Polyglot Reacts: 8 Celebs Speaking Italian

🌟 I've gathered clips of 8 famous celebrities speaking Italian. So how did they did? Some are REALLY impressive. Others, well, you'll see...
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⏱ TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Intro
00:15 - #1: Colin Firth
02:43 - #2: Melania Trump
04:04 - #3: Penelope Cruz
6:53 - #4: Viggo Mortensen
10:11 - #5: Christof Waltz
11:29 - #6: Kobe Bryant
14:12 - #7: Jodie Foster
15:38 - #8: John Travolta
📺 CLIPS FEATURED IN VIDEO:
Colin Firth, in Italian, on the Differences Between British, American and Canadian Actors/Part 2
• Colin Firth, in Italia...
Melania Trump visits the Vatican's children's hospital
• Melania Trump visits t...
Penélope Cruz e Pedro Almódovar Abbracci spezzati
• Penélope Cruz e Pedro ...
Viggo Mortensen speaks italian
• Viggo Mortensen speaks...
Green Book Oscar 2019 Viggo Mortensen parla in Italiano
• Green Book Oscar 2019 ...
Inglourious Basterds Funny Italian Scene
• Inglourious Basterds ...
Interview Kobe Bryant talking in Italian (rare) English sub.
• interview Kobe Bryant ...
Jodie Foster speaks Italian!
• Jodie Foster speaks It...
American/English celebrities speaking Italian!
• Video

[@storylearning]

Want to learn Italian using stories? Get my best tips delivered right to your inbox for free! 👉🏼 iwillteachyoualanguage.com/emailtips

[@jeupater1429]

Bellissimo video, ma c'è da capire che l'italiano in sé non è proprio la radice degli emigrati italiani tipo Travolta, neppure degli italiani stessi, bensì tante diverse lingue che hanno poco a fare con l'italiano, la quale in realtà non è che una lingua statale imposta sul popolo. L'idea che Travolta dovrebbe imparare l'italiano per attingere alle sue radici non regge proprio. Ciononostante le sue origini vengono da questa penisola e sono le sue a prescindere. Tanti emigrati italiani arrivati in America non si sono capiti grazie alle tante diverse lingue della penisola e per comunicare fra di loro in questo nuovo ambiente si sono serviti subito dell'inglese invece di imparare italiano in America che sarebbe stato piuttosto inutile. L'italiano non è l'origine né degli italiani né di Travolta, è la lingua che si parla adesso nel paese delle sue origini

[@cristianolissone1996]

Scusa non ho capito bene quando dici diverse lingue della penisola? Quali lingue? L'italiano è una lingua, il milanese, il piemontese, il napoletano, il siciliano etc sono dialetti.

[@Maree2505]

A problem that is common with people who are no longer in Italy, is that our families speak the dialect, which in some cases is essentially a different language. I'm now learning the dialect as well as Italian and it really helps to unravel the too.

[@vervideosgiros1156]

Penelope Cruz speaks Italian very well and she barely has an accent! She didn't speak in Portuguese! Btw, why do you say "Atalian" instead on "Eetalian"?!

[@vervideosgiros1156]

​​@@jeupater1429 Penelope Cruz parla molto bene, davero? Questo uomo a detto che lei a parlato un po spagnolo, pero non'è vero!! Scusa, io sono portuguese, io no parlo Italiano però io capisco un po. Saluti da Portogalo!

[@NicoBlackXIV]

As an Italian I knew Kobe was quite proficient, his pronunciation is indistinguishable from that of a native speaker but I must say Colin Firth is the one that impressed me the most, he has a strong english accent but his mastery over grammar and vocabulary is absolutely good.

[@calogerohuygens4430]

@@OtaBengaBokongo insulting make you fell better? That's a feature of losers.

[@flamenco0604]

@@OtaBengaBokongo which aspect of Italian language is embarrassing (for you)? Just a curiosity And do you know Latin that well to be able to compare the 2 languages?

[@flamenco0604]

@@OtaBengaBokongo I understand. Well, you can always solve the problem of this irritating language and country by taking a plane and going to live in a better country.

[@flamenco0604]

@@OtaBengaBokongo unfortunately internet doesn’t allow me to say many things I would like to say 🤣 Take care 👌🏼

[@OtaBengaBokongo]

@@flamenco0604 and who owns the internet? Certain tribe of the Middle East that cannot be mentioned, the same people as Gad Lerner, Roberto Saviano, living in "Italy"

[@pliny8308]

Kobe didn't set out to learn Italian. He learnt it naturally, as a child. When you learn it that way, the intonation and accent stays even if you lose some vocabulary through lack of use. I know, because it happens to me occasionally, too. :)

[@kayrosantos1802]

Omg same with me the same thing happened. Like I was raised only speaking Portuguese. like I can understand *everything* in Portuguese but over time my vocabulary weakened going into school and speaking only English. And now sometimes I have to grasp for a second to find words.

[@francescocandian2708]

Kobe Bryant was, pardon IS Italian! He has a special place in our hearts in Italy! RIP, Kobe!

[@nicknameinuse2]

Vero verissimo

[@paper2222]

it is absolutely terrifying to be losing/lose your mother's tongue

[@agostocobain2729]

Same here I’m American (born and raised proud) I went to high school in Germany, and I learned German obviously, but since I don’t use it, I lost a lot of it, but if I remind myself with a little study, it will all come back. My parents are from Iran and I speak Farsi too! Also a little Spanish

[@leonardomangiapan1160]

Viggo's first clip was so unexpected, not because he could speak italian, but because he knew "topo gigio" how the hell did Viggo Mortensen knew topo gigio!?

[@superpaulsuper]

topo gigio was an internationa celebrity back in the days :)

[@cristianbrasca]

Perché lui è cresciuto in Argentina, dove topo Gigio era molto famoso.

[@N1originalgazza]

@@cristianbrasca Interessante, il suo italiano è buono, si sente che è parlato con leggero accento spagnolo non certo statunitense.

[@venetoaward]

Yeah exactly, that's what impressed me the most. I wonder how he knows about Topo Gigio

[@cristianbrasca]

@@venetoaward non hai letto la mia risposta?

[@gpexio]

Hearing Kobe talking about his future projects about Italian basketball just makes me sad.

[@disaj7460]

Same 🙁

[@mahatmaniggandhi2898]

:(

[@brunocorrea2854]

I miss him. He was a great man who inspired a lot of people. Rest in Power.

[@nicoladc89]

Fun fact: when Viggo did Lord of the Rings, he came to Italy to know his Italian dubber Pino Insegno, a very famous comic actor in Italy. They went for a walk through the streets of Rome when they met a group of fans who acclaimed Pino Insegno asking him to make a photo and ignoring Viggo. Pino felt a little embarrassed to see that they did not recognize a gigantic actor like Viggo but applauded him. So he went to them and say them "Oh, he is Viggo Mortensen... the lord of the rings, you know?" and them reply "We don't care if he's a goldsmith, we want a photo with you."

[@alessias6352]

Mi ricordo di quando lo raccontò in un video di Merluzzo questo fatto, è stato molto divertente sentirlo ahahaha

[@franino8242]

mah nooo davvero????

[@danibaralla354]

HAHAHAHAHAHA L'HO SENTITO DAL VIDEO DI MERLUZZO MI PISCIO SOTTO OGNI VOLTA

[@lindildeev5721]

Non era molto famoso.

[@nicoladc89]

@@lindildeev5721 chi?

[@luigimanna]

The one who impressed me the most is Colin Firth. He has an accent, yes, but he speaks very properly.

[@Dudu-ox2rd]

I think he's shyte!!!😆

[@OtaBengaBokongo]

Very astute observation, Luigi!

[@MassimoMat]

Being fair, who does not have an accent?

[@MassimoMat]

@lucas but even italians have an accent XD

[@MassimoMat]

@lucas my point with my non self explanatory joke was that everyone has an accent, independently of the native language. For example, in English, an English man from London does not have an accent to another English man from London. But for an American he has one, and all the way around. Actually, from another English person from a different region will be the same case. I just made this silly joke because people who is learning (or already speaks) have complex for their own accent when is not a big of a deal.

[@cranntara3741]

Kobe's sisters are fluent too. He said once in an interview that after the family came back to the US, he used to speak italian with his sisters as some sort of "secret code", to communicate without being understood by others.

[@CinCee-]

Like my grandma w/ her sisters

[@colinreese]

Kobe spoke fast and pronounced everything perfectly. His vocabulary was just a little rusty when that was filmed.

[@nsayoungbig13lorisudnwtfigo]

thats because his family lived in italy

[@colinreese]

@@nsayoungbig13lorisudnwtfigo I know. That’s why it’s so good.

[@rp3351]

Kobe's italian was indeed fantastic but for someone who lived here from 6 to 13 I'd have expected a bit more on the pronunciation - I mean, it was good, very few things to correct that mostly came from being a bit rusty, he brilliantly avoided most of the traps americans speaking italian fall into, but... you could still clearly tell within three sillabes that he's american, no doubt about that. Viggo Mortensen was the most impressive IMHO, with a little reinforcement on the geminated consonants he could convincingly pass for a Milanese film critic .) Oh, a little funny thing, Kobe asked for "(they) surround" translation (=circondano) and dude gave him a wrong answer, "girano" (=(they) go round)

[@colinreese]

@@rp3351 That’s why I said rusty. He was forgetting words as opposed to mispronouncing anything. He forgot “girano” but he could pronounce it immediately. It would have been over 20 years since he was in Italy. I’m not sure if he went to school with Americans while living there.

[@Voxen88]

He was not that good... his Italian was better than my english for sure but still pretty weak

[@jonathanwalls6760]

As a native Italian speaker, my jaw hit the floor listening to Kobe. I had absolutely no idea he was so proficient in Italian and honestly I'm really honored that he chose our language to master that way. Edit: I appreciate a lot of you pointing out that he lived in Italy for a while and therefore had a bit of a leg up on this but guys my respect for him stands, I promise you don't need to keep telling me. (Thank you anyway!)

[@smtuscany]

He sort of grew up in Italy

[@jonathanwalls6760]

@@smtuscany ahhhh, gotcha. I don't much follow basketball so I'm not super familiar with his background.

[@dr.corneliusq.cadbury6984]

His dad played ball in Italy

[@ParaditeRs]

He grew up in Italy because his father played basketball there. As far as I know, he returned to the United States when he was 13.

[@ChiefGodspeed]

Kobe spoke Italian Japanese Spanish he was a talented man.

[@essexitagermeng5504]

As an Italian native speaker I can tell you Kobe’s Italian is perfect! Beautiful voice and pronunciation. Sounds like from the north of Italy. It shows that getting the right musicality of the language and fluency totally compensates any grammar imperfections or lack of vocabulary which affect native speakers too. He’s the only one in these video-clips that really sounds like a native Italian. He has probably socialised a lot in Italy, apart from having a talent for languages. Penelope has a strong Spanish pronunciation, even when she say a word beginning with ‘s’ I hear ‘es’ instead. The first interviewer to Viggo sounds very fluent in both languages. Viggo’s Italian is very good, minimal foreign accent.

[@dseanjackson1]

He actually lived in Italy from age 6 - 13, Rieti, Reggio Calabria, Pistoia, Reggio Emilia

[@essexitagermeng5504]

@@dseanjackson1 oh that’ll explain, I didn’t know that, thank you:) how sad I later found out he has actually died;( RIP Kobe

[@cristinacinquini9558]

ma lui è venuto in Italia da piccolo, per forza lo parla bene.TRavolta non lo parla proprio

[@Hanamichi6666]

Jodi has the best accent, she looks italian the most

[@User-gj3rk]

Yes Kobe speaks like an EMILIANO

[@Siteca_ed_]

Viggo surprised me. His voice is really close to his italian voice actor’s voice in LotR. This is magic for me

[@FailedOrbits]

He also knows topo gigio! I mean this is a quite specific children character we have here in Italy.

[@Siteca_ed_]

@@FailedOrbits vero, molto bravo, ha anche una voce stupenda in italiano, l'unica cosa è che forse ha un vocabolario un po' scarso, infatti ci mette tanto a dire una parola dopo l'altra

[@7hbtzproductionstm581]

@@Siteca_ed_ parli di Viggo L'uomo che parla Inglese Danese Italiano Spagnolo Francese Tedesco Elfico E ogni anno si incontra con Pino Insegno

[@budibausto]

Viggo e' un vero fenomeno di artista e persona.

[@JuanPablo_RDM]

@@FailedOrbits il topo Gigio parla in spagnolo kzbin.info/www/bejne/gGHCZouOiahle9U

[@claudiocarpentieri2714]

Kobe was in Italy since 6 until 14 years old, following his father, and he always kept a strong connection with italian culture, speaking frequently in italian with teammates and even with his daughters; everybody in Italy still mourn him and love him.

[@stevemcqueen6521]

Viggo pronunciation is almost perfect, which for a nordic is a great achievement. Kobe lost some vocabulary but his pronunciation is very Italian, he has also a slight regional accent.

[@NinaNinoMi]

Isn't Viggo Argentinian as well? Or at least fluent in Spanish because he lived there as a child? I think that might explain his accurate pronunciation, probs easier for a Spanish speaker.

[@aror6480]

@@NinaNinoMi hi was raised in Argentina. Some of his family still lives there and has lived in Spain for about the 15 last years

[@tadzio7326]

Viggo is ARGENTINIAN. He has argentine nationality, he has even confessed that he has an argentine passport, and he thinks in argentine Spanish, he lived his entire childhood in Argentina. He considers himself Argentine too. Also his wife is from Spain.

[@amnesiac1975]

Colin's been living in italy for years. He speaks an extraordinary Italian, even with a British accent.

[@idek7438]

I believe he also has dual citizenship or something like that

[@vladimirmandingo6033]

@@idek7438 yes, he married an italian woman

[@Letizia2810]

His accent adds even more spice! What a charming person.

[@giannapple]

Colin Firth impressed me most. l’m Italian, and even if one can clearly hear an english accent in his speaking, it’s actually minimal. His grammar sounded perfect to me and he spoke completely naturally, quite evident that he speaks the language maybe daily. Kobe (RIP, champion, and thanks for everything you gave us) had the best pronounciation and also was using the language very naturally, instinctively.

[@65pantarei]

Kobe forever in Italian hearts ♥️ he was one of us. He said on the radio that he kept on speaking our language with his sisters. He also spoke Italian during matches not to be understood

[@4651adri]

I remember that anecdote too, specifically he was referring to Pau Gasol, since Italian and Spanish are quite similar.

[@josmith5419]

He wasn’t Italian...

[@ec6951]

@@4651adri He was actually referring to Sasha Vujacic, who spent time in Udine when he played for the local basketball team Snaidero. Kobe and Sasha used to talk to each other in Italian during the (Laker) games. I think if you look it up, you'll find clips of this. I still remember it live. So cool.

[@pietrobandinellibandinelli6139]

@@josmith5419 he never said he was. but he grew up in italy, so obviously, when he became famous a large part of italian basketball supporters were supporting him. besides, he said multiple times to love italy and was coming here every few years.

[@__seeker__]

Interesting to note how Penelope Cruz says “the spirit” in this clip. She combines the Spanish “el espíritu” with the Italian “lo spirito” and winds up with “el spirito.”

[@OtaBengaBokongo]

absolutely unbelievable, isn't it?

[@facundomedica9462]

We, native spanish speakers, are also more prone to forget about using the "lo". I find myself often saying "il sport", "il zucchero" instead of using the proper article which is "lo" in these cases. The same goes for the plural forms, in which you use "gli" instead of "i". Italians are quite chill about these mistakes, so don't think too much about it, you'll eventually pick it up :D

[@idek7438]

@@facundomedica9462 It's actually a mistake that a lot of elderly Italians used to speaking dialect make as well so don't worry. It won't impact understanding at all

[@__seeker__]

@@facundomedica9462 @Idek is completely right. And you are too. We Italian speakers are forgiving about articles. My experience with most Spanish speakers is that they are too. “Lo” is often used in place of “il” for singular masculine words which begin with an “s” and then a consonant, for example. Lo stadio, lo sport, lo squalo, lo spirito, but like you rightly said “lo zucchero” is an exception. Lo is used instead of il in these words because it sounds/flows better than saying il before the word that follows it. Sometimes lo will be hyphenated as in l’uomo because lo uomo wouldn’t flow well.

[@__seeker__]

@@OtaBengaBokongo it’s actually very easily believable

[@NekoHibaCosplay]

As an Italian I can assure that Colin Firth british accent is very noticeable when he's speaking Italian, but also it's such a delight to hear him speaking the language without doing mistakes with articles, verbs and grammar in general, which is a common mistake with people that learn the language starting from being mother tongue english speakers I was impressed the most by Jodie Foster, I didn't know at all that he knew Italian, she's very fluent and relaxed when talking

[@joselassalle9292]

It's sad to hear someone with an Italian surname, talking 'proudly' about his roots, and not showing that pride by learning the language of 'his roots'. I'm a native Spanish speaker from Puerto Rico, fully bilingual in English, which I learned at an early age. It was my French ancestry (Lassalle = LaSalle) that motivated me to learn French, when someone asked me how come I didn't speak if I had a French last name. Years later I studied and learned Italian. I'm currently learning Portuguese.

[@florenciabalori3625]

I'm of Italian descent and "took the time" to learn Italian, but be mindful that most Italian inmigrants didn't actually speak Italian (they were mainly illiterate and spoke only their local dialect), also when they arrived to their host country they preferred that their kids learned the local language instead of their "useless" dialect.

[@mahatmaniggandhi2898]

@@florenciabalori3625 not dialect, language. sadly many languages in italy are considere dialects of italian when they are not.

[@devonodonnell715]

Often the same with ‘Irish Americans’ who talk so much about their heritage but don’t take the time to learn about it. With a language like Irish Gaelic it can be quite off putting as it is very different from English but that shouldn’t be enough to stop them.

[@apoy4630]

This is so true in every country there will be people who are proud of their roots but does not have the time and effort to study the language and culture. I also don't understand that kind of thinking sometimes it annoys me. I think it's one of the reasons why I want to become a polyglot.

[@ec6951]

@@mahatmaniggandhi2898 the term 'dialect' actually means "local" language, so Florencia is correct. I lived in Italy for a number of years and was told that the reason there's a lot of "regionalismo" in Italy (Italians claim allegiance to their region first, then their country - in that exact order) because up until the country was unified, each region spoke their "dialetti" and thus outsiders (Italians but from other regions) did not understand the local "language". For this reason, these local "languages" (i.e., dialects) are alive and well and each region has so much pride in their local culture, which not only includes the local language but the food of that region, attire, etc. Overall, I found Italians are very proud of such regional culture and they speak fondly / proudly of the history of the regions throughout Italy (even if they don't like to admit they admire another region lol)- Like they'll say, "Oh, in Parma, they're known for the prosciutto and it's very good!...although we also have the prosciutto di San Daniele in Friuli! and look out for the Polenta, also a Friulano favorite!" lol

[@guidodiiorio6183]

Colin Firth really impressed me with this interview because of his very good Italian together with deeply articulated arguments which is very british. He has great ability to tell stories and describes situations, I could listen to him for hours without ever losing attention

[@Valagh]

Well, he was married with an italian movie director, Livia Giuggioli, so probably in his "family everyday life" he was a little help for to improve italian

[@Cosmopavone]

Melania is from Slovenia and in Slovenia a lot of people knows italian because the radio waves of the italian tv arrive there. Slovenia borders with Friuli and Slovenians born in the 70s/80S practically grew up watching italian tv so i guess the same goes for her.

[@davidecarulli3619]

Al confine forse, nel resto della slovenia non conoscono mezza parola

[@Cosmopavone]

@@davidecarulli3619 si parla dei Sloveni che oggi hanno 50 anni

[@davidecarulli3619]

Non so ci vado spesso visto che sono in partr sloveno e proprio nessuno sa l'italiano, nemmeno nonni o zii

[@riccamion3424]

As an Italian Kobe fan, I'll add my five cents on the way he spoke: 1) he used non English languages to communicate with his teammates in ways (Spanish with Pau Gasol, Italian with Sasha Vujacic). He also threw the occasional laughing vaffan** at refs😂😅 2) he used to talk in Spanish with his wife Vanessa at home 3) as you guessed, Kobe's thirst for knowledge and self improvement carried over to most, if not all, aspects of his life. The man was a student of the game of basketball like no other, his work ethic was legendary. Rest in peace 24❤

[@davemoney6713]

The John Travolta clip was hard to watch. I ,too, had a grin on my face Olly. Your reaction to John was priceless.

[@pauldavies9360]

Travoltas lack of italian despite his italian roots does not suprise me at all as i see a similar thing here in Wales. Literally 1000s of people claim to be proud Welsh patriots and have so much love of the country they are from/live in, yet can't be bothered and sometimes are even hostile to learning the Welsh language.

[@storylearning]

it does feel like a paradox

[@anthonylogiudice9215]

Travolta was raised as Irish as he is part Irish on his mother's side.

[@Sirianstar10]

JT says he was raised more Irish than Italian. He doesn't even like garlic! Lol

[@Tehui1974]

It's the same in New Zealand with the Māori language. That's what colonisation can do people and native languages. People don't even know that they're colonised. I genuinely wish the Welsh language all the best for the future.

[@SuperTommox]

@@Sirianstar10 what does liking garlic have to do with being Italian? Italian food has very little garlic.

[@shaikhalifa3133]

As an italian language learner, I mostly admire Kobe, he is inspirational when learning the italian language, he's got the accent, melodic sound, and fits into the colloquial so fluently, I've watched all his videos when he spoke in Italian, he was brilliant and always at ease .... RIP Kobe

[@chadbailey7038]

Another great one Olly! 🙌🏾 Kobe’s passing motivated me to become more serious on my language learning journey! I’ve always wanted to speak multiple languages and I noticed I’ve always admired people who do. I can’t waste the opportunity I’ve been given, now that Kobe’s no longer with us 🙏🏾 RIP

[@storylearning]

Love that!

[@mkphilly]

Love Kobe's use of his hands: VERY Italian

[@IlPandax]

As an italian I want to thank all these celebs for their effort to learn italian. Learning a new language is like paying a tribute to the country. I can still hear that they are foreigners but I have to say that most of them are quite good. The only thing I'd change is the clip from the movie. Speaking in a movie is not like speaking in real time. Worst italian I ever heard: Bradley Cooper in Limitless (great movie) in the restaurant scene. :D

[@JSL2000]

They all impressed me! Well done to anyone who tries to learn, even a few words, of another language.

[@SpaceMonkey15]

Vigo Mortensen speaks seven languages: English, Danish, Spanish, French, Italian, Catalan, and Arabic.

[@calvinwilliams6649]

And elvish

[@hieveryone.8508]

SpaceMonkey. (Sorry my english) Danish is Viggos mother language, so if your list is correct, then he can speak 6 foreign languages. You don't count your mother language as one of the langauges you can speak, when you say you can speak several languages.

[@SpaceMonkey15]

@@hieveryone.8508 Your English is great, actually!

[@hieveryone.8508]

@@SpaceMonkey15. Thank you.

[@Evangeline31b]

Actually his father was from Denmark (Mortensen) and his mother was from the US

[@adolfoquintana7801]

What a wonderful work you did in this video! congrats! not only acurate and complete comments, but also clever and with sensitivity.

[@0o0TheQueenBee0o0]

Virgo was actually very very good. he took his time but I would say that his phrasing and pronounciation was the best of them all (from an italian girl :-)) Also Jodie Foster and Colin Firth were very good

[@EMVelez]

Viggo

[@JohnKruse]

He grew up speaking Spanish, and Foster attended a French language school... I understand her French is pretty much spot on.

[@Dammiunnomevalido]

From a native speaker's point of view, I love how Viggo's Italian sounds like. Is true that he somehow lacks in fluency, but he speaks in a correct grammar and most of all, with clean and very Italian sounding vowels.

[@51tomtomtom]

I think this a bit "slow-mo speaking" comes from his original language-speed ! Not everybody is from Napoli and speaks like a machine-gun..... Another point: he's obviously thinking while speaking, others speak without thinking

[@PodcastItaliano]

Grande Olly, bel video! 😆

[@storylearning]

🙏🏻❤️

[@two2young93]

I've always loved Kobe's Italian.

[@heathwester_]

I find his analysis of Jodie Foster's Italian spot on. My native language is English, but I've studied French for about 10 years and have lived in France for 2 years, and I'm pretty much fluent at this point. I started learning Italian about a year ago, and because the grammar is so similar between Italian and French, my brain translates from French to Italian, not English to Italian.

[@BonDeRado]

Viggo Mortensen's Italian pronunciation in the interview about "the Green book" was actually better than in the film itself, where he had to render the accent of a second generation immigrant (at least), whose Italian was most likely a local dialect (some are practically different languages). I am increasingly impressed by Viggo.

[@ghost_cipher]

I’ve always loved studying languages as a hobby and have seem many poly’s on YT. I’m subbing because of your simplicity and love of language study. Thank you for this video!!

[@barbaragemin5117]

That was such fun Olly. Italian being my second language, it was fascinating to see these people. Colin Firth really surprised me, as did Viggo and of course Kobe - so relaxed with it. Btw, your French reader was a great help for my French.

[@storylearning]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@amberb2580]

When Jodie Foster said "americano" she pronunced it with a perfect italian accent , just as an italian person

[@qebm]

I think Viggo improved his Italian a lot: I remember older clips, where he sounded like he was just "adapting" Spanish

[@stefanoghidetti6340]

Colin Firth Italian and vocabulary is impressive. Kobe was an Italian who moved back to America. He was a legend and his Italian pronunciation was the same of any Italians that grow up in Italy.

[@relissadsouza4311]

Hey Olly! I just recently stumbled across your channel and from all I've watched up till now, its really helped a lot with foreign language learning. Thank you so much! ☺

[@storylearning]

I'm so glad!

[@elijahsmall5873]

Same

[@federicocogoli1454]

The best one is definitely Viggo, his grammar is perfect and the accent is not very noticeable. Only thing are the doubles ‘ss’ which he doesn’t really highlight too much. Except for that, the best for sure!

[@Avalk]

Viggo wins hands down. He’s speaking in a literary setting with great context awareness, showing that he really masters the language. His timing and pronounciation are also impeccable

[@7hbtzproductionstm581]

Viggo conosce e sa parlare bene (oltre l'inglese) Il Danese (essendo di origini Danesi appunto) Italiano Spagnolo Francese Tedesco Portoghese Elfico Cinese Poi anche Shakira sa parlare bene Inglese Portoghese Italiano Francese Arabo Cinese Poi da menzionare Bud Spencer Portoghese (ha vissuto alcuni anni in Brasile) Inglese Tedesco Francese

[@Luca-bw1ye]

Totally agree. He slowed a little bit, maybe he was focusing on words choices, but he didn't get one word wrong, also expressing a higher concept if compared to others.

[@bintercamunodetu8670]

True.

[@frdg88]

Kobe is always in my heart he grew up in Italy and he always loved to come back, but the one i am more impressed by are Viggo first and the quality of Penelope's grammar and confidence

[@MetamorphoseostouXR]

Colin Firth is AMAZING. Grammar, choice of words... everything is spot on. I 'm sure he practices Italian with very well-educated people. He just has a strong English accent. Listening to Jody Foster speaking Italian with a jaunty and intriguing French accent, is something really unexpected!

[@DieAlteistwiederda]

He learned it as an adult which explains why he hasn't lost more of his English accent but having one is also not a bad thing. I don't speak Italian but was still able to understand him just from speaking Spanish so I would say he speaks very clear Italian.

[@SalvatoreEscoti]

Kobe lived for a very long time in Italy. He loved Italy and the italian language so much, he gave all his kids italian names. Italy loved him back, and we still miss him!!!

[@giodc8599]

Kobe uno di noi, sempre! It's amazing how good his italian is despite living in the US and, i assume, lacking the conversational practice needed in order to be updated on the vocabulary and how the Italians speak in general. Grazie caro, ci manchi!

[@absurdious]

Jodie Foster impressed me the most: very confident and she sounds Italian in the first part of her sentences and even though she says that she speaks with a French accent, the last word of every sentence sounds Spanish to me

[@tommasogiavazzi1327]

Kobe was loved in all Italy and today we still love him, we miss you Kobe

[@HermioneOnABike]

All of this is amazing! I did not know any of them could speak Italian!

[@HitchcockBrunette]

Viggo is a total legend! Also big up to Kobe and his Italian. Wow. Rip

[@EvanTateMusic]

Kobe grew up in Italy and attended school in Italy. He learned Spanish as well.

[@TakeshiRG]

As an Italian i can say that Viggo is dope! He doesn't have a full command of Italian vocabulary, but he's really smart on disguising this lack, and hhe sounds BRILLIANT... He has a disruptive expressiveness... that's the key!

[@canzuk4711]

Wow Kobe conversing like that is awesome ! makes me want to pick up Italian NOW ! Good work Olly ! Cheers

[@strikedn]

Kobe could be a real Italian. He even speaks with his hands just like us Italians do. God bless him.

[@GF94AL]

E' italiano al 100% bilingue

[@listenup2882]

Many people speak with their hands. Caribbean people certainly do. They speak with their faces and shoulders and heads too.

[@dr.corneliusq.cadbury6984]

Jodie Foster seems to be pretty sharp. She went to Yale.

[@camelopardalis84]

She also worked with Polanski. Book smarts aren't everything. Neither is a high i.q.

[@brendarecchiajeffers7680]

Loved this video!

[@Jerel_con_jota]

Hey! You wrote that book that I just bought of short stories on Italian for beginners! How neat👍🏾

[@Stassi_babes]

So true about Penelope. She’s speaks it well but almost more so with the rhythm of her mother tongue versus speaking in the rhythm and style that Italian is spoken in

[@GoodMusicManiac999]

Kobe learnt Italian as a first language, no doubt his accent was so perfect. Even better than many native Italians, I'd say.

[@LordRubino]

Oh man! You are so good Great knowledge of language and sound. Che invidia! Fantastico video

[@liuk970]

Interesting analysis! Greetings from Italy

[@joblackisback]

I couldn’t understand a word Christophe Walz said. And I’m Italian born and raised 😀

[@eliaspaliano7907]

Hi Jo...ti consiglio di guardare "Bastardi senza gloria" da cui la clip è tratta...ti assicuro che Christoph Waltz parla un ottimo italiano... è fin troppo confidente e parla molto velocemente... comunque la scena è spassosissima...

[@berlineczka]

Skin from the band Skunk Anansie is another celebrity who speaks Italian really well. She even was a judge in one season of the X Factor tv show there.

[@pimpozza]

Yes, Skin began learning Italian specifically for X Factor but she never really got to grips with it. She found it extremely difficult and I admired her efforts. Mika, on the other hand, picked it up pretty quickly when judging the show and is now fluent in Italian, even though he has a very strong English accent.

[@stefaniac2095]

I love Colin, I am so proud of him ! He speaks really well , brava Livia !

[@pierovalentini4786]

Wow, you are able to react to some many people in the same video, I'm very impressed

[@coldcity5466]

When it came to Kobe, Olly seemed like he had an emotional reaction, like a real fan. And the fans know about Kobe’s “Mamba” mentality to excel at everything he did. That was nice:))

[@chiara2659]

Kobe learned Italian as a child when he lived there, and as an Italian I'm just so honoured 🖤🐍

[@GarcioBass4]

You are a great teacher!!! Greetings from Ferrara!

[@theyrecheap6674]

Viggo's second clip was amazing really. He's thinking as he's speaking but the little pauses he does don't feel "amateur like" because of the pronunciation he puts into the words. It's quite relaxing...almost snape-like

[@ebedifiore4021]

Caro Olly ciò che fa la differenza è la pronuncia, ho molti amici stranieri che parlano perfettamente italiano e le mamme che anche dopo anni ed anni hanno l'accento marcato della lingua di nascita. Infondo la cosa bellissima è poter comunicare, io fin da piccola non sopportavo l'idea che non mi si capisse, infatti parlo 5 lingue straniere. Complimenti davvero

[@FlyHighinItalian]

Really nice entertaining video! I didn't know Jodie Foster and Colin Firth spoke Italian, it was a nice surprise! Funny how Travolta just rummaged in his memory for some random Italian words to say 😂😂😂

[@golden_leader9227]

Colin Firth even has a double citizenship and lived in Italy for a lot of years. He married an italian woman too :)

[@vitubaratto]

I was quite surprised by the kobe's italian skills, his accent and grammar are equal to native. RIP Kobe.

[@delfinostellato74]

Colin's italian is very good.I am italian and i have the feeling he is thinking in italian while speaking,because his italian is very fluent. He is relaxed and confident. Two thumbs up for him😊

[@Cuca33]

Mio Dio, Mr. Darcy parla italiano

[@storylearning]

Si 😅😅

[@lisanarramore222]

Mr Darcy 😅

[@ghigotrieste]

Penelope, Viggo and Jodie they miss the double consonants. so cute!

[@monicahoward7443]

Thanks for this video👍 Colin è fantastico e bellissimo😍

[@DarkShines88]

Jodie Foster also acted in an italian comedy in 1977 when she was very young.

[@MichaelPhillipsatGreyOwlStudio]

Apparently, Christoph Waltz is not fluent in Italian. He speaks English and French, but his Wiki article says: "although his character in Inglourious Basterds also spoke Italian, Waltz said on the Adam Carolla Podcast that he is not fluent in Italian."

[@emiliob6496]

Vigo grew up in Argentina , therefore speaking Spanish with a somehow Italian accent and slang

[@manfredneilmann4305]

Not with an Italian accent, but rather "a la argentina".

[@bepivisintainer2975]

@@manfredneilmann4305 to tell the truth is often difficult to differentiate by non Italian or Argentine. But you are right. Is a argentine accent in reality

[@PozoBlue]

Penelope Cruz impressed me with the great accuracy of her grammar. Well done!

[@ruggerocaccamo6421]

I'm from Catania and I can tell you, Adrian Brody's performance in Peaky Blinders as Luca Changretta is AMAZING! Kudos to his teacher

[@cptr3db34rd3]

As an Italian I think Viggo is the one that surprised me the most. I already knew that Kobe had an incredible accent so that doesn't count lol. Viggo, however, was thinking about what to say, which to me says he actually had to study the language and didn't pick it up along the way. But whenever he said something it was perfect in both pronunciation and grammar.

[@lissandrafreljord7913]

He learned Spanish as a kid, and not jusg any Spanish, but Argentine Spanish, which has significant influence from Italian, especially in the cadance. That already gave him a huge advantage.

[@cathe8282]

The thing that impressed me about Kobe asking for that word is that the second he hears the word he repeats it so perfectly, I thought. I can't even do that with English and an unfamiliar word! Definitely he's a person who has grown up with the language and just needed a hint for a rarely used piece of vocab.

[@alessandrosiccophoto]

In that case, I think Kobe knew Italian better than the interviewer knew English; he didn't give the correct word for "surround".

[@Nico_linoO]

Kobe s Italian is perfect

[@ziofanale3853]

Complimenti per l'analisi dell'italiano. È la prima volta che sento un'analisi così approfondita e completa.

[@quinvos57]

Melania Trump lived in Italy from 1988 to 1996. So she probably could speak Italian, but may be a bit rusty by now. Also the German actor in Inglorious Bastard didn’t just learn those lines, he can speak a bit of Italian

[@nicopozzar1525]

She's Slovenian, many of them are usually familiar with Italian since childhood.

[@attenzioneallontanarsidall7940]

Cruz, Mortesen, Firth, Bryant and Foster speak it very well

[@Fellarin495]

Hobe , Vigo and Jodie very good Italian. Thank you for this video .

[@mariaf.scaduto4653]

What was funny and impressing at the same time is that Colin Firth always has a tiny little English pronounciation underneath when speaking Italian, but then pronounces English names (Strassberg, ecc.) with an Italian accent. This is sweet 😊 His Italian is excellent, by the way.

[@chiaranotreally1162]

Idc everytime someone speak italian, good or bad, im always impressed because italian is hard and just the fact they tried make me very happy.

[@luigibenni3449]

I knew about Kobe, he was one of us, then Jodie was really impressive for her confidence and good pronunciation

[@lucagironi9437]

bravo, uso i tuoi video per migliorare il mio inglese perchè parli motlo chiaro, bravo bravo!

[@vs-ej1qc]

melania is slovenian and since slovenia is very close to italy she probably speaks and understands some bits cause of that

[@foreverlearningfrench]

C'est tellement génial d'entendre Kobe parler italien. Et Jodie Foster est incroyable !

[@vgnlda]

Jodie Foster worked in some italian movies when she was very young.

[@manfredneilmann4305]

But she's even better at French.

[@midnightsun978]

That's totally right when she says that she speaks Italian with a French accent, but a mild one at that, she's adorable

[@Aknight292]

Someday I'd like to learn Italian. I learned Portuguese from Brazil fluently and a very high level(trying sound confident and not arrogant lol) but I'm learning Arabic right now for work reasons. And hoping to eventually learn some others. But i love the sound of Italian, i understand a lot and like you said i know how to say some things, but with Spanish and Italian i have trouble removing the Portuguese and sometimes it's hard to know what's different between Portuguese to the others.

[@clocloww1622]

I already knew Firth was proficiency in Italian and Pe, but Viggo??? WOWWWW I’m Italian and I didn’t know he’s über high level almost no accent and soo well spoken more than mostly Italians 😊

[@777missamariss]

Beautiful critiques! I speak Spanish so I share the same sentiment with Penelope when I practice my Italian or even Portuguese. I need to work on my intonation when I speak Italian.

[@donnazasgoat2274]

I learned in my college Italian that I couldn't just substitute Spanish words or phrases for Italian. I'm not criticizing Penelope Cruz's Italian but I could hear the Spanish accent.

[@antoineolivier1287]

I didn't like her pronunciation at all, she doesn't put any effort in it. 95% Madrid accent.

[@brendafierro7962]

Io parlando Italiano: sicuramente suono come Sophia Loren In realta: suono come Penelope Cruz senza il bel vizo

[@annabarr1304]

My husband is french and when we are in Italy he speaks French with an Italian accent and thinks they can understand. I prefer to ask if they speak English. My husband and I argue over this.

[@mfioramonti]

@@annabarr1304 Tell your husband to yell and move hands. That's how we communicate.

[@facundomedica9462]

@@mfioramonti indeed! I don't speak much Italian yet but the gestures are extremely helpful and allow me to fill the gaps and understand what I'm being told. I think if I would listen to the same thing without seeing the person I wouldn't understand a thing! 🤣