Can you understand Italian… but freeze when it’s your turn to speak?
You’re not alone. It’s very normal to be able to catch key words, follow what someone’s saying, maybe even understand a full conversation, but then struggle to reply.
There are five common reasons why this happens. We’ll share them with you here.
The buona notizia (good news) is that there are some simple solutions to each of these problems. If you put them into practice, they’ll help you be more confident speaking Italian.
By the way, if you’d like some extra help with speaking Italian, our Online Italian School is opening soon and we’d love to see you there.
You’re Feeling Under Pressure
If you're in Italy and trying to practise speaking Italian, there are plenty of situations that can make you feel nervous.
Like ordering at the bar and worrying that the barista will either not understand you or will just automatically reply in English.
When you're stressed, it can make you freeze up, stumble over your words and forget what you’re trying to say. And then all you probably want to do is run away as fast as possible.
Instead of running away, you can use some Italian phrases to lower the pressure. They buy you thinking time and they help lower the expectations by reminding Italians you’re still learning.
It's also a great way to connect with Italians because it shows you're open about not speaking perfectly yet, but being willing to have a go anyway.
| Un secondo | One second | Oon seh-KON-doh |
| Un minuto | One minute | Oon mee-NOO-toh |
| Un attimo | One moment | Oon AHT-tee-moh |
| Provo in italiano | I’ll try in Italian | PROH-voh een ee-tah-LYAH-noh |
For example:
Scusi, un minuto. Provo in italiano. -Excuse me (formal), one minute. I’ll try in Italian.
If you want to learn even more phrases like these, you can find them on our blogpost advice for speaking Italian (and not getting Englished) .
You understand so much more than you can say
Lots of students say they can understand Italian, but struggle to use the words themselves. They say it like it’s a personal failing, but it’s completely normal.
It’s much easier to recognise a word passively when you read it or hear it alongside other words that help you figure out the meaning from context. What’s harder is pulling that word out of your brain and using it actively in a sentence.
So the question is:
How can you turn your passive knowledge (the words you recognize) into active knowledge you can actually use when speaking?
Here are a few things that really help:
-
Try thinking in Italian as you go about your day, whether you're walking somewhere or just in the shower.
-
Talk out loud to yourself when you’re at home. If you do it regularly, it can really help your Italian start to feel more natural and automatic.
-
Practise speaking with real people, like a teacher or classmates, in low-pressure situations where you feel relaxed and supported.
You Know Words, Not Full Sentences
You might have learnt lots of individual words in Italian, but you’re not sure how to put them together to make full sentences.
For example, you might know how to say “red wine”( vino rosso ) and “white wine” ( vino bianco ) in Italian, but trying to say a sentence like “I like white wine, but prefer red” is a lot trickier.
Not knowing how to form sentences is a common problem. It comes from typical school methods which have you learn lots of different word lists and hope that some day you’ll magically be able to put them together.
But it doesn’t work that way. Translating word-for-word from English isn’t a good idea for two reasons:
To be able to say full sentences in Italian, you can learn set phrases. That way they come out automatically. Here are some examples for beginners:
| Tutto bene | All good | TOOT-toh BEH-neh |
| Ci vediamo | See you later | Chee veh-DEE-ah-moh |
| Alla prossima | Until next time | AHL-lah PROSS-see-mah |
For example, a waiter might stop by your table and check that everything’s ok with your meal. You could reply: tutto bene! Or if an Italian asks you “how are you?”, you could also say tutto bene to reply.
For other really common phrases that you’re likely to hear and use when travelling around Italy, you can see our blog post on 50 Italian Words and Phrases To Know For Your Next Trip .
You can also pick up common Italian phrases by listening to natural conversations in Italian.
The more you hear Italian being spoken, the more you’ll absorb the everyday expressions that come up again and again, ready for you to use when you try to speak.
You’ve Memorized the Whole Textbook
Textbooks tend to include lots of words on different topics and not all of those words will be useful or relevant to you. Like learning the words for elefante or giraffa. You probably won’t need those to get around Italy.
Try to personalize your learning as much as possible. Focus on words that are meaningful to you and the things you’d like to share with the Italians you’ll meet.
At our Online Italian School , you’ll get to do plenty of speaking practice with our Italian teachers (and your lovely classmates) on topics that are relevant to you.
You can practice speaking during live lessons, but you can also leave notes, voice recordings or videos where you share your thoughts on a topic. Our teachers then give you personalized feedback to help you improve.
You’re a Secchione or Secchiona
If you’re learning Italian, you probably enjoy studying and learning. So you might be a bit of a secchione or secchiona (that’s Italian for someone who wants to be top of the class).
But sometimes, wanting to be perfect can get in the way. It can make you hesitate instead of just giving speaking a try.
Making mistakes is a really important part of learning a language. And Italians won’t mind if your Italian isn’t perfect, they’re just happy you’re trying and want to communicate with you.
If you also find yourself feeling frustrated because you can’t say complicated things in Italian, there’s nothing wrong with keeping it simple. You can learn more basic phrases that get your ideas across just as well.
We talk about some of the simple phrases you can use, in our blogpost on am I bad at Italian? We’ll give you an honest answer.
Why You Can Understand Italian But Can't Speak It: Review
Now you've seen the common reasons (and solutions) to explain why you can understand Italian but can’t speak it. Let’s review what you’ve learned so far.
-
You understand so much more than you can say
It’s normal to understand more Italian than you can say. To get better at using Italian more actively, try thinking in Italian, talking to yourself, and practising chatting in relaxed situations.
-
You’re Feeling Under Pressure
Stress can make you freeze when speaking, but simple phrases can help you buy time and feel more relaxed.
For example:
Un secondo -One second
Provo in italiano -I’ll try in Italian
-
You Know Words, Not Full Sentences
Instead of translating word-for-word, learn set phrases so they come out automatically. This will save you thinking time.
For example:
Tutto bene -All good
Ci vediamo -See you later
-
You’ve Memorized the Whole Textbook
Textbooks include lots of words and not all of them are relevant, so practicing speaking on real-life topics with teachers and classmates is more useful.
-
You’re a Secchione or Secchiona
Wanting to be perfect can hold you back, but Italians appreciate your effort, so it’s okay to just use simple phrases.
K: Ciao a tutti e benvenuti! Hi everyone and welcome to “Learn Italian with Joy of Languages”. Before we get started, we have a quick announcement: registration for our Online Italian School is opening in a couple of days.
M: Last term we sold out molto velocemente , very fast, so if you think you might like to join us and you’d like a reminder so you don’t miss it, click the link in the description. We’d love to have you with us.
K: So, a lot of students wonder why they can understand Italian but struggle to speak it. They often think it means there’s something wrong with them, but it’s actually completely normal. I’ve been living in Italy for many years, and I still understand more than I can say!
M: When you’re listening, you can guess a lot from context and fill in the gaps to help you understand. Speaking is often more difficult because you have to find the right words yourself, in real time.
K: It takes patience, but with practice, it does get easier. So let’s talk about what might be stopping you from speaking, and what you can do to feel more confident and give it a go.
M: The first reason you might be finding it hard to speak is pressure either from yourself, or from the situation you’re in.
K: For example, you might find yourself at the coffee bar and, not wanting to be a typical tourist, you decide to give your order in Italian. Only you suddenly feel the pressure of getting the words right and making sure the barista understands you (and doesn’t just reply in English). In these situations, you can end up freezing and not getting the words out, so it really helps to give yourself time. For example, you can say:
M: scusi, un minuto - Excuse me, one minute. Literally:
Scusi - excuse me (formal)
Un - a
Minuto - minute
Scusi, un minuto.
K: If you want to, you can also say something to lower expectations about your level of Italian. I give this advice a lot because it’s one of the most helpful things I did to allow myself to practice more freely.
M: Admitting your Italian isn’t perfect is a great way to connect with Italians. It really shows your human side, that you’re not perfect, but you’re willing to try.
K: In fact, when my friend Josh was first practicing Italian, he’d actually say to people: sono inglese e sono stupido - I’m English and I’m stupid, before he asked Italians to help him. He’d say it with a silly smile on his face so he was clearly joking, and they usually found this really funny.
M: Or you can also say: provo in italiano - I’ll try in Italian. Literally:
Provo - I try
In - in
Italiano - Italian
K: Let’s put two phrases together:
M: scusi, un minuto. Provo in italiano. Excuse me, one minute. I’ll try in Italian.
Scusi, un minuto. Provo in italiano.
M: Another really common problem is that you recognise some Italian words when you hear them, but when it’s your turn to speak, it just comes out really slowly, or you hesitate for a long time trying to find the right words.
K: That used to happen to me all the time. I learnt Italian as an adult, and I’d get frustrated when I understood the gist of what people were saying, but then it took me so long to reply — or I made a mistake because I was overthinking everything.
M: The good news is, there are ways to practise speaking that help you speed up — without putting yourself under pressure or needing someone to talk to.
M: One of the best things you can do is start using your Italian actively, so start trying to make sentences, even when you’re on your own.
K: For example, try thinking in Italian while you’re out for a walk or in the shower. Just describe what you’re doing, or imagine little conversations in your head. You can start really simply, even as a beginner — like counting your steps in Italian, saying prices in your head at the supermarket, or thinking about how you’d ask to buy something.
M: It also really helps to practise with real people, like teachers or classmates. Doing role plays or chatting about everyday things, just like you’ll eventually do in Italy, lets you practise important words and phrases. That way, when it’s time to use them in real life, you’ll be less likely to freeze or second-guess yourself.
K: The third reason that you might not speak Italian yet is because you know lots of individual words, but don’t know how to put them together in sentences.
M: For example, you might know the word for “beautiful”, bello or bella and “city”, città , but trying to say something like “This city is very beautiful!” is a lot harder .
K: This problem is very common. It comes from typical school methods of memorizing individual words and hoping that if you learn enough words, one day magically you’ll be able to put them together and speak Italian. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. Trying to string words you know together in the moment to form a sentence while you’re speaking will really slow you down.
M: To avoid translating word for word, we suggest learning sentences as chunks.
K: That way, phrases will come out automatically, you’re not stopping to piece together every single word in your head.
M: For example, you might already know the phrase come ti chiami in Italian. You probably know that phrase as it is.
K: In Italian, come ti chiami, is literally “how do you call yourself”, in a funny order: “how” (come), “yourself” (ti), you call (chiami). But you just say come ti chiami . You’re probably not thinking in your head that you’re trying to say “how do you call yourself”. In fact, as we can see from this example, some phrases in Italian are said differently to how they’re said in English, so it doesn’t work to piece them together word-for-word. It’s best to focus on learning the phrase instead.
M: Some other useful phrases that you can learn as chunks could be:
Tutto bene - all good. Literally:
Tutto - all
Bene - well.
Tutto bene
K: You could use this if someone asks “how are you” in Italian. Or it’s a really common phrase to use to reply to a waiter when they come and check that everything’s ok with your meal.
M: Tutto bene (x2)
M: Or you could say ci vediamo - see you later. Literally:
Ci - each other
Vediamo - see
Ci vediamo
K: Word for word it doesn’t make much sense, but that’s just how Italians say it. See you later:
M: Ci vediamo
M: To learn chunks of Italian words, you can make sure you’re listening to lots and lots of everyday conversations. This is particularly helpful if you don't feel comfortable speaking yet. You can start with simple ones, like the dialogues we include in some of our podcast episodes.
K: When you listen to conversations, you begin to absorb the phrases and the words that often go together, so when you do speak, sometimes you’ll find they’re already there in your mind, ready to use.
M: Ah, and just in case you were wondering, the phrase “this city is very beautiful” that we mentioned at the beginning of this section is: questa città è molto bella (x2).
K: Another problem that learners face with speaking Italian is that they want to be the perfect students and not make any mistakes. Or feeling frustrated because you’re able to say lots of elaborate things in your own language, but can’t convey the same ideas in Italian.
M: Try not to worry too much about making mistakes – you need to make them in order to learn. And more importantly, Italians care about communicating with you, not whether you didn’t put the right ending on the adjective.
K: And I would also suggest keeping it really simple. Don’t try to say things at the same complexity level that you would in English. Instead, aim for something that’s close enough. The rest will come with time, but in the beginning, it’s much better to use the Italian you do know than to start saying something complicated and get stuck halfway through.
M: Lastly, don’t feel you should memorize every word you come across in a textbook. It might include lots of words that aren’t relevant to you and so you won’t need to use them much. Like elefante or giraffa. Unless you work in a zoo. Then you might want to learn them.
K: Try to personalize your learning as much as possible. Focus on words that are meaningful to you and the things you’d like to share with the Italians you’ll meet.
M: For example, if you see a long list of job titles in a textbook, and you’re not a plumber or an accountant, don’t worry about learning those words yet.
K: Depending on your situation, something like “Sono in pensione” (“I’m retired”) might be far more useful. Literally:
sono – I am
in – in
pensione – retirement
M: Sono in pensione
K: When I was learning Italian, at a certain point I realised I’d actually wasted a lot of time trying to memorise things I didn’t end up using that much in conversation. So with our online school, I’ve designed it to try and help you practice saying things you’re more likely to need when speaking with Italians. That happens in live lessons, but you can also leave short notes (voice messages, or videos) and our teachers give you personalised feedback to encourage you and help you improve.
M: Since you’ve heard a few Italian phrases in this episode, let’s see what you can remember.
K: To take the pressure off speaking, and give yourself a bit of time to collect your thoughts, how could you say “excuse me, one minute?”
[...]
M: Scusi, un minuto (x2)
K: And what about if you wanted to say “I’ll try in Italian?”
[...]
M: Provo in italiano (x2) .
K: So putting those two sentences together to say “excuse me, one minute. I’ll try in Italian”?
[...]
M: Scusi, un minuto. Provo in italiano (x2) .
K: What’s a phrase that you can use that means “all good”, like if someone asks you “how are you?” in Italian?
[...]
M: Tutto bene (x2)
K: And what about a way to say “see you later” in Italian?
[...]
M: Ci vediamo (x2)
K: If you are finding speaking Italian tricky (like nearly everyone does!) but you’d like to start giving it a go, we’d love to welcome you to our online school. You’ll get low-pressure opportunities to speak with our very kind and very supportive teachers who give personalised, encouraging feedback and help you feel more confident (even when the words don’t come out perfectly!).
M: Or even if they don’t come out at all! Our teachers know you’re learning, and they expect you to make mistakes, speak slowly and have long silences, it’s all part of it. They’ll gently help you speak.
K: We have lessons at every level, even if all you know is ciao. The lessons have clear explanations that help you learn useful, practical phrases. And there’s also a place when you can ask questions about anything you’re unsure of.
M: If you think you might like to join us, click the link in the description to learn more. We’d love to help you start speaking more with Italians.
M: See you next time.
K: 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: Why You Can Understand Italian But Can't Speak It
How much did you learn? Find out in the quiz!
Click here to take the quiz for this episode: Why You Can Understand Italian But Can't Speak It
Vocabulary
Tutto bene = All good
Ci vediamo = See you later
Alla prossima = Until next time
Provo in italiano = I’ll try in Italian
Scusi, un minuto = Excuse me (formal), one minute
Flashcards: Why You Can Understand Italian But Can't Speak It
Not sure how it works? Click here to watch the tutorial
