When you’re new to a language it’s useful to know upfront what makes it different from your native one. That will help you to identify the most challenging aspects and it gives you an overview of what you can expect.
Today I’ll show you the top 5 differences between English and Italian. How much do you think they’re alike? Keep reading to find it out.
Where did English & Italian come from?
English and Italian are quite different and that’s mostly because of their origins. Before we look into the actual differences between these two languages, let’s find out something more about their roots.
Italian Language (Origins)
Italian is the most direct descendant of Latin whose influence is still powerful in the modern language. Some words we commonly use were born thousands of years ago and we don’t even realize it.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, Italy wasn’t a unified country, and each region had its own idiom. Among all, the Tuscan dialect (in particular the one from Florence) attained greater exposure and prestige, thanks to the work of well-known writers such as Dante, Petrarca, and Boccaccio.
As a result, the Tuscan dialect became the official language in literature and among educated people while the dialects were still spoken by the common folk until the unification of Italy. Nowadays, Italian is the official language in Italy but dialects still survive in some regions, especially in small towns.
English and its Roots
English is, instead, a West Germanic language. It comes from the idiom of the Germanic tribes (Anglo-Saxon) that invaded Britain in the 5th Century AD. At that time, the Celts who spoke Celtic were living in Britain, but the invaders pushed them to the west and north regions (currently Wales, Scotland, and Ireland).
The language brought by these people is known as Old English which is quite different from Modern English. The following conquering by Normans and the renaissance of Classical learning introduced new words to the English lexicon, making up the language that we know today.
English vs Italian: Top Differences
After this brief introduction about their origins, let’s see exactly what makes English and Italian so different. I’ll show you the top 5 differences between these two languages. Leverage this knowledge to boost your Italian!
1 – Word Gender
The first difference between English and Italian is the word gender. Yes, you’ve read that right, in Italian, nouns can be masculine or feminine.
It’s crucial that you know the gender of a noun, ’cause all the related words must agree with its gender. For instance: “il tetto è rosso” (the roof is red): the word “tetto” is masculine and therefore the article (“il”) and the adjective “rosso” are in their masculine form as well.
To easily remember the gender of the names, try to always learn new words with their article. For example: “il cane” (dog), “il caffè” (coffee), “la casa” (house), “la pizza” (pizza). The article “il” is only used for masculine nouns while the article “la” is for feminine words. To know more about the Italian articles check out this lesson here.
Unfortunately, there’s not a rule that tells you for certain whether a noun is masculine or feminine. However, these guidelines can help you guess the word gender in Italian.
2 – Verbs Conjugation
The second difference between English and Italian is about the verbs. In Italian, the conjugation of the verbs is quite complex and this is probably one of the biggest challenges for students.
But let’s take a step back; with “verb conjugation” I mean that the verb changes based on who’s talking. In Italian that happens for each pronoun in all verb tenses. In English, instead, only in the simple present, the singular subjects (he, she, it) requires an -s at the end of the word.
Anyway, don’t worry! You don’t have to learn it all at once. Here’s a little trick: pick up a few of the most common verbs and learn its conjugation first with those pronouns you’re more likely to use in conversations; so, for example, “io” (I), “tu” (you) and “noi” (we). Once you feel confident, gradually move on to the full conjugation.
The secret to learn Italian verbs is to practice their use as part of real conversations. If you try to memorize an endless list of verbs and their conjugation, you’ll only end up bored to death!
In English, indeed, the verb doesn’t really change based on the person: only at the simple present, the singular subjects (he, she, it) requires an -s at the end of the word.
Also, remember that not all the verb tenses are actually used in real life. Check out the most common verb tenses used in the spoken language, so you can start focusing on those.
3 – Pronunciation
Let’s move on to the third difference that’s about pronunciation. The good news is that Italian pronunciation is overall easier than the English one.
Let’s see why is that. When you find a new word in English, you’re never 100% sure of how it sounds before you listen to it or check it in the dictionary. In Italian, instead, you normally read a word the same way you write it.
You of course need to know the alphabet and some basic rules, but then you’ll find yourself able to say almost every Italian word!
4 – Formal & Informal Language
We’ve come to our fourth difference which is also one of the most important ones!
In Italian, in fact, the way you speak to people is very different, depending if you are in a formal or informal situation.
But why this is so crucial? Because people may feel uncomfortable if you don’t speak to them as they expect you to.
So what makes these two ways of talking different?
It’s mainly the pronoun that you use to address the person you’re talking to (and hence its verb).
Indeed, in English you always address your speaker with the pronoun YOU, regardless if you are talking to a close friend or to a stranger.
In Italian, instead, you have two ways to say “you”: in an informal conversation, “you” is TU while in a formal speech it becomes LEI.
Make sure that you check this lesson on formal and informal Italian to clearly see when to use one rather than the other. You’ll also find some practical examples.
5 – Questions
Finally, the last difference between English and Italian is the way you ask questions.
In English, when you ask a question you use a different structure than when you answer or say something. This means that you can easily recognize a request from a statement, based on how the words are placed in the sentence or from the use of auxiliary verbs e.g. do/does.
In Italian, instead, words don’t change their position in questions and you recognize that someone is asking you something mainly from the intonation.
Here you are a clear example. In English, when you say: “does she live here?”, you can clearly see that it’s a question. And this is definitely different from: “she lives here”, which is a statement.
But let’s see how you say the same sentence in Italian.
The way you ask if she lives here is: “Lei vive qui?”; and the phrase doesn’t change if you are telling this information instead: “Lei vive qui”.
Listen to the recording below to hear the difference.
LEI VIVE QUI?
LEI VIVE QUI.
Okay this may sound confusing, but don’t worry too much about it especially if you are just starting out with Italian. People can still understand you also if your intonation is not perfect.
At the same time, though, try to listen as much as possible to native speakers so you learn how to recognize a question from a statement.
LET’S RECAP!
When you are you new to a language, it can definitely help to know in advance what makes it different from your native one.
In this article we’ve seen that English and Italian have very distinct origins and that clearly makes these two language not quite alike.
We’ve been through a list of 5 main differences, so let’s recap what they are:
#1 – WORD GENDER
Italian nouns can be feminine or masculine and all words related to them in a sentence need to agree with their gender. Learn the gender while you build your vocabulary and it won’t be too hard to remember it.
#2 – VERB CONJUGATION
In Italian the verb conjugation is more complex than in English. I suggest that you learn it gradually practicing through real conversations. And if you make mistakes, don’t worry, it will help you to improve!
Here you can check the most common verb tenses in spoken Italian … start with them 🙂
#3 – SPELLING
Italian is a phonetic language and so words sound as they are written. You just need to learn some basic pronunciation rules and then you’ll be able to read or spell without constantly check the vocabulary.
# 4 – FORMAL AND INFORMAL
In Italian the way you address your speaker can be very different depending on the situation. The pronoun used in a formal context is LEI while TU is the one for informal conversations. Remember that also the verb has to change accordingly with the subject!
Make sure that you know when to use formal and informal Italian so you don’t let people feel uncomfortable …
# 5 – QUESTIONS
The structure of a question doesn’t change in Italian and you can tell if someone’s asking you something from the intonation. Practice listening to native speakers to be able to realize when you’re requested to answer.
So these were the top differences between English and Italian. Of course there are many more but you’ll learn them along the way.
You can also read the following topics:
- 15 ESSENTIAL WORDS IN ITALIAN (FOR BEGINNERS)
- HOW TO USE “TO BE” TO TALK ABOUT YOURSELF (IN ITALIAN)
- THE SECRET TO SAY THE SOUND “GLI” IN ITALIAN
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