Learning a new language can be an immensely rewarding experience, whether you are studying for business or work related reasons, or are just trying to make your holiday experience that much more rewarding. Being able to speak a little of the native language will hugely increase your freedom, and, as well as giving you a much needed confidence boost when in Italy, will make those day to day interactions, the simplicity of which we take so for granted in our own tongues, go that little bit more smoothly.
Introductions
It's best to start off at the very beginning, with a short guide on how to present yourself. This step will allow you to let new people know your name, age, place of origin and line of work.
The italicised section of each word should be emphasised when speaking.
Mi chiamo..... (mee keeyahmo) My name is.....
Arrivo dalla.... (arreevo dallah) I come from..... (use dalla before a country, da before a town/city)
Ho....anni (Oh....annee) I am ....years old
Lavoro.... (lavooro) I work as.....
Studio....(Stoodeeyo) I study.......
Just a couple of pointers on pronunciation. Firstly, in Italian, the letters "c" and "c" together are pronounced like the English "k" as in Kite, and not like the "ch" in Chocolate. Remember this when telling people your name (mi chiamo).
Secondly, the letter "h" in Ho is a silent one. In fact, you will find that "h" appears very rarely in Italian, and in fact many Italians have great difficulty pronouncing it!
Numbers 1 - 10
It's important to be able to recognise numbers, as one of the first experiences abroad that most people have is usually purchasing something in a restaurant or shop.
1 - uno (ooono)
2 - due (doowe)
3 - tre (tre)
4 - quattro (cuwatro)
5 - cinque ( chin-cwe)
6 - sei (say)
7 - sette (settay)
8 - otto (ottow)
9 - nove (norvay)
10 - dieci (deeyaychi)
Another pronunciation pointer here, the letters "c" and "i" together should be pronounced like the English "ch" as in Chair. Remember this with the numbers 5 and 10 (cinque and dieci).
Useful Phrases
You'll find when speaking to Italians that they are used to conversing very fast, and at first it may all sound like nonsense to you. Don't let this discourage you, as the more you practice, the easier it will become. However, in the beginning, you may find that you need these phrases to help you to get by.
Non ho capito - I didn't understand that (remember the silent "h" in ho)
Puo parlare lentamente, per favore? - Could you speak slowly, please?
Puo ripetere, per favore? - Could you repeat that, please?
Italians are mostly very friendly, and often speak a bit of English, so you'll usually find that people are willing to help you if you are struggling to speak the language.
That's it for the first Italian lesson. Just remember to practice what you've learned, and take every opportunity you get to speak Italian. Don't be afraid of making mistakes, people will appreciate your efforts regardless!
