Do Italians Like Foreigners Who Speak Italian? - Learn Italian Culture

[@anthonymhomer]

If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart. Nelson Mandela

[@GuilhermePalazzoRodrigues]

Anthony Homer except Parisians, if you don't speak in perfect French they just ignore you

[@РобертРандо]

You just killed Mandela's quote brò

[@yukilaserpe7700]

Guilherme Palazzo Rodrigues all sanse noblesse this french xP

[@0786usman143]

He was a great leader may his soul rest in peace

[@musingsofajay387]

this is very true.

[@valentinabisa3340]

I'm Italian and I LOVE it when foreign people speak italian, it's so nice to hear their accents. I guess this is the same for other people when we speak in a foreign language

[@TheRealJBMcMunn]

Learning to speak Italian was one of the best things I have ever done. My first trip to Italy was in 2008 and I decided to learn some Italian because I like to try to know a little bit of the language of the country that I'm visiting. I immediately fell in love with Italy and since that time I have going to Italy about every 6 months. I have done the usual tourist trips (Rome, Venice, Florence, Capri, etc) but I learned that the secret of enjoying Italy is to go out into the small towns where nobody speaks English at all. I have never experienced such hospitality as when I've struck up conversations with Italians in their language. I've been invited into homes for coffee or dinner. I spent New Year's Eve in a small town where no one else at the party spoke English. I once stopped for gas out in the countryside and the attendant brought me into the bar and gave me a free coffee. I have friends in one town who always insist that I plan on staying until Monday so I can join them for Sunday dinner. The "secret sauce" is when someone asks you why you speak Italian, you tell them the truth: you love the country and learned Italian so you could see all the wonderful small towns where no one speaks English. I'm not quite sure, but I believe an Italian's loyalty is family first, close friends second, soccer team third, and then it radiates out to neighborhood, town, region, province, etc and then the country of Italy is somewhere around 15th on the list. The only time I've had negative reactions is in a large city where many people speak English. Shopkeepers and store clerks have gotten impatient with me and switched to English because it's faster.

[@cacuociolo91]

Grazie per le tue belle parole da un Palermitano,vienici a trovare a Palermo ti sentirai a casa ;)

[@matthewstoddart3552]

I noticed Italians tend to be far more forgiving of forgineers trying to speak Italian than French people are towards forgineers who try to speak French. I find that French people expect forgineers to speak with a French accent. I think that is very arrogant and it will make English speakers reluctant to learn French if their accent is laughed at.

[@willahlove]

you are totally right

[@auri_tersi]

I'm italian and I LOVE when foreigners speak italian! And I like it even more if they speak just a little bit of italian, because I can feel the struggle and the effort and I feel like I have to help them even more. Like some sort of protective instinct! :D Plus, italian spoken with english accent (but also spanish, french...) is amazing!

[@Weewokk]

Strega Aura Yay! Sono inglese e mi piace MOLTO il tuo post. Grazie, gentile Strega! :)

[@sammadlin8868]

Wow that is very encouraging! My husband is being relocated to Italy for work. I have been watching so many videos on how to order food and pick up some basics. It's nice to see these kind of comments. 😊

[@ljosca]

Don't worry! in Italy you won't go short of food even if you do not speak a word of Italian ;--) Welcome to Italy then!

[@farjanaakter2977]

Yeah.. This is so true.... Well I am a Bangladeshi girl... I am in italy now.... Its been 9 months..... and now I am going to an italian school.... and just because I am new here so normally I am not so good in italian language..... First time I really want to communicate in English with my classmates...but they dont really want to talk in English.... because they think they are weak in English.....When I speak with them in italian... They become really happy n they never laugh on my weekness... they always help me.....They are really really really friendly........ I love you Italy and Italian people.... ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@hopewelsh2101]

Absolutely true. My Italian was far from perfect, but everyone loved it and told me how much they appreciated my speaking it. You really feel connected and being taken care of.

[@incaray69]

This is soo true. My Italian is not great but I always try to use it as much as possible. This makes such a massive difference. Italians will go out of their way to help someone who tries. Long story; I was in a cafe in Florence, lots of tourists. Most tourists were using English and you could see this was causing some issues. One gentleman was shouting help as he was given an espresso instead of a black coffee. Of course he asked for a cafe so got what he ordered. Anyway. I also noticed the waiter was annoyed at people being rude and not replying to his friendly boungiorno. We ordered due cafe con pana, he said bene, with a smile. The next thing I saw was him going to the shop to buy cream for our coffe! What a star. Also in a local restaurant we go to, no one speakers English, every year we learn a little more and they are so friendly and kind and always give us something for free. Just give it a go and you will have a fantastic experience in Italy. It's also important to learn the culture i.e. Don't ask for cafe and expect an americano. Italian always ask me why I want to learn Italian when only Italians speak it. Haha! The answer is in the question! Mi piace Italia!

[@Ca_lore]

incaray69 you would say: caffè con panna , and l'Italia mi piace or if you mean the linguage :mi piace l'italiano. ora even easyer...perché mi piace.

[@JenLaRock]

incaray69 bel commento, grazie!!

[@pepelemoko01]

I am Australian, I noticed in the hotel room in Rome the water to flush the toilet came from very high up(and concealed with in the wall,) making it very efficient for flushing. It suddenly came to me that I am not the first barbarian to marvel at Roman plumbing.

[@antiquelady60]

I've been to Italy twice and my experience was exactly what you described. The first time I knew very little Italian but I always started with Italian, even if I had to struggle. They were always very patient with me. If their English was better than my Italian, they would sometimes use English to help me and they didn't seem to mind. In fact, they kind of seemed proud of their English after hearing my weak Italian. :) In any case the Italians were always warm and friendly. I would like to add that in the tourist areas (central Rome, Venice near the Grand Canal) some of the shop owners were not Italian and were actually more comfortable with English.

[@zazollo]

The important thing for tourists to understand is just how much Italians love sharing Italy and telling you about Italy. If you are an American coming into Italy and really making an attempt to learn and speak the language, I mean sure some people won't give a shit because Italy has shy people like everywhere else, but generally you will find that people will be so much more excited to help you. Italians really want you to love Italy like they do! And so if you can manage to make the person you're speaking to feel comfortable, you'll find the tables turn immediately. As long as you have some basic starting ground to work from, they'll take it from there.

[@Parmesana]

I was in Genoa..and decided to take a long walk. I had a small map, but strayed away from the map area. I found some teenagers sitting and playing guitar in a park. I went to them to try to speak Italian. They were very happy and helpful. I know enough to go in to ask for a coffee and snack..and it is a great feeling to be able to do so.

[@JenaPug]

From my experience living in Italy, so many Italians were great at English, way better than I spoke Italian, but they all without fail told me that they weren't very good and were afraid or embarrassed to even try. So I completely agree. It was way better to struggle in Italian than to make my interlocutor uncomfortable in my opinion, especially since I wanted to improve my Italian.

[@anyasudakova5495]

I can't wait to go to Italy and communicate with native people in Italian! It's been my dream since I was a kid. Thanks to you, Manu, and other Italian youtubers I've learnt so much and when I speak to native Italians even online I receive so many compliments on my Italian. And I know that there's still so much to improve, and I keep learning so much with every single video that you produce, so by the time I go to Italy I'll speak much better and I hope to make so many friends and discover so much beauty and extraordinarity that I love about Italy. Non vedo l'ora!!!!

[@yukilaserpe7700]

Anya Sudakova grande!

[@pturineisa4777]

Anya Sudakova Viva Anya. I hope you'll enjoy your time in Italy. Don't be afraid to make mistakes because we'll correct and you'll perfect your Italian in no time. Bravissima

[@battlefrontquickscoper647]

Anya Sudakova per aspera ad astra

[@marcoguarnieri9472]

I'm italian and i live in Italy. I totally agree with Manu about what he said in this video.

[@austinosagieoduwa4163]

Marco Guarnieri you quite good in English.. hahaha ,am in Italy too 😏

[@simplycynthiaazeez2754]

you can do that for the day

[@sytskevalk8905]

This is actually so interesting since I sometimes "forget" that not everybody speaks or feels comfortable speaking English. In the Netherlands, basically everybody speaks English so when I go abroad I always find it strange that the majority of people is struggeling with it. Now I'm even more motivated to learn Italian because I want to have those amazing experiences! :)

[@freeinformation9869]

So when you go to Hungary you will try to learn Hunagrian and next summer when you take a trip to Norway you will try to learn Norwegian...? Good luck lol

[@Lily_and_River]

Yes most people in the Netherlands speak decent English (not everybody) but I don't like the way Dutch people are bragging about it (I'm Dutch myself so I think I'm allowed to say this). Especially because most Dutch people don't realise how terrible we are at pronunciation. They generally know a lot of vocabulary but don't always know how to form correct sentences and for the most part they don't speak it clearly. They aren't used to the fact that pronunciaton and learning the accent is a big part of learning to speak any language. Because in Dutch it's not really important to the meaning of the word how we pronounce it. So we tend to talk very inarticulately. Especially for British people this can be a problem. For example the way one pronounces the word: 'bad', 'bed', 'bet' or 'bat' all differs from the Dutch word 'bed'. But yes we are a country which speaks multiple languages pretty well but so are the Scandinavian countries and other European countries. I believe Sweden scores the best in speaking English as a second language.

[@suzannelaird4853]

I only speak a tiny bit of Italian and feel embarrassed when trying to speak and I don't want to offend people. I am going to Venice soon so what you have said is very encouraging. Thank you

[@italymadeeasy]

Thanks to you, Suzanne Laird!

[@pturineisa4777]

Suzanne Laird do speak Italian most people will help you

[@legaleagle46]

Oh, believe me, they won't be offended at all. Italians are very patient and won't care if you make mistakes in speaking to them, and if you accidentally say something inappropriate (it happens sometimes), just apologize and they'l forgive you because they know you simply didn't know any better. Believe me, they're much more forgiving than many Americans I know!

[@Erikari]

How did the trip to Venice go, Suzanne? I hope well!

[@mscandy9140]

Can I just tell you your video and its comments made my day!!! I had a misconception that my Italian is not gonna be precieved well by natives, because it's imperfect and intermediate level. Now I feel in peace... grazie mille, davvero!

[@italymadeeasy]

Grazie a te, MS CANDY!

[@colegw9093]

This is so true. I spoke only in Italian when I went to Rome. I went to La Scuola Leonardo Da Vinci in the afternoons, Monday through Friday. At night the teachers set up walking tours for us all in Italian. It was incredible. In the mornings I would do my shopping and solo sightseeing and I met many people who did not speak English. They were so wonderful, helpful and taught me many things. I never spoke english and they refused to believe that I was an American. I feel happy when I speak in italian even when I make mistakes and the Italians are very kind and generous people.

[@italymadeeasy]

Complimenti Cole!

[@playboyv12]

Ho studiato alla stessa scuola! Mi è piaciuta molto!!

[@isaacurrutia4691]

I got a free scoop of gelato for being an American and ordering in Italian. Honestly in Rome I think they’re so tired of tourist just walking into a Gelato place, or a pizza place and just order they’re food in English not giving a care in the world that you know THEYRE IN ITALY AND THEY SPEAK ITALIAN IN ITALY. So I thought I might as well learn how to order food, and simple stuff like that. They really take that to heart. It shows them that we care.

[@italymadeeasy]

Of course Italians will appreciate the kindness... ❤️It's always kind to try to speak the language the Country you are! Here we are to help you to do it! 😘

[@isaacurrutia4691]

Italy Made Easy I also met some great friends in Italy who teach me over text

[@jamieboland7724]

I loved that story! I am currently studying Chinese and living in China and I have definitely experienced similar situations. Because of learning Mandarin I have had unforgettable experiences and conversations here. I once heard a quote, "the limits of your language are the limits of your world." I am starting to study Italian and appreciate your videos! Grazie! I am so looking forward to visiting Italy.

[@AndieeGrl]

Jamie Boland love that quote!!

[@mariaelenajimenez2683]

ciao manu,. you are absolutely spot on. personally, if I am going to another country I'll try to learn some words to be able to communicate. I do not want to be the "ugly"American!! the reason why I started leaning Italian was that I was going to Italia with my husband. that was c2 years ago. mind you I only had about 3 months under my belt, but with my Spanish, lol, l did OK.. My opening line was: Non parlo molto Italiano, però provo!!!. well, people were so nice. I even had the nerve to drive from Venezia to Roma!! So u can imagine I had to stop and ask for ie.directions, they all said diritto!!! diritto! I always got a Brava!! Brava!!! the point is they appreciated the effort and I felt good, too.😁

[@jmeyer3rn]

The last time I was in Roma, I started TRYING to speak to a taxi driver in Italiano and IT WORKED. Now I really don't speak Italian, but I got a phrase book before the trip and learned the basics. It was such a cool experience.

[@confusedbeetle]

Grazie mille, Manu. La mia esperienza è sempre stata positiva e quindi le nostre vacanze erano più divertente. A differenza di parti della Spagna e della Francia in cui c'era una mancanza di pazienza. Abbiamo sentito stupidi quando abbiamo provato. L'Italiani ci hanno fatto sentire i benvenuti e ci hanno aiutati.

[@zacks1690]

Say it in English please 🙏

[@NoahPerry11]

I live in italy right now and I can tell u this is totally correct! They are very timid to speak english, and italy is a sulf-sustaining enough sphere that they do not to have to learn it. Spanish and french can interact with them 3x more quickly than other languages

[@evgeniyapodrezova2698]

Ciao, Manu! Hai ragione. Ho fatto tante amicizie in Italia, perche' amo qesto paese, la sua lingua, la sua cultura. E mi piace di piu' stare non a citta' turistiche ma a borghi, villaggi, dove io posso conoscere l'Italia vera, autentica. Roma, Venezia, Firenze, Milano, ecc. sono bellissime, ma non scordero' mai le Isole Tremiti, Scoglitti, Piazza Armerina, Trevignano Romano, tutte le cittadine del Salento. E mi sento in Italia come a casa.

[@salem99099]

Thats so true . I have felt it. You I Italian people are soooooo kind

[@bobhurford573]

Manu, my wife and I spent our 30th wedding anniversary in Italy in 2019. I did not know what to expect really. I have always loved the romantic idea of taking my wife to Italy. So I crammed Italian for a few months and I can tell you that it payed off huge for my wife and I as we had the time of our life, made friends, and lived large. I should have been born Italian I am convinced. Now that I have discovered your KZbin channel I am preparing for the next adventure, which I anticipate will exceed our first adventure by orders of magnitude. I wish I could talk to you and tell you the amazing adventures we experienced in your beautiful country. As time allows, I'll take advantage of what so generously offer on a continual basis on your KZbin channel, grazie mille!!

[@italymadeeasy]

Hi Bob! We are so happy you enjoyed our Country and that you had an unforgettable 30th wedding anniversary! 😍

[@marcot3868]

As an Italian, I can say trying to speak Italian even being a non-native would be the ultimate show of respect. And I think I can speak English quite well, so those who can't will appreciate it even more.

[@bustan44]

I'm so glad to hear this point of view. So often, in a foreign country, I try to speak the language and people just start speaking English back to me and it makes it so hard to learn a new language that way.

[@andrewgrosz4925]

Ciao! I video sono i migliori! I've been watching your videos for like 12 hours haha

[@valentinbergm5901]

The very spread situation in Italy is when I go somewhere and warn the person that I am stranger and do not speak italian well and after pronouncing 2-3 phrases quickly and fluently they make me compliment and start to speak like I will understand everything 😂😂😂

[@ks-zc1jh]

I live in Las Vegas and I can attest this to be true from the American perspective as well. Many of us locals have learned some Spanish due to the substantial local Spanish speaking population. I'm not well versed in Spanish but I know a little and the Spanish speakers know a little English, so we can usually get through it. Thankfully, there are a lot of locals who speak both, so their skill comes in handy. but we've also got visitors who speak French, Italian, German, Japanese, Cantonese, on and on. some times, all you can do is smile, nod and kind of walk away. haha

[@plicianperera7825]

I'm a beginner to italian language and man this video just destroyed all my insecurities when it comes to speaking italiano . I will be studying in milan soon and i really wanna speak the language. 3🤩

[@italymadeeasy]

❤️ Good luck!

[@gaz514]

I've been learning Italian for almost 6 years and have a high level, have spent quite a lot of time in Italy (I visit most years, and at the moment I've been travelling around the country for the last four months), and have met many Italians in my home country. I have to say that what you say in the video is accurate perhaps 50% of the time, and learning the language has indeed opened many doors and given me experiences that I would never have had only speaking English. However, many Italians also have negative or at least strange attitudes towards foreigners who learn the language. Many see the language as useless and think anyone learning it is crazy, and I've been asked countless times questions like "why the hell are you wasting your time learning our useless language?". In customer service situations, people are often very insistent on replying in English, even if their English level is low and my Italian is good, and in some cases even pretend not to understand me. All this can make communication unnecessarily difficult, and feel like an insult to the time and hard work I've put into the language. At times continuing in Italian is enough to convince them, but not always. It's important to be aware that people learning Italian to a high level are very rare, so most will assume that you're just another tourist who has learnt to parrot a few phrases until you prove otherwise. Sometimes it's arrogance, but more often they just think they're being helpful. A thick skin is definitely required for Italian learners, and I think that many resources like this video gloss over the fact and paint an overly positive picture. I find that it depends on the area. I've had mostly very positive experiences in Florence, Bologna, and Turin; many negative ones in Rome, Veneto, and Sicily; and Sardinia (where I just spent a few months) was a mixed bag.

[@julianb6341]

I'd forgotten about this video, and I'm glad it was suggested for me again. When I go back to Italia I'll be more prepared to speak Italian unlike my first visit. Thanks Manu!

[@italymadeeasy]

Grazie mille, Julian B! Happy to be helping!

[@Jahmandee]

Thank you this explains a lot of my experiences the first time in Italy!

[@italymadeeasy]

Grazie mille, Jahman dee! Happy to be helping!

[@grobanite4ever85]

I have customers who speak Italian and they are very impressed with me attempting to speak Italian

[@italymadeeasy]

Brava, Marybeth Langendorf! Complimenti! Un abbraccione!😍

[@grobanite4ever85]

@@italymadeeasy grazie mille! Io vorrei imparare più italiano

[@TheCaz23]

this is why I'm learning Italian, I'm going to Florence in March and so far i know the basics, and most of the restaraunt bits to get me by so I'm not going to be too great but it's the trying that counts

[@heathermarsh7276]

I love all things Italian , am even very badly trying to learn the language , but on a solo trip to florence , I had a lovely experience at my hotel , with a very kind young waiter , who took the time to chat , of course I told him how I was trying to learn but very badly , I'm a very switched on lady , I know an ungenuine person , he was very kind young man , just similar to 1of my sons ... I think as long as you can say bongourno , Buona Serra , grazie ect they can see you are trying !

[@zack2396tube]

language opens doors. same thing happened to me in vienna Austria. we found ourselves sitting with other couple and having lunch together (a couple that we didn't know minute before). Manu, since all your students speak to you in italian, it is time that you invite them all to your enotca :))))))))))))))

[@skeptigal8899]

My compliments to whoever did the Spanish translation, it’s perfect!

[@JenLaRock]

as an italian I agree with you

[@dmfd305]

When I lived in Gaeta, I found the Italians that I talked with appreciated me trying to speak my poor Italian and better Italian with time. I thought more spoke English well enough to converse than I thought. But I later found out, they appreciated me more because I made an honest attempt to speak their language because I was living in their country. Sometimes you learn more by sitting and listening than you do by speaking your own tongue.

[@italymadeeasy]

❤️

[@JoeesJewelry]

È assolutamente vero, Manu! I had a similar experience in Venezia last spring! Che meraviglioso perché parlo italiano male e particolarmente nove mesi fa!

[@christopherforman8908]

Great story! Thanks so much. I now have even more incentive to learn Italian.

[@suzankhachatryan8472]

I visited Italy for the first time a couple years ago and at the time I knew no Italian at all and I still found the people to be very friendly and generally warm. With that said though I did take an Italian course in university last year and picked it up again for the past few months. I'm going back to Italy for a few days next month and while my Italian is nowhere near perfect I'm excited/nervous to try speaking with the natives this time :D

[@rosegeranium1]

Interesante. Ho pensato che la maggioranza degli italiani parlino inglese, forse perchè quando ero in Italia, quasì sempre stavo nelle città turistiche. Grazie.

[@italymadeeasy]

Grazie a te, JoAnn Kelly!

[@yukilaserpe7700]

JoAnn Kelly non esattamente è più facile che i giovani lo parlino, ma non è una garanzia... XD

[@sofialovelli2319]

Also the fact that you're trying to speak a little Italian makes people feel better when speaking english with you, they won't feel too bad about their mistakes cause you're making mistakes too.

[@lisaparys4976]

When I met my Umbrian cousins for the first time, I was really glad that I had spent all those years studying it. Then one of my cousins asked me to teach her English which led to me starting my podcast for people like her who grew up learning other foreign languages. But I did notice also that her son was hesitant to talk to my mom and said that he preferred to sit with me because I speak Italian. Then again, he was only 5. I am guessing that might have something to do with it.

[@leifnoerholm]

I have been in a tourist office i Italy where the employes didn't understand and didn't talk english! Therefore I was very glad to to be able to say a little bit in italiian!

[@Le_cuisinier.du-chienne]

thank you so much for the video sir👍👍👍

[@beatrizmacri4562]

You're so nice :) thanks so much for the tips!

[@andreaguidrymaurer2813]

Ciao, Manu, e grazie mille per questo video e tutti i tuoi video! I've only taken one Italian course so far, but I am learning as much as I can in advance of il mio viaggio in luglio. Vorrei parlare Italian con la gente as much as possible. Many mistakes will be made, but I'm going to try! I have been watching many of your lessons, and am a big fan - both of the language courses and cultural insights such as this. VERY helpful! Again, grazie!

[@frantisekwagner9323]

So true!! Thank you for putting my knowledge into a fee minutes explanation. cheers. f

[@mard9802]

Italians are awesome people : )

[@tillybinkie]

What a wonderful, encouraging story. :)

[@italymadeeasy]

Thanks to you, tillybinkie!

[@nickp3949]

I know a girl from Rome who speaks both Italian and English, and she told me that my American accent when speaking Italian is sexy. I guess this is turns out to be true for most Italians then.

[@Passione2025]

Your video is so encouraging!!!!

[@Grihlo]

amazing video and I experienced most of the points myself as a tourist.

[@italymadeeasy]

Grazie Gregory!

[@legaleagle46]

I've had native Italians tell me that even though English is a required course in Italian schools starting in about third grade, the quality of instruction really ISN'T that great because as you said, they're mainly taught how to read English, with emphasis on reading literature in English. They really aren't taught to speak the language or anything about the rules of grammar or syntax, they don't really practice speaking English in the classroom, and they're taught next to nothing about how to write in English. So yes, they are very self-conscious about their ability to speak English, and they're always very pleasantly surprised, if not outright relieved, when someone makes the effort to speak to them in Italian, and they really don't care if the person speaking to them makes mistakes. They're very patient with people who are at least trying to get it right!

[@cliffcarr3632]

Grazir Manu, your video is absolutely right on, as I lived in Germany for almost 5 years and the more I learned the language the more people would engage in me, and have great nights out with the locals. Also, in some one elses country it's up to the visitor to make an attempt to even speak some basic words ..just like I would not expect any English people to know Italian in the UK, as the majority of the public have not a clue about the Italian language. I used to work with an Italian man who settled in the UK and spoke English pretty good and he learned me my first two words which was funghi and pomodori, (mushrooms and tomatoes) which will come in handy. Any way, just like in Germany, grammar can get you in to a right mess so I just use the words I know to get by and they really appreciate it very much. In the big cities like Rome I imagine most places are very busy and they just dont have time to stall other customers through lack of language problems. I am due to go to Tuscany (Montecatini Terme) this year and can not wait to visit the warm, hospitable, friendly, passionate, and truly amazing cultured people your wonderful country has. All the best Manu, and all the fantastic Italian people, pace e amen.

[@jimmclaughlin1518]

As an American, I hate traveling in a country whose language I don’t speak. It embarrasses me. I speak fluent Spanish, a bit of French and recently taught myself enough Italian to survive. During two recent trips to Italy, I found Italians, like the Spanish, opened their hearts, their arms and their homes as soon as I began speaking even my very crude version of Italian. On the way to Ravenna, we checked into a hotel where we had made an online reservation. The lady who was at the desk appeared to me to be the typical nonna. She was delightful. We spoke only Italian. She had not heard me speaking English to my wife. When she took my passport, she said,(in Italian) ...sir...this passport is from the United States! I said yes, I am an American from Florida and this is my wife. She said...American? You are not Italian? I laughed and thanked her, assuming she was just being polite and paying me a compliment. She left the desk to get her son who was the manager. She told him I said I was an American but you should hear him speak Italian! By that time we are all hugging each other, tears were streaming down our faces. After I thanked her for being so kind, she said...no, sir. You are the one who is kind. You care enough about our country to learn our language. She said most of our foreign guests don’t do that. The moral for all non-Italians is...even if you learn just a few basic words and phrases...you will have the trip of a lifetime in Italy. I cannot wait to go back!

[@italymadeeasy]

Your story is adorable! 😍... and what the lady told you is true: if you try to speak even just two words in Italian, it means that you care enough about our country to learn our language. And this is why Italians will open their hearts and homes to you. Usually Italians are always hospitable, but more and more warm with someone who is so kind to try to speak our language! ❤️

[@VivaLaVittoria]

Such a great story!

[@imperialmoments3183]

I’m glad that my family’s Italian 😇😇

[@italymadeeasy]

😘😊

[@aidanschaefer9032]

I feel the same about knowing a bit of another language but not wanting to speak it. In a lot of parts of the US that are close to Mexico, (like where I live in southern California) there is a large Spanish speaking population and most of us study Spanish in high school but are too embarrassed to speak it when we encounter native Spanish speakers.

[@annetavila8645]

Aidan Schaefer As a Mexican spanish speaker , i prefer to speak in Spanish than English. But i really want to meet a Danish person so i can speak in Danish with them ♡

[@dohai8909]

not just Italian . The same thing happens to many foreigners that come from different countries where English is not mother -tounge language .

[@LimeGreenTeknii]

Natives' reactions to people trying to speak: Italian: Cool, let's chat! French: Ugh, is he trying to speak French or something?? German: Cool! Let's practice our English with him! Japanese: Your Japanese is so good! American English: Oh yeah, I forgot that there were other languages than English.

[@scazermazz]

Just subscribed. Can't wait to see your videos!

[@italymadeeasy]

Ciao scazermazz, and thanks for subscribing to my channel, Italy Made Easy! My name is Emanuele (Manu) Venditti and I'm passionate about languages in general, and of course I love teaching my beautiful native language, Italian! I hope you find material that both helps you and inspires you to learn and speak more and more Italian! Please also consider visiting my website at www.italymadeeasy.com, where you can ask me questions directly or www.speakitalianfromday1com where you can take a full course with me! Ciao e a presto, Manu

[@pappalessa]

you should probably mention the fact that emglish speakers sometimes think that everyone should, so they don't even try to speak slowlier :)

[@musingsofajay387]

yea I hate that attitude. I moved to Korea from California and although Koreans are more friendly and know more English.. it is still manners and polite to attempt their language first! Be humble in someone else's country. They don't owe you anything for your visit.

[@musingsofajay387]

I think this applies to every country. If you speak a person's native language and TRY, they will receive you much better than if you assume they speak English or talk louder. It's common sense!

[@marcaononymous]

the issue with question 5 is... in some touristical business, when a foreigner tries to speak italian, the server will answer in english. pretty annoying for someone that's trying to pratice italian. I've had this issue in Firenze.

[@AlessandroConti_78]

agreed,i'm italian and i do speak english very well but yeah i'm embarassed to speak it in front of my italian friends who doesn't know it,also i find a little rude to start a conversation straight in english when you are in another country,you should ask first (in english) if we do speak english,litterally everyone understand the form "excuse me Sir,do you speak english"?

[@SuperBruins12]

I was in Positano. I went to buy a Gelato in Italian and I chatted with the server a little bit in Italian. He was was so happy that I was speaking Italian. The server gave me my Gelato and then refused to take my money. He said an American who speaks Italian doesn’t have to pay!

[@italymadeeasy]

😍

[@juliabobbin4165]

This was so helpful, thank you! Also I'm from Melbourne, Australia and I noticed you have an Australian accent when you speak English! Thank you for this encouraging video :)

[@italymadeeasy]

😊

[@mza_aecs]

Grazie Mille, Signore 😊😊❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@italymadeeasy]

😘

[@freyatorrini5841]

come mi è piaciuto questa video è così vero.

[@graceraisedmeup8036]

Ciao fratello! One quick Honest observation here after watching 6 minutes I realized , you have what it takes to make a long video and keep listeners engaged , many come as a storm and not do justice in their videos. If you know what Im saying. JVS. God bless.

[@italymadeeasy]

WOW! Grazie mille! That's very kind of you!

[@bekmurodabdukhamidov5286]

I have been living and learning italian in Italy for 6 months and my problem is when I speak to them without foreign accent, they start to speak so fast like they are talking with their amici and I ended up saying Sì without understanding . So that they get disappointed(

[@italymadeeasy]

Then... speak with your perfect pronunciation😎 ... but ask the person you are talking with to speak slowly 😜

[@totalAnimelover99]

What he said is so true, im studying in Milano and i expected Italians to speak english when i first came as they are strong european country, but they dont, or they sipmly do not want to cause they are embarassed. So to save yourself some trouble and allow yourself to make amaizing friends there, if you are going to stay in Italy for a longer periods of time come with some knowledge of Italian, i found that when i try to speak in Italian even those people who wouldnt normally speak English tried their best to tell me what i didnt understand. Point of the story if you will be going to the country dont expect that majority will speak English, learn their language if you will be staying there for a longer periods of time

[@ShinryuZensen]

It's not really embarrassing... it's because we don't have many opportunities to speak English in our country. We are rusty because we only speak English at school unless we have a personal interest.

[@tyan4380]

ho passato un esame orale in inglese solo x ke parlavo " daiiii non sono pronto ancore" "im not ready yet!!c'mon!!!" ,,those words just slipped out of my mouth,,and i forgot i was studying all the courses in english.. so the profs let me passed lol..bloody fact.

[@caterinabolognesi5368]

Personalmente apprezzo molto i tentativi dei turisti stranieri di conoscere la nostra lingua perché è un altro modo per comprendere la nostra cultura. Quello che invece mi fa regolarmente irritare è quando danno per scontato (e parlo principalmente di turisti Americani) che io conosca lo spagnolo, perciò mi parlano in inglese (lingua con la quale tendo sempre a rispondere) e infilano qui e là parole spagnole (o spagnoleggianti) a caso convinti di farmi un qualche strano piacere, quando invece lo spagnolo non lo conosco. Il punto è: se conoscono l'italiano o si sforzano di conoscerlo, è una cosa che apprezzo moltissimo, ma se non lo sanno e buttano lì parole a caso di altre lingue solo perché pensano che siano SIMILI all'italiano, allora lo trovo estremamente irritante. E lavorando al pubblico in zona turistica garantisco che, purtroppo, succede fin troppo spesso.

[@flaze3]

Probabilmente questo comportamento deriva dal fatto che con altre persone italiane non sono riusciti a farsi capire, ma infilando dell parole spagnole nel parlare, hanno avuto più successo. È vero che lo spagnolo è un'altra lingua, ma essendo molto simile all'italiano, non vi è difficile da capire. Invece, se non si ha studiato l'inglese, non è una lingua immediatamente comprensibile per gli italiani.

[@Lukemanzaroli]

Favourite new channel :)

[@italymadeeasy]

Thanks to you, Stan View!

[@MsInfinity445]

"over all people will avoid you" ahahahahahaha

[@alicecarlin2415]

As an Italian that works in hospitality and has worked both in Italy and UK, they won't hire you if you apply for a guest-facing position but you're not fluent in English/don't feel comfortable speaking it

[@grobanite4ever85]

I want to learn Italian because I love learning other languages. Io voglio italiano perché ama di imparare altre lingue.

[@miss3vana]

+Marybeth Langendorf Some corrections. io voglio italiano, means "I want italian. I think you meant to say, I would like to learn italian? Then try this "Mi piacerebbe imparare l'italiano. You also say "ama", and you should use "amo" Because he/she AMA, and you AMO ;) in bocca al lupo, means good luck ;)

[@jeffsanders6793]

Dishonest italians??? Honestly I only met two when I have been in Italy. Everywhere I went I met very kind, gracious, helpful people. What a beautiful country filled with wonderful people. My italian is still just basic....I only speak "survival Italian ". But every time I spoke what little Italian I know...at the restaurant, in the taxi, at the cafe, in the hotel.....the Italians were always kind and forgiving and really tried to help me speak their beautiful language. I can't wait to visit again and try out my "new and improved " Italian. Thanks Manu, your KZbin channel is very helpful.

[@parodienonrichieste140]

dear jeff the teacher here put a little drama on the video :D

[@hassanaboelmakarem8729]

Grazie Tante 👍👍🇮🇹

[@jpastor99]

Com’e al soliton grazie Manu

[@miss3vana]

complimenti manu, molto bello il tuo canale. Io sono nata in italia, ma vivo in belgio.

[@italymadeeasy]

Grazie a te, Eva Rogue!

[@lolableu319]

Lol True, my Italian husband is completely afraid of opening his mouth in front of any English speaker, even in front of me. We communicate in Spanish.

[@GiacomoSicilian36]

My question derives from curiosity. I have been studying Italian for a few days now, Im picking it up slowly, My father was Italian but did not speak the language because his parents died when he was very young. So therefore, my question. Will it come a little more natural or will I struggle like anyone else?

[@enkymas]

Mi piace un saco lle tua clase, no se si se dice asi en oitaliano😄grazzie mile manu

[@chiaraascia2306]

Esattamente,io da italiana,preferirei parlare in inglese con un turista così da migliorare le mie capacità linguistiche,ma per i turisti che conoscono un po' di italiano sarebbe meglio provare a parlarlo così da migliorare la pronuncia etc....alcuni italiani non sanno l'inglese o come dici tu hanno paura di sbagliare le pronuncia,ma da quello che ho potuto notare vivendo in una città turistica,se incontri le persone giuste anche se non sanno l'inglese e i turisti non sanno l'italiano alla fine si trova sempre un modo per comunicare! p.s. a volte capita anche che qualcuno faccia fare un giro turistico senza problemi,senza chiedere soldi e i turisti sembrano sempre straniti...è gentilezza no?

[@johnstontsan6801]

Hi, I wonder whether one traveller can speak French or Spanish in Italy? Do the Italians understand and have more conversation? Sorry for late comment😐

[@italymadeeasy]

Hi Johnston, unfortunately, most of us Italians do not speak other languages than English. But in any case most of us are friendly and will try to help the traveler! - Italy Made Easy Staff -

[@theastrosloth9661]

If you do speak Italian when you are over there, would you recommend saying where you are from? I know that in some countries if they find out your american they almost look down on you.

[@RileyEffective]

I think it's kind of stereotypically American that you want to tell them you're American. XD If your Italian isn't that good, they'll probably hear it in your accent and otherwise they will probably ask (if they're curious or the conversation comes to it), won't they? ;)

[@theastrosloth9661]

Yeah makes sense

[@bookgirl2151]

TheAstroSloth it's not like that, not in italy. We find american stuffs really cool. I know a lot of people that can speak english, but it depends from which kind of people you know. There are many adolescents that don't care about studying and don't want to, because in italy the most of the time parents are too protective and let them be stupid. This is the problem. But, as I said before, i know a lot of people, young and not, that can speak English very well

[@theastrosloth9661]

thanks for the info!

[@nicolescott89]

Ciao. Wanted to ask, are Italians supportive to those who are less able to speak. I have a stammer and am learning Italiano though at times find t hard to talk even in my native language. I'm worried that people will judge me. I wanted to know if Italians are supportive to people who may find speaking because of a disability or confidence in speaking. Grazie Mille !!! Nicole from London

[@italymadeeasy]

Don't worry Nicole, in general we are very supportive! - Italy Made Easy Staff -

[@gokunonlosai-roblox3850]

So true :)

[@stefanolugli1461]

Sono d'accordo. Lo mando ad una mia amica straniera che è preoccupata a riguardo. Bel video!

[@italymadeeasy]

Grazie mille, Stefano! Facci sapere cosa ne pensa la tua amica 😘

[@stefanolugli1461]

@@italymadeeasy Concorda pienamente, e ci si è pure identificata molto perchè vale lo stesso da lei

[@italymadeeasy]

Che bello! Grazie per aver risposto! 😍