A recent discussion recently started on another forum regarding how non-Italian speakers of Italian rather give the game away by how they speak, the words they use or don’t use, the lack of hand motions – we English do not do hand motions!


Examples quoted included:
(a) The use of potere where riuscire could or should be used
Guilty!


(b) The use of sapere and conoscere
Here I would also include incontrare, since I have seen conoscere used to mean ‘to meet’.
(c) The uses of insomma, magari, cioè, mica
I know there was a recent-ish discussion in which Carlo referred to mica as well as affatto.
(d) Using ne, ci, particularly ci!
(e) Referring to food, ie using cibo rather than pranzo, cena etc
(f) Other ways of saying that one would like, ie uses different to vorrei, mi piacerebbe.
(g) Pronouns and the way they can tie one up in knots
(h) The dreaded rolling of the letter ‘r’
No can do. All I end up doing is growling, or pronouncing grazie as ‘glazie’!!




There will be many others that you good people can identify.
It would be good too if our Italian friends could also highlight things that they notice and how we stranieri can improve the way in which we express ourselves.
I appreciate fully that, thanks to Roby's indefatigable efforts, we have an excellent Lezioni Gratuite section, but what I am looking for here is a proactive discussion in which we can highlight various aspects of Italian that cause us concerns.
Cosa ne pensate?