…made by English speakers.
Learning Italian as an English speaker comes with its own set of challenges. While many aspects of the language may seem familiar at first glance, subtle differences in grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structure can lead to common mistakes. Here are seven of the most frequent errors made by English learners of Italian—and some tips on how to avoid them:
- 1. Misusing “Piacere”
- 2. Incorrect use of prepositions: “A” and “In”
- 3. Mixing up “Essere” and “Avere” in the Passato Prossimo
- 4. Forgetting to agree adjectives with nouns
- 5. Mixing up “Sapere” and “Conoscere”
- 6. Using “Molto” incorrectly
- 7. Confusing “Buono” and “Bello”
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1. Misusing “Piacere”
– The Mistake: One of the biggest challenges for English speakers is wrapping their heads around the verb piacere, which translates as “to like” but is structured very differently from its English counterpart. Instead of translating literally “I like pizza”, you should say Mi piace la pizza (literally, “Pizza pleases me”).
– How to Avoid It: Think of piacere in reverse. The subject of the sentence is the thing being liked (e.g., pizza), and the person doing the liking becomes the indirect object.
– Note: Remember to conjugate piacere based on the thing it is liked, so mi piace will be used with a singular noun and mi piacciono with a plural one.
For example: mi piace la mela (singular), mi piacciono le mele (plural).
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2. Incorrect use of prepositions: “A” and “In”
– The Mistake: Prepositions are tricky in any language, and Italian is no exception. A common mistake is confusing when to use a and in. For example, saying “Sono in Roma” instead of “Sono a Roma” when referring to being in a city.
– How to Avoid It: Use a when referring to cities or towns (a Roma, a Londra). Use in when talking about countries or larger regions (in Italia, in Francia). It’s a small distinction but one that makes a big difference in how natural your Italian sounds.
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3. Mixing up “Essere” and “Avere” in the Passato Prossimo
– The Mistake: In English, we use “have” to form the past tense, but in Italian, both avere (to have) and essere (to be) are used, depending on the verb. It’s easy to mistakenly say ho andato instead of sono andato (I went).
– How to Avoid It: Use essere in the passato prossimo for verbs of movement (e.g., andare, venire, uscire) and reflexive verbs (e.g., lavarsi – to wash oneself). For most other verbs, use avere.
For example: Sono andato a Milano. Ho mangiato il risotto ai funghi.
– Note: If you wish to refine the above guideline, please read our full blog on the use of essere and avere HERE.
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4. Forgetting to agree adjectives with nouns
– The Mistake: English adjectives don’t change based on the noun they describe, but Italian adjectives must agree in both gender and number with the nouns they modify. For example, saying La ragazza è bello instead of La ragazza è bella.
– How to Avoid It: Always remember that adjectives in Italian must match the gender (masculine/feminine) and the number (singular/plural) of the noun. If you’re describing a feminine noun, the adjective ends in -a (singular) or -e (plural). For masculine nouns, the adjective ends in -o (singular) or -i (plural).
– Note: adjectives that end in -e such as interessante, grande, intelligente, etc. don’t change in the feminine but only in the plural. They change from -e to -i in the plural.
For example: la ragazza grande, le ragazze grandi.
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5. Mixing up “Sapere” and “Conoscere”
– The Mistake: Both sapere and conoscere translate as “to know,” but they are used in different contexts. English speakers often mix them up, saying “So Maria” (I know Maria) instead of “Conosco Maria”.
– How to Avoid It: Use sapere when talking about facts or how to do something (e.g., so cucinare – I know how to cook). Use conoscere when referring to being familiar with people or places (e.g., conosco Maria – I know Maria).
– Note: If you wish to refine the above guideline, please read our full blog on the sapere and conoscere HERE.
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6. Using “Molto” incorrectly
– The Mistake: Molto can be used as both an adjective and an adverb, but it doesn’t always change form. Saying molti bella instead of molto bella (very beautiful) is a common error.
– How to Avoid It: When molto is used as an adverb (to modify adjectives), it stays the same regardless of gender or number (e.g., molto interessante, molto felice). When used as an adjective to mean “many,” it changes to agree with the noun (e.g., molti libri – many books, molte persone – many people).
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7. Confusing “Buono” and “Bello”
– The Mistake: Both buono and bello are positive adjectives, but they aren’t interchangeable. Saying bello cibo to describe good food instead of buon cibo is a typical mistake.
– How to Avoid It: Use buono to describe the quality of something, especially food (e.g., un buon caffè – a good coffee). Use bello to describe beauty or aesthetic qualities (e.g., una bella giornata – a beautiful day, un bel film – a great film).
If you wish to find out a bit more listen to the video HERE.
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In conclusion
These are just a few of the common mistakes English speakers make when learning Italian.
Do you have one that you always make?
Remember that making mistakes is part of the learning process—so don’t be afraid to practice, listen, and ask for feedback as you continue improving your Italian skills!
