Dealing with the Italian Language

I often get asked how I do with the Italian language. I have to say that I was fortunate since I was raised learning both Italian and English. We spoke both languages at home and like many Italian Americans we would go back and forth even within the same sentence in both languages. I also picked up a great deal of the dialect from Abruzzo since I am first generation American and my parents spoke both the dialect and Italian language at home. I also took Italian language courses in college and did a summer abroad in Perugia which all helped my Italian get better. Although I had all this background prep, I still am not completely fluent in the language.

In the early years of my being in Italy I would make many mistakes speaking. I still make mistakes. In fact not so long ago I went into the bank and said I needed to go into their safe! I meant to say I wanted to go into my safe deposit box. One little word gone wrong and they were about to call the police!

Italians I have to say are helpful on the most part. You can tell from their faces if they are not understanding something. You get that strange look like something is not quite right. Funny thing, they really do not correct you but just nod their head and try to understand what you are saying. Maybe they think correcting you is rude. I am not sure.

I still sometimes have problems with knowing which new words are feminine or masculine. It is a matter of memorizing them on the most part. Why for instance is table "il tavolo" masculine while chair "la sedia" is feminine?? My son keeps asking me these questions and I just don't have a logical answer for him!

In the early years the use of the word "Dottore" baffled me. It seemed everyone had a title and had to be called "Dottore". This is much more prevalent in the South I believe as titles are big there. If you graduate from University which is a great feat in itself, you are given the title of "Dottore". Now I stubbornly only call the medical doctor "Dottore."

"Dare del Lei e tu." It is considered impolite to address a person you don't know, a professional, an older person with the word "tu" or you. You must address them with the word "Lei". To stay on the safe side I use "tu" only with close friends and family.

Italian is not an easy language to learn and experience has shown me it is also how you speak and not what you say! I try speaking with confidence in a loud voice and surely I am given the attention I deserve. I guess body language has a lot to do with it but that will be for another post...