Are you bad at Italian?
Yes!
Or at least you might be. But that’s absolutely fine.
Because Italian learners who eventually get good at Italian accept that their Italian isn’t always perfect.
In this post, we’ll look at how accepting you’re bad at Italian can help you stop unhelpful habits and start making progress.
You’ll also learn some practical phrases that you can use in your Italian conversations.
You’re Waiting To Feel Ready to Practice Speaking Italian
You might be wondering if you’re still too bad at Italian to practice speaking it. So you want to wait until you feel ready. But the moment of feeling ready might never come.
Once you accept that you won’t be perfect at speaking at first, it’s much easier to stop putting it off and start practising sooner, even if you make mistakes and stumble over your words.
And it’s really important to practice speaking in Italian, because it’s one of the best ways to make words and phrases stick.
By the way, if you want some more advice on speaking Italian, we have a blogpost on why you might not be able to speak Italian yet and how to fix it .
You Worry About How Long It’s Taking You
You might have been learning Italian for years and still feel like you “should” be better by now. And that worry can hold you back from practising, especially if you feel like you're just not naturally good at Italian.
First of all, no one’s counting how long it takes
And second, it’s completely normal for it to take time.
Give yourself permission to take as long as you need.
You Overanalyze Your Progress
Lots of students ask things like, “Should I know this by now?” or “Is it normal that this still feels hard?”
And yes, those thoughts are completely normal. But they distract you from just focusing on learning Italian and enjoying it.
Don’t worry about what level you’re at and trust the process instead. Struggling with something just means you’re stretching yourself and picking up new things.
You Keep Forgetting Italian Words
What’s the Italian word for “I would like” again? ...
Another frustration students often have is feeling like they forget Italian words easily. They worry that since they’ve seen a word enough times, they should know it by now.
Don’t worry about how many times you’ve seen an Italian word. Even once you learn it, you’ll remember it most of the time, but still forget it sometimes.
If you get stuck, you can always ask an Italian to help you (see some helpful phrases for this below).
You Speak in Italian and Get a Reply in English
You gather the courage to speak in Italian and…you get a reply in English.
This can be discouraging, but don’t let it put you off speaking in Italian. Speaking is one of the best ways to connect with Italians.
In any case, Italians often switch to English for reasons that have nothing to do with how good or bad your Italian is. They might just think they’re being helpful, or maybe they want to practise their English too.
For more advice on this, as well as useful phrases, you can read our blogpost on advice for speaking Italian (and not getting Englished) .
You Can’t Express Yourself in Italian Like You Can in English
When you’re trying to speak Italian, it’s very common to think in your own language first.
So if an Italian asks you a question like: perché ti piace l’Italia? (“why do you like Italy?”), the first thought that comes to mind might be something like “I’ve always loved Italy because I have Italian roots and I visited Italy a lot when I was younger”.
If you tried to say that in Italian, you’d need three different tenses. So it’s no surprise that it’s hard to say.
To avoid the frustration of not being able to say complicated phrases, think of simple ways to say a similar idea. The important thing is to communicate with Italians, don’t worry if you haven’t given detailed answers.
For example, to answer why you like Italy, you could just simply say:
Perché ho origine italiane -Because I have Italian roots
Perché mi piace la gente -Because I like the people
Also, if you learn common phrases that you know you’re likely to use in Italy, you can memorize those. That way, they’ll come out automatically without you having to stop and translate word for word in your head.
Useful Italian Phrases for When You Feel “I’m Bad at Italian”
If you are stuck at any point with your Italian, here are some phrases to either keep the conversation going in Italian or joke about your mistakes with Italians to connect with them.
| Posso provare in italiano? | Can I try in Italian? | POS-so pro-VA-ray een ee-ta-LYA-noh? |
| Ha tempo? | Do you (formal) have time? | Ah TEM-poh? |
| Hai tempo? | Do you (informal) have time? | Eye TEM-poh? |
| Sto imparando | I’m learning | Stoh eem-pah-RAHN-doh |
| Sono principiante | I’m a beginner | SOH-noh prin-chi-PYAN-teh |
| Grazie per la pazienza | Thank you for your patience (lit. thanks for the patience) | GRATS-yeh per lah pah-TSYEN-tsah |
| Come si dice…? | How do you say…? | COH-meh see DEE-cheh…? |
| Non ricordo la parola per… | I don’t remember the word for… | Non ree-COR-do la pah-ROH-lah per |
| La mia memoria! | My memory! | La MEE-a meh-MO-rya! |
For example:
Ah la mia memoria! Non ricordo la parola! -Ah my memory! I don’t remember the word.
Sono principiante, grazie per la pazienza! -I’m a beginner, thanks for your patience!
Am I Bad at Italian? We’ll Give You an Honest Answer: Review
It’s normal to feel like your Italian isn’t good enough, but that doesn’t mean you should give up. Here are some common mindset traps (and what to do instead):
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You’re Waiting To Feel Ready to Practice Speaking Italian
Don’t wait until you feel “ready” to speak Italian. That moment might never come. Accepting that you’ll make mistakes at first makes it easier to start practising sooner.
-
You’re worried about how long it’s taking.
It doesn’t matter how long it takes and don’t let that worrying about your progress hold you back from having a go.
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You overanalyze your progress.
Don’t worry about questions like “should I know this by now?”. Focus on learning and enjoying it.
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You keep forgetting words.
That’s normal. Even fluent speakers forget things!
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You get a reply in English.
Italians may switch to English to be polite or practice their own skills. Keep practicing in Italian anyway!
-
You can’t express yourself like in English.
Try simplifying what you want to say and learn set phrases you’ll use often.
K: Ciao a tutti e benvenuti! Hi everyone and welcome to “Learn Italian with Joy of Languages”.
M: Lots of Italian learners wonder if they’re bad at Italian. You can have this feeling whether you’ve just started or have been learning Italian for a really long time.
K: In this episode, we’re sharing why accepting that you might be bad at Italian is a good thing. Because once you stop fighting that feeling, you can let go of unhelpful habits that are holding you back and start getting better and better at Italian.
M: We’ll give you some tips so you can focus on just giving Italian a go and enjoying it.
K: And we’ll share some natural sounding Italian phrases that you can use to tell Italians that you’d like to practice, but don’t think that you’re Italian’s perfect yet.
M: These phrases will help take the pressure off and show Italians you’re eager to give their language a try, which is a great way to connect with them.
K: But before we get started, can we ask you a quick favore ? If you’re listening to this on your podcast app, could you click the subscribe or follow button? This way you’ll get notified when we release a new episode and you’ll help our podcast grow so we can keep making free lessons like this. Grazie!
M: So, if you embrace being bad at Italian for now, you’ll stop constantly evaluating your progress.
Students often see being bad as a problem, so they’ll say things like: I’ve noticed this has got a bit more difficult and I’m not sure if I’m good enough for this yet, or wonder if they know enough for the level they’re supposed to be at.
K: It’s really important to trust the process. If you think “hmm, I don’t feel that I know everything yet”, you don’t have to question that. That’s normal. There will be lots that you don’t understand because you’re learning. I still learn new words in Italian and I live in Italy and speak to Italians every day.
M: And you don’t want to stick to the easiest levels because that’s where you feel the most comfortable. You want to try things that stretch you a bit.
K: There is a useful phrase that you can use with Italians in this situation.
M: You can say sto imparando - I’m learning.
Sto - I am
Imparando - learning
Sto imparando
K: So if an Italian asks you if you speak Italian and you don’t want them to think that you can speak fluently just yet, in case they say something too complicated, you could answer:
M: Sto imparando
K: If you want to, you could add “sorry” at the front, if for a second you make a mistake, stumble over your words or need some thinking time. It’s a polite way to apologise to Italians for asking them to be patient while you gather your thoughts and try to speak clearly.
So in Italian that’s:
M: Scusi, sto imparando - Sorry, I’m learning. Literally:
Scusi - sorry (the formal version)
Sto - I am
Imparando - learning
Scusi, sto imparando
K: Or for the informal version, so the one you could use with friends, people you know well or young people:
M: Scusa, sto imparando - Sorry, I’m learning. Literally:
Scusa - sorry (the informal version)
Sto - I am
Imparando - learning
Scusa, sto imparando
Italians will usually insist that there’s no need to apologise for making mistakes, of course, it’s normal!
K: Italian learners also get worried that they’ve been studying for a long time and that because they’re not fluent after several months or years of studying, it means that they’re not naturally good at Italian and may as well not have a go at speaking it.
M: First of all, of course it takes a long time to learn a new language, so give yourself permission to take that time and embrace being bad at Italian for a while.
K: One thing you can tell Italians is that you’re learning slowly. This was something that I said a lot when I first started out learning Italian. Italians have a really nice phrase they use to talk about taking things slowly: piano piano. Literally “slow slow”. Piano piano.
So you could say: Sto imparando, piano piano - I’m learning, slowly. Literally:
Sto - I am
Imparando - Learning
Piano - slow
Piano - slow
K: Students also wait to practice Italian because they think they’re not ready yet. They think that they’ll wait a few more years until they feel easier, and then they’ll give it a go.
It’s important not to let the fear of being bad stop you from practising speaking Italian. Speaking is a really important skill. We find that it helps words and phrases stick in your mind better. Accepting that you’ll make mistakes at first makes it easier to start practising sooner, which is exactly what you need to do to start improving.
M: To make sure that you speak Italian, no matter what stage you’re at, you can ask an Italian if they don’t mind you practicing. One question you could ask is:
Posso provare in italiano? - Can I try in Italian? Literally:
Posso - I can
Provare - try
In - in
Italiano - Italian?
Posso provare in italiano?
K: To double check that the Italian you’re asking has time to let you practice, you could say:
M: Ha tempo? - Do you have time? Literally:
Ha - you have (in the formal)
Tempo - time
Ha tempo?
You could even put both phrases together and say:
Posso provare in italiano? Ha tempo? - Can I try in Italian? Do you have time? Posso provare in italiano? Ha tempo?
K: Or, if you wanted to use the informal version, you’d say:
M: Hai tempo? - Do you (informal) have time? Literally?
Hai - you (informal) have
Tempo - time
Hai tempo?
It might sound a little funny to ask if an Italian has time, but because it’s lighthearted, it’s a good way to show you’re being friendly and to connect with Italians.
K: Students also wonder if they’re bad at Italian because they forget Italian words easily. They worry that since they’ve seen a word enough times, they should know it by now.
M: Don’t worry about how many times you’ve seen the word. Even once you learn it, you’ll remember it most of the time, but still forget it sometimes.
K: If you’re trying to speak and your mind goes blank on a certain word, you can get an Italian to help you by asking:
M: Come si dice… ? - How do you say?
For example, you could say Come si dice “cash” in italiano? Literally:
Come - how
Si - one
dice - says
Cash - cash
In - in
Italiano - Italian?
By the way, the answer is contanti (x2)
K: The word “si” in come si dice can feel a bit tricky because we often translate it as “you.”, but it might not be the word for “you” in Italian that you’ve heard before. It’s an impersonal “you”, a bit like saying “one” in English. So, come si dice is like “how does one say...” instead of “how do you personally say?”. But don’t worry too much about the details, you can just learn it as a useful set phrase.
M: You can also say:
Non ricordo la parola per… - I can’t remember the word for…
For example, non ricordo la parola per “cash” - I can’t remember the word for cash. Literally:
Non - not
Ricordo - remember
La - the
Parola - word
Per - for
“Cash”
Non ricordo la parola per “cash”
K: If an Italian tells you the word and you want to say something along the lines of “ah yes, of course, I remember now” a nice simple thing you can say is:
M: Giusto! , which means “right”. Giusto!.
K: If you want to joke with Italians, you can also say:
M: Ah, la mia memoria - Ah, my memory. Literally:
La - the
Mia - my
Memoria - memory
K: Another common reason that students wonder if they’re bad at Italian is because they feel that Italians don’t understand them.
M: It can feel really discouraging when you build up the courage to speak in Italian and it seems like an Italian didn’t understand what you said.
K: Just because they didn’t catch what you said, it doesn’t mean you got it wrong, it might just be that they didn’t hear you properly. So don’t be afraid to try again, and you can even add:
M: Grazie per la pazienza – thanks for your patience. Literally:
Grazie - thank you
Per - for
La - the
Pazienza - patience
Grazie per la pazienza
It shows you appreciate their understanding, which helps keep the conversation friendly and relaxed.
K: Sometimes, if Italians don’t understand you perfectly, they might also switch to English. This can happen because Italians want to be helpful, or just want to practice their English, so definitely don’t take it personally.
M: But to make sure that the conversation stays in Italian so you actually get to practice, you can use the phrase you heard earlier:
Posso provare in italiano? - Can I try in Italian? Posso provare in italiano?
K: Finally, students often wonder if they’re bad at Italian because they don’t know how to say the same things that they can say in their native language.
M: This is really common because when someone asks you a question in Italian, like perché ti piace l’Italia? - why do you like Italy?, your first instinct might be to think about what you’d say in English first.
K: That may be something along the lines of “I’ve always loved Italy because I have Italian roots and I visited Italy a lot when I was younger”.
M: If you tried to say the same thing in Italian, you’d need three different tenses. So of course it’s going to be really difficult and it doesn’t mean that you need to worry about your Italian because you can’t say that yet.
K: One way to get around thinking too much in your first language is to learn really common, ready-made phrases, little chunks you hear and use so often that they become automatic. That way, you’re not stopping to think and translate word by word from English.
M: And you can also think about a simpler way to say the same thing. For example, instead of giving a long explanation for why you like Italy, you could just say: Ho origini italiane - I have Italian roots
Ho - I have
Origini - origins
Italiane - Italian
Ho origini italiane
Or you could say:
Mi piace la gente - I like the people
Mi piace - I like
La - the
Gente - people
Mi piace la gente
K: Let’s review some of the useful Italian phrases that you’ve seen so far, so you can practice them and start using them in Italy.
If you wanted to lower expectations a bit and say “I’m learning”, how could you say that in Italian?
[...]
M: Sto imparando - I’m learning. Sto imparando. If you want to add I’m learning slowly, you could say sto imparando piano piano (x2)
K: If you want to thank an Italian for their patience because they’ve let you try, even if your Italian isn’t perfect, what can you say? Literally “thanks for the patience”.
[...]
M: Grazie per la pazienza (x2)
K: If you want to make sure that you practice Italian and don’t have a switch to English, how would you say “can I try in Italian?”
[...]
M: Posso provare in italiano? (x2)
K: If you can’t remember the word for something, what’s the phrase for “how do you say”, in Italian? Just a little reminder that it’s literally “how one says”, with that little word si.
[...]
M: Come si dice ? For example, come si dice “cash” in italiano? - how do you say cash in Italian?
K: What about the phrase for “I can’t remember the word for”?
[...]
M: Non ricordo la parola per, for example, non ricordo la parola per “cash” - I can’t remember the word for cash.
K: And if you want to joke around and say “ah, my memory”, how would you say this in Italian?
[...]
M: Ah, la mia memoria (x2)
K: Finally, if someone asked you a question like “what do you like about Italy”, how could you reply simply with “I have Italian origins”
[...]
M: Ho origini italiane (x2)
K: So are you bad at Italian? Well, you might forget a word you think you should know. You might feel like you sound like a two year old in Italian when you’re well spoken in your own language. You might say something completely wrong and cringe about it later. We’ve all been there.
The learners who make the most progress don’t think they’re perfect at Italian, but they don’t let that stop them from giving it a go. They actually learn more that way and enjoy themselves way more too.
M: And using the phrases that you’ve learnt today is a great way to connect with Italians. They appreciate the fact that you’re being honest and light-hearted about your not so perfect Italian.
K: If you'd like a little more help remembering these phrases that you can use in your Italian conversations, you can go to our website, where you'll see the phrases written down and get access to vocabulary cards and a quiz. Just click the link in the description or go to joyoflanguages.com/italianpodcast and search for episode 193.
M: And if you know someone else who’s learning a language and has probably forgotten the same word 27 times as well, send this to them. It’s always nice to be reminded we’re not the only one.
K: See you next time
M: Or as we say in Italian
K + M: Alla prossima!
Time to check your understanding and remember everything you just learned! Below you’ll find a mini-quiz and some vocabulary cards to help it all go in.
Quiz: Am I Bad at Italian?
How much did you learn? Find out in the quiz!
Click here to take the quiz for this episode: Am I Bad at Italian?
Vocabulary
Posso provare in italiano? = Can I try in Italian?
Ha tempo? = Do you (formal) have time?
Hai tempo? = Do you (informal) have time?
Sto imparando = I’m learning
Sono principiante = I’m a beginner
Grazie per la pazienza = Thank you for your patience
Come si dice…? = How do you say…?
Non ricordo la parola per… = I don’t remember the word for…
La mia memoria! = My memory!
Perché ti piace l’Italia? = Why do you like Italy?
Perché ho origini italiane = Because I have Italian origins
Perché mi piace la gente = Because I like the people
Flashcards: Am I Bad at Italian?
Not sure how it works? Click here to watch the tutorial
