You’ve been learning Italian for a few months and you understand the basics, but now it’s time for the next step, it’s time to start speaking Italian!
Perhaps you’ve even been learning it for a year, but there’s still this unreasonable terror lying deep inside of you. Intrusive and uncontrollable negative thoughts begin to torture your mind.
“What if I make a mistake?”
“What if I can’t find the right word?”
“How do I speak Italian!? Is it even possible!?”
This anxiety is completely normal. I’ve had to battle it with every language I’ve ever learned. It’s human nature to want to present your best self in social situations, but when it comes to speaking a language, the ugly truth is that you must make mistakes. As Wim Hof would say, “No ego, we go!”
And in that spirit, I’d like to share with you 3 ways you can start speaking in Italian whether you’re a beginner or not.
1: Talk to Yourself
You might be thinking, but Luca, I don’t know how to speak Italian! I need to learn how to speak Italian! How am I supposed to talk to myself… in a language which I’m not good at?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you need to go out in public and start yelling out random Italian words and phrases. The point is that once you’ve had some Italian under your belt, you can start putting pieces together to talk with yourself in the privacy of your own home.
It worked for a former student of mine.
Anna was a New Yorker who wanted to start speaking Italian. She had been learning Italian for a year and finally decided to contact me to solve one big pain: she was ready to speak but terrified of the mere idea of speaking in Italian with a native speaker.
I gave her this suggestion: why don’t you talk to yourself for a bit?
Start with one minute a day for a week. If you like it, continue! Start with the simplest thing you can conceive and that is meaningful for you. Personally, I like to pretend I have an imaginary friend (let’s call him Fabrizio) and I tell him a few things that happened to me throughout the day. It’s simple, straightforward and silly, but it works!
And guess what?
Anna started speaking for one minute a day and she loved it! Over time we improved the structure of her “monologues” until one day she decided to speak with an Italian tutor on Italki. From there, there was no turning back, and she became fluent in Italian!
Speaking a foreign language does not necessarily mean speaking it with a native speaker from the get-go. Do things progressively, take your time, and most of all, start talking to yourself and see if you like it!
The advantages of speaking to yourself include:
With that being said, remember to keep one thing in mind, the goal is to speak Italian in whatever way you can, do not try to be perfect!
Even if you don’t know how to speak Italian, this will help you learn what you need to work on.
I challenge you to…
Begin planning self-talk mini-sessions. Start small, choose one topic you find meaningful, and get to it!
If you like it, you can reinforce the habit and then scale things up!
2: Communication Over Performance (COP)
When Anna decided to speak with a tutor for the first time, it wasn’t easy at all.
“My tutor, Maria from Naples, is so bubbly and friendly. I love her,” she said. “But,” she added with a big sigh, “I’m the problem!”
She listed a few of the things that kept her from having a great time during the lesson:
- My mind goes blank all the time. “Ciao Maria… “oh my God, I don’t know what to say next!”
- I am constantly looking for words. “Maria, ti volevo parlare del… (How do you say: traffic!?)”
- I am scared of not understanding, and when I don’t, I panic and feel stupid. Maria: “Ciao Anna, cosa hai fatto oggi di bello?” (Di bello?! Is she asking me about something beautiful? Oh no! The way she speaks is so beautiful and my Italian is an ugly mess!)
I reassured Anna that all of that “madness” was completely normal (I’m sure it’s happened to you as well). There’s a simple reason for it. Anna was focused on performing well instead of enjoying the act of communicating with someone.
As adults, we are taught the lesson that we need to “perform and do well,” while speaking a foreign language is all about communication. Think about when you get tipsy (if you drink) or when you are particularly relaxed and comfortable in a specific situation. What happens? You communicate better. It’s not that you know how to speak Italian any better, you are more “in the zone” since you are focusing on communicating with what you do know rather than focusing on getting every little detail correct.
I challenge you to…
Speak without worrying about being perfect. Mess up a conjugation, forget an article, do the things that any other speaker would before they got good at their language(s).
Whether you have been learning Italian for a few months or are a complete beginner, you’re never going to get any better by waiting to be perfect. In fact, you’ll learn a lot more from your mistakes than in any other fashion.
Those mistakes are memorable for a reason and they serve as reminders for what not to do (or say) next time.
To quote Jim Kwik, “Express, don’t impress!”
3: Simplify
Anna took my COP (communication over performance) advice in stride, and her lessons got progressively better, but she still found it difficult to express herself in a refined way. She told me that she was thinking too much about grammar and trying to sound sophisticated. “Ciao Maria, volevo dirti…” (Hi Maria, I wanted to tell you…).
As adults, we often want to sound sophisticated without having the means to do so, especially as complete newbies or even upper level beginners. Effective communication is about saying complex things in a simple way.
If you can’t say it in an eloquent manner, don’t avoid saying it. Instead, focus on breaking it down to getting across the meaning behind your message.
Exercise: Simplifying Your Speech
Here’s a small exercise for you to simplify your language:
1. Pick a topic you want to talk about.
- How to introduce yourself in Italian
- How to apologize in Italian
- How to tell someone how you feel about them in Italian
2. Write down what you want to say in your native language.
- How to say “Hi, my name is” in Italian
- How to say “I’m sorry” in Italian
- How to say “I love you” in Italian
3. Translate it into Italian using simple words and phrases.
4. Practice saying it out loud.
I challenge you to…
Create your own simple sentences and gradually add more complex features to them as you become more comfortable. Focus on clear and concise communication rather than trying to impress with advanced vocabulary and grammar. Even if that means sounding like Tarzan.
Remember
If you apply these 3 simple points—talking to yourself, focusing on communication over performance, and simplifying your language—you will start getting better and better at speaking Italian.
Soon, you will be ready to order a cappuccino in a nice café in Florence, Palermo, or Rome!
One Final Note
Speaking and producing output is amazing, but first and foremost, you need input. What comes out of your mouth first has to get into your ears!
Consider getting massive input from a great Italian course like SMART Italian and then learn to use and leverage that input to start speaking. Start with one-minute speeches and gradually increase the duration. Use both methods to improve your Italian speaking skills!
By following these tips, you’ll be well on your way to speaking Italian confidently and fluently.
Buona fortuna (good luck) on your journey to mastering Italian!