The pasta is a bit overcooked.
SCOT-ta — two syllables, double 't', stress on the first.
When your pasta is noticeably overcooked and soggy — a genuine culinary crime in Italy. Use with care; it is a sensitive subject.
'Scotta' (or 'scotto') means overcooked. The term is particularly charged in Italy where 'al dente' (firm to the bite) pasta is a point of national pride. Saying this politely but clearly is appropriate — any Italian chef will want to know.
Non è al dente.
It is not al dente.
The definitive Italian pasta quality benchmark — every chef understands this immediately
La pasta è troppo morbida per i miei gusti.
The pasta is too soft for my taste.
Softer phrasing — personal preference rather than quality judgement
La prossima volta posso averla al dente?
Next time can I have it al dente?
Forward-looking — acknowledges the issue for future visits
Al dente — literally 'to the tooth' — means pasta cooked so it still has a slight resistance when bitten. It is not a preference in Italy, it is the standard. Pasta that has gone even one minute too long is considered ruined by Italian cooks.