avete da bere?
What do you have to drink?
Scusa, stasera ci sono solo bevande fredde.
Sorry, tonight we only have cold drinks.
✕Common Mistakes
Scusi, stasera ci sono solo bevande fredde.
‘Scusi’ is the formal version; use ‘Scusa’ only in informal contexts.
Scusa, stasera ci sono bevande fredde solo.
Placing ‘solo’ after the noun changes the meaning to ‘the drinks alone are cold’. Keep it before the noun phrase.
Scusa, stasera ci sono solo bevande freddo.
The adjective must agree with ‘bevande’; ‘freddo’ would be incorrect.
↔Alternatives
Mi dispiace, ma questa sera abbiamo solo bevande fredde.
I’m sorry, but this evening we only have cold drinks.
Scusami, stasera serviamo solo bevande fredde.
Excuse me, tonight we serve only cold drinks.
Purtroppo, stasera ci sono solo bevande fredde.
Unfortunately, tonight there are only cold drinks.
Cultural Tip
In Italy, ‘Scusa’ is used with people you know well or in informal settings; for a more formal apology you’d say ‘Scusi’. The verb ‘ci sono’ is the standard way to talk about the existence of multiple items. Remember that adjectives agree with the nouns they modify – ‘fredde’ matches the feminine plural ‘bevande’. Also, Italians often serve hot drinks (caffè, tè) in the evening, so mentioning that only cold drinks are available can be a useful piece of information for tourists.