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4 Phrases for Curving the Conversation Back to Italian

March 31, 2015 By Cher 3 Comments

Click play on the player at the bottom to listen to this podcast or find it on Apple Podcasts.

Picture this.

You go to Italy after months of learning and practicing Italian.

Your very first conversation in Italian is with the guy selling train tickets at the airport in Rome.

You ask him for two tickets to Rome, and he answers you in English, complete with a bored look on his face.

You shake it off, confident that your next conversation will be full of Italian (proverbs, flowery phrases, the whole deal).

When it happens with the barista at the bar next to your hotel, you order two cappuccinos, and they answer you with the price in English.

And so it goes, happening again and again and again.

So when that happens, what can you do to maneuver the conversation back to Italian so you can put your long hours of study to use?

Vespa

Here are 4 phrases for curving the conversation back to Italian

— Scusi, ma vorrei parlare in italiano, se possibile. – Excuse me, but I would like to speak in Italian, if possible.

— Scusi, ma sto imparando l’italiano, quindi vorrei fare pratica. – Excuse me, but I’ve been learning Italian, so I would like to practice.

— Come mai parli l’inglese così bene? (Face in amazement) – How come you speak English so well?

— Parli benissimo in inglese! Ti andrebbe bene se continuassimo a parlare in italiano? – You speak English really well! Would it be okay if we were to continue speaking in Italian?

And here 5 funnier, less polite ways to ask to speak in Italian. (This is just for humor. Please don’t actually use these.)

— Basta con l’inglese! – Enough with the English!

— Stai zitto. Parlami in italiano! – Shut up. Speak to me in Italian!

— Non vorrei sentirla parlare in inglese. – I would not like to hear you speak in English.

— In questo momento, vorrei darle uno schiaffo, perché mi sta parlando in inglese. Stavo aspettando questo momento da anni! (Yelling) – Right now, I would like to slap you for speaking to me in English. I’ve been waiting for this for years!

— (Surprised, shocked face) Che lingua sta parlando!? – What language are you speaking?

Remember, it usually isn’t about you.

When someone hears you speaking Italian and they switch to English, it could be for a variety of reasons.

— They see that you’re struggling and want you to feel more comfortable.

— They’ve been learning English and really want to practice.

— They’re used to speaking English with tourists, so they switch to English out of routine.

Remember, there are always reasons for an Italian choosing to speak in English, so try to get out of your head about how you probably sounded bad or said the wrong thing.

Can you think of any other phrases you want to use? Leave them in the comments below.


Listen to the Episode!

Filed Under: 30 Minute Italian Podcast, Beginner Italian, Culture, Expressions, Intermediate Italian, Italian, Vocabulary Tagged With: cher hale, ep 158, episode 158, Iceberg Project, italian, learn italian, phrases to curve conversation back to italian, show notes, speaking in italian

About Cher

Cher is the founder of The Iceberg Project and a passionate learner of the Italian, Mandarin and Spanish languages. In a little town called Vegas, you can find her searching the Internet for Doctor Who and Parks & Rec memes, drinking bubble tea, or talking about how much she loves grammar.

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Comments

  1. RagazzaBuffa says

    February 1, 2015 at 11:00 pm

    I’ve never tried this because I don’t like being dishonest, but I heard that this works well (esp. if you’re not Caucasian): “Mi dispiace, ma non parlo inglese.” Although there’s a slight risk that your Italian friend may then ask where you’re from and proceed to spout out perfect Mandarin or whatever… so maybe it’s best if you actually speak that third language.

    Reply
    • Cher says

      February 9, 2015 at 12:05 pm

      Haha, I’ve heard that, too and can’t muster up the courage to do it.

      Reply
  2. Charlie says

    February 13, 2015 at 11:54 am

    L’anno scorso ho viaggiato a Montecatini Terme in Toscana. Ho conosciuto un uomo italiano e cominciato parlare con lui. Dopo qualche momento, lui ha cambiato aparlare in tedesco! Conosco abbastanza tedesco capire quello che ha detto, ma non so rispondere in tedesco. Ho risposto in italiano, ma lui ha continuato parlare in tedesco. Gli ho chiesto di parlare in italiano! Credo che lui ha riconosciuto che fossi un straniero, e che lui mi avesse parlato nella sola lingua straniera che sapesse lui.

    Reply

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