![]() I tried, made an error, got great feedback right when I needed it, and learned the connection between the thing (the check) and how to say it ( il conto). Making errors heightens your attention to the relevant pattern after the waiter corrected me by saying il conto (the check), I never again forgot. And here's what happened as a resultĪll that fearless practice through short conversations, texting, and reading Italian really paid off-not despite the inevitable errors, but because of them. They sensed my curiosity and eagerness, so they slowed down, repeated things, and were happy to help! When things got really complicated, I could switch to English, with a sheepish smile and "Mi dispiace, non parlo molto italiano" (I'm sorry, I don't speak much Italian), but people appreciated the effort. ![]() People were patient, and they listened to my simple sentences and funny word choices. Most tourists use only English (including many people who know English as a second language, and hats off to them!), so someone-an English speaker, no less-really trying to connect and communicate in Italian delighted many and surprised others. But with just a few months of dedicated study under my belt, what mattered was that I tried. In many cases (or maybe even most!), people in the tourism industry in Italy spoke much more-and much better-English than I did Italian. ![]() I woke up every morning thinking "ITALIANO!!!" I always said grazie and never thank you. When restaurant staff greeted me in English, I responded with "Buonasera!" and a smile and continued on in Italian. I made restaurant reservations on Italian webpages, coordinated taxis via WhatsApp (where I could spell check and proofread, too), and communicated in Italian with the front desk. I spoke it to anyone who would let me try (and nearly everyone did!). I used Italian with everyone I could: hotel staff, tour guides, store clerks, taxi drivers, florists, the people at the next table. For example, I didn't know to say a lei, literally "to her" or "to you (formal)," which shopkeepers would say to me after I said grazie (thank you). I didn't quite know when to stop saying buongiorno (good morning) and start saying buonasera (good afternoon/good evening), and there were lots of conversational tidbits that I understood but wasn't used to saying myself. Really knowing a language means not only knowing words, grammar, and pronunciation, but what's the most appropriate thing to say in a given context.
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