Start Thinking in Italian

Imagine thinking in Italian right before attempting to say anything to a native.

Imagine seeing in your head the Italian words and structures you've been learning, and all you have to do is to pick the ones that will get your message across. In other words, imagine being an independent speaker who can get through unexpected daily situations.

Yes, because you might need to know where the train you're on is going to stop, or to ask for directions when your Gps can't seem to find a place and you're already nervous, tired, and late. So, you want to formulate a simple, crystal clear, reasonably polite question that will give you the answer/outcome you need.

And how do you do that? Well, definitely not by translating your English thoughts word for word in Italian. Why not? Well, because that's not how any language is spoken. A language has its own way of speaking and thinking intertwined with a whole complex culture. So, here is a super useful skill to master: thinking in Italian!

And how do you make that happen? By replacing your "I need to translate my words" mindset to "I need to find the Italian words that can serve me" mindset! This requires a bit of an effort, as you'll need to dismiss your old patterns and habits and replace them with new ones. However, it's exactly the same thing you do when you decide to become fit and start exercising.

What to do then? Start watching original Italian movies/tv series in Italian with either no subtitles or Italian ones. Why? Well, because your brain needs to experience the pure Italian language flow, sound, accents, and match the words it can grasp to the actions and objects you see. That is how you create a link between the Italian language and the everyday-life objects and actions without getting lost in translation.

The purpose is to make your brain practice, not understanding every detail. So do it constanltly for a very limited time and see the "magic" happening!

Experience the Italian Language

Imagine experiencing being in Italy before you even go. Imagine engaging in everyday scenarios where you learn the simple, practical, spoken Italian in a safe space.

A space where you are given the opportunity to learn the crucial cultural traits and way of speaking. So you can experience the "I don't understand anything" and the "I'm freaking out" with no real consequences.

One thing is learning about the Italian language, and a very different thing is to experience it directly by having a go and actually speak.

Do you wish to be able to ask for information in Italian? You need to make yourself talk aloud, make the necessary mistakes, allow yourself to feel a bit hopless (in the beginning) as it's all part of the process that will lead you to succeed.

It is so easy to stay in our comfort zone, do all the "fill in the banks" exercises and quizzes, and memorise a few phrases here and there.

But at the end of the day, you're not going to magically communicate with natives once you get to Italy, not if you've never practiced effective communication by talking on the spot. And definitely not if you've never learnt the skill to "say what you can in Italian" as opposite to "say what you would say in English and try to translate it".

Every language has a beautifully complex culture embedded into it, and it also has a way of speaking that does not correspond to the one of a different language. This is such a useful thing to practice in your spoken Italian Language learning.

When you master the skill of thinking in Italian, you truly are an independent speaker who can communicate simply and effectively avoiding unpleasant misunderstandings that can ruin your lovely Italian holiday.