Why do we make these mistakes?
When English speakers start speaking Italian, they often feel that grammar is the main challenge.
In reality, many of the most persistent problems come from something more subtle. Thinking in English while speaking Italian.
These mistakes are not random. They are predictable, logical, and very common.
They are also some of the most common Italian mistakes English speakers make when they start speaking the language.
The good news is that once you recognise them, they become much easier to fix.
This is something we work on systematically in our Italian lessons.
Below are ten mistakes I see regularly in lessons, along with small adjustments that make a big difference.
The 10 Most Common Italian Mistakes
1. Confusing essere and stare
In English, to be covers everything. Italian splits that idea into two verbs, and the distinction matters.
A sentence like sono stanco works, but problems appear quickly:
- sono mangiando instead of sto mangiando
- sono bene instead of sto bene
This can lead to awkward moments, especially when talking about health or feelings.
For example, sono male does not mean “I’m feeling unwell” in the way English speakers expect.
What helps: In lessons, we don’t memorise rules first. We connect stare to temporary conditions and situations, and essere to identity and description.
Thinking in terms of “how things are right now” versus “what something is” makes the distinction much clearer.
2. Mixing up buono and bene
Because English uses good both as an adjective and an adverb, learners often treat buono and bene as interchangeable.
This leads to sentences like:
- parlo italiano buono
- il vino è bene
They are usually understood, but they sound off to native ears.
What helps: A simple check we use in lessons: If you’re describing how something happens, bene is usually the right choice. If you’re describing how something is, buono belongs there.
It’s also interesting to notice that Italians often use bello instead of buono.
Doing the opposite is not a grammar mistake, but it’s simply not something an Italian would normally say. Bello is common for anything aesthetically pleasing, buono for qualities.
3. Overusing prendere instead of fare
English speakers rely heavily on verbs like take and have. Italian often structures the same actions differently.
Classic examples:
- prendere una doccia instead of fare la doccia
- prendere una passeggiata instead of fare una passeggiata
These expressions are understandable, but they sound unnatural and immediately mark the speaker as a learner.
What helps: Rather than translating verbs, we focus on fixed Italian expressions with fare. Once you internalise a few key combinations, the need to translate disappears.
4. Dropping the article with possessives
In English, my car is complete. In Italian, mia macchina usually isn’t.
Learners often say:
- mia macchina è nuova instead of la mia macchina è nuova
- mio lavoro è interessante instead of il mio lavoro è interessante
Grammatically, something feels “missing”, and it is.
What helps: In Italian, the article is part of the structure. We encourage students to think of la mia, il mio as a single unit, not as separate pieces.
5. Confusing tu, voi and Lei
English uses one word: you. Italian doesn’t, and this causes hesitation and inconsistency.
You’ll often hear:
- scusa in a formal context
- scusi said jokingly to friends
- i miei amici uscite instead of i miei amici escono
These mistakes can lead to mildly awkward social situations, especially in shops, offices, or with strangers.
What helps: In lessons, we always tie forms of address to real contexts, not abstract politeness rules.
Who are you talking to? Where are you? What’s the relationship? The choice becomes much more intuitive.
6. Confusing sapere and conoscere
English collapses both ideas into to know. Italian doesn’t.
This results in sentences like:
- conosco parlare italiano
- so Maria
They’re understandable, but clearly wrong.
What helps: We link sapere to skills and information, and conoscere to people, places and familiarity. Once that conceptual split is clear, the verbs stop being confusing.
7. Confusing “there is” with “it is”
English speakers often overuse c’è because it feels like a safe translation of there is.
This leads to sentences like:
- c’è importante capire instead of è importante capire
- c’è tardi instead of è tardi
These sound strange in Italian and can momentarily confuse the listener.
What helps: We focus on the difference between introducing the presence of something (c’è) and describing a situation (è).
For example: Roma è una bella città (description) A Roma c’è il Colosseo (presence)
8. Using troppo instead of molto
This is a classic source of unintended humour.
Saying ho studiato troppo often means “I studied too much”, not “I studied a lot”.
In the wrong context, it can sound exaggerated or even ironic.
What helps: We associate molto with intensity and troppo with excess. Once learners feel that difference, they stop mixing them up.
9. Using qualche with plural nouns
English plural logic leads to expressions like:
- qualche volte instead of qualche volta
- qualche persone instead of qualche persona
They feel logical, but they’re wrong.
What helps: A simple reminder we use often: qualche already contains the idea of “more than one”.
The noun stays singular. We also show that alcuni / alcune work as a good alternative with a similar meaning.
10. Placing adjectives before the noun by default
English word order strongly influences learners, who often place adjectives before nouns without thinking.
This can lead to sentences like:
- una rossa macchina instead of una macchina rossa
- un veloce computer instead of un computer veloce
The sentence may still be understandable, but it sounds very strange to an Italian.
What helps: Learning adjectives together with articles and nouns helps learners develop a more natural word order over time.
Learning to think differently, not harder
All these mistakes have one thing in common: they make perfect sense from an English point of view.
All these patterns come from the same place: thinking in English while speaking Italian, instead of adapting to Italian logic.
Improving doesn’t mean studying more rules. It means adjusting how you map meaning from one language to another.
This is the kind of work we do in our lessons: identifying recurring patterns, understanding why they happen, and replacing them with more natural Italian structures.
If you’d like to work on these points in a structured but practical way, you can book a free trial lesson and see how this approach works for your level.
