Tips for Learning the Language Before You Go: Parlando Italiano (Speaking Italian)

What do you do when you can't understand anything around you?

Imagine being completely immersed in another culture; you don't speak the language at all, and have no idea what the people around you are saying. This is a reality for many people, including yourself if you are planning on traveling abroad to Italy and are not bilingual. Italian is an amazing language, and definitely one worth learning for your trip! Knowing the language will help you tremendously, even when just walking around the beautiful cities.

Panorama Picture Walking Around Rome.

When I planned to go on my trip to Italy, I had absolutely no experience in reading or speaking Italian. The most knowledge I had were a few years of Spanish, but I did not think that would help me much in Europe. As it turns out, being able to speak Spanish will help you when you are traveling around Italy; although, a few people seemed to be annoyed with us speaking Spanish instead of Italian...but can you blame them when you are going to their country? Knowing at least the basics of the country's language you are in will make your trip all the more worthwhile, as you will be able to interact more with the people and become more involved in the culture.

I have found a few ways to help overcome this predicament, and hope they can help you on your trip.

Duolingo is a free app that you can download from the app store on your phone or computer, and it has a ton of languages within the software. The best thing about this app is that it does not just give you words and tell you to memorize them; instead, it uses a multitude of ways to help you actually remember the words and be able to use them in an appropriate context.

Duolingo App Icon

Duolingo allows you to read the sentences  in Italian, and  in addition, listen to a prerecorded voice read them to you. This gives you the visual and audio of the word, which is a tremendous help when you are in another country trying to read different signs....seriously not everywhere has little people on the bathroom signs if you aren't able to read the writing, so knowing the basics can definitely save you from some awkward situations. In addition to reading and hearing the voice say sentences, it pairs pictures with words. For example, it may show you the word "la mela" and explain it to you. It then might bring up three pictures of items and ask you to pick which one is "la mela" (it is an apple by the way).

Also, this app uses the speaker on your phone and asks you to repeat the words or phrases back to the app so that you can make sure the pronunciation is correct. Lastly, it gives you sentences in English, of which you translate back into Italian in writing.

All of the different aspects of this app allow you to become more involved with the language itself, as opposed to carrying around a dictionary with you everywhere you go....which would be an easy way to point yourself out as a tourist to everyone and become an easier target for pickpockets, etc.

This is a sign I found that was mistranslated in a bathroom on one of the islands.
French and English tourists "helped the out" with some
comments and translations themselves.

Another thing you can do is to find the basic words you will need and keep a short list of them in your pocket or purse. This is not as obvious as having your nose stuck into your phone half of the time you are out and about; instead, you can reference it quick and enjoy more of your time.

I have never personally used Rosetta Stone, but I have heard from other people I know that it really does help you learn a language. Being a college student, I cannot afford it right now, but would love to use this program in the future to learn more Spanish and Italian for future travels!

The Island of Levanzo!
You can kind of see us swimming
down at the beach.

The most important thing is to be involved in the culture. The Italian language is absolutely beautiful, and the more you interact with people, the more words and phrases you will quickly pick up. I remember being on the island of Levanzo with a small group of people from my trip after hiking to a famous cave, when a girl in our group who spoke Spanish was able to have a long conversation with a friendly native who had an amazing life story. From being in the country for awhile and learning some basic words before I went, I was able to pick up on some of what he said and hear all about his life.

Now I am not claiming to be fluent, or even a good Italian speaker or anything; actually, I only know some of the basics. However, I learned so much while I was there that it made the trip even more enjoyable! I will always remember some of the phrases I learned, and can't wait to discover more before I go back someday!

Please leave your comments and let me know what you think, or any suggestions you have on how to make the language transition easier! :)

Fino alla prossima volta! (Until next time!)