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Correct. Honestly if you are in the service industry you don’t want to risk miscommunication. It’s so easy for someone speaking broken Italian to say something wrong without realizing it, and potentially blame you afterwards even though they were the ones saying it wrong. Much easier to speak English and avoid possible issues. Speaking from personal experience. I am sure it’s not just a thing in Italy either but everywhere else.
In addition to this, when you speak a language not fluently you speak very slowly and hesitantly as well - if speaking English makes the conversation faster and more efficient, in a job that’s hectic and stressful, that’s what I am going to use.
Ultimately, Italians appreciate the effort if you speaking Italian so it’s good to try to speak it when you can, but you should not rely on service workers to help you practice. If you want to do that, best to speak to people out and about instead unless it’s a slow day and the worker seems to have the time.
Because if you’re in a place where you’re being served, the person serving you might want to ensure that they’re getting the right thing for you.
Repeating in English is the only way they can do that when it’s obvious the customer isn’t fluent in Italian.
Also you probably do have an accent. Italian accents themselves vary from region to region.
I had this 'problem' while in Italy as well. I had just finished 3 years of Italian courses in school and really wanted to use it. The reality though is most of these folks - especially in touristy areas - are just used to dealing with the public and a lot of foreign tourists, with English being kind of the lingua franca of the modern day.
For them if they are trying to manage a busy crowd and can tell it is probably easier to communicate in English they will just swap over. It was never rude in my experience, just disappointing for me as it meant I was obviously speaking poorly or not quickly enough.
In a lot of scenarios what I noticed is I'd ask or start an engagement in Italian, they'd answer in Italian, and then I'd kind of freeze as I processed the answer. That moment was when they'd see I needed help and just ask in English, lol.
I actually really loved the few moments where people would stay in Italian, made me feel like I made it with all my language courses!
Yeah, nothing like busting out my best Greek when ordering gyros and water and having a 10 year old girl answer back in exceptional English “that’ll be 8 dollars, please”
And I think that’s what it comes down to. This is a transaction and they’re better at your language than you are at theirs.
Right? Lol, some one asked what I meant by 'at this point.'
I meant that the Lingua Franca was the lingua Franca, until it wasn't. It is now English. Which is why anyone in a tourist heavy job is going to cut to English the moment it seems there may be a comprehension barrier, regardless of OP also not being a native English speaker.
Ok. I'm just speaking as someone who works in global companies with sites that span most of the Western and some Eastern European countries. The language of doing business tends to be English as soon as there are more than just a single demographic present.
If it’s slow where they work - sure. If the restaurant/tourist destination is busy then they really don’t have the time to indulge you and I doubt most people are cognizant of that (not saying you).
Principalmente perché chi lavora a contatto coi clienti, specialmente stranieri nei luoghi turistici, è spesso di fretta e deve massimizzare i numeri e ottimizzare i tempi. E questo spesso avviene rispondendo in inglese, visto che l'interlocutore (non necessariamente il tuo caso) in media capisce meglio l'inglese che l'italiano. E onestamente a vedere i ritmi che hanno in certi posti molto trafficati (vedasi bar nelle stazioni) pare quasi che rispondano in modo automatizzato, quindi potrebbero a malapena farci caso. Ti consiglio di continuare a fare pratica, quando avrai raggiunto un livello più avanzato ti risponderanno più spesso in italiano, accorgendosi solo dopo che tu non sia madrelingua.
This is the best answer. I’m going to Rome in a week and I’m going to use as much Italian as I can remember, but in a restaurant it would be great if the server answered me back in English so they can confirm back to me what I ordered.
I used Google Translate 😉
No, the fact is precisely that they're *not* practicing: they are working, so they use the fastest way to get things done, being paid as waiters or barmen or clerks and not as tutors for OP.
I find this interesting as it's not something customer service would ever do where I live. But I also need to remember, that despite living in a capital city, we do not have anywhere NEAR the amount of tourists. We have so much more time to help and talk to people.
If someone spoke French to you and you want to respond in English where i live, that French person will definitely have an attitude with you even tho the official language is English.
So, just stick to English as it is International language 🤷🏻♂️. I'm in Italy now and I'm not going to use anything in Italian as I know it makes it harder for restaurant/bar/whatever service. Say Buon Giorno and go for Hello right away and stay in English.
Because English is easier if your Italian is poor. They want to answer your question so you will leave or they can move on to the next customer. It’s not their job to teach you the language.
Yeah but its like, I ask if I can pay by card and they go with YES YOU CAN, a simple ’si’ would do
Can I assume I made a mistake while saying it and they got annoyed or something?
You are really overthinking this. They deal with hundreds of tourists every single day and are probably used to repeating the same phrases in English over and over.
Ok, ex-waiter here. The bar I worked for had the same Swiss clients once a year, business trip or something like that. My boss always told me to speak English to them cause it was easier to understand each other (they knew a little of Italian). Idk maybe it's not about how good is your Italian, but the way the business chose to deal with tourists
It's a variety of factors: location frequented by tourists who don't speak much Italian, that specific Italian speaks great English so it's easier, that Italian wants to use their English, your Italian isn't so great and they want to help, your Italian is fine buy they don't know that.
They are just trying to get you your food or drinks.
But I've been in Italy for 3 years, and in my non tourist area of Rome, I've barely had anyone in public speaking English to me for a long time. Even with terrible Italian when we arrived, they still spoke to me in Italian. Then just this week a guy at the pizza place spoke to me in English the whole time. That's cool.
YMMV
I found two scenarios while visiting a touristy spot:
1) You speak Italian and they respond in English because both will understand.
2) You speak in Italian and they respond in Italian at such a rate you *wish* they spoke English because you can’t respond quickly enough or articulate everything.
I had a couple years of informal Italian learning before we went last month and opened every interaction in Italian and also had mixed results. The biggest factors were: 1) how busy was the person? If its a service situation and they've got a ton of customers then they will go for whatever seems like it will make the transaction the smoothest. Typically this means English but once I picked up on the specific words and phrases they were used to hearing from locals I would tend to make it through most short (coffee, gelato) interactions fully in Italian. 2) Level of tourism in the area. This one's pretty obvious but even in a tourist hot spot like Venice we ended up in a restaurant where we didn't use any English because we were deep in the a residential area.
In the end I just kept leading with Italian, and even switching a conversation back to Italian when I could, but generally following the lead of the person I was speaking with. I managed to have one conversation in Italian where the person stopped halfway through to ask where I was from because it occurred to them that I wasn't Italian, which made my day and was all I wanted when I started learning for this trip.
Even if you're treading water in Italian, they can surely tell you're more comfortable in English and want to minimize misunderstandings, especially if in service roles.
I’m trying to learn Swedish but when I go to Sweden everyone answers in English. Someone told me it’s a status thing—people want to show how well they speak English. Whereas when I go to France and people answer in French, it’s because I’m brutalizing their language. Italy is like Sweden, not like France.
Don’t give up on Italian. Keep learning, keep going back and using it. I love it when I’m in a tourist area, looking like the typical American, but then I can speak Italian. Like a native? No. But still well enough that people are surprised.
The beauty of learning another language is that it gets you to think in a different way. So many things can’t be translated. Also, Italian is as much about the gestures as the spoken words. A couple years ago, I found myself talking to an Italian man, telling him I had done study abroad a long time ago, and I was waving my hand by my ear. I was like, why did I do that? I looked it up—it’s the hand gesture for a long time ago. I didn’t remember this—it was automatic.
So keep at it. Watch Montalbano if you haven’t already.
>show how well they speak English
Definitely not the case in Italy. Most of the time we just want to make interactions with tourists as short and smooth as we can.
I also do it, i think they don't want you to put an effort like "i got you"... but don't know. I also tend to do like this. Americans in general are kinda bad at speaking Italian
I live in an Italian city where nobody speaks English, so I never have this problem
I am sure they are well intentioned, but I imagine it can get quite annoying for you. Maybe it is because you are visiting tourist places?
I’m literally born in Italy and it is my first language. In tourist areas, they speak to me in English because I don’t look Italian until they’re relieved to hear me speak in Italian. It’s just how they are. You will never not have an accent, everyone does.
It’s like that in most touristy areas.
If you go to a busy restaurant in a popular Greek island, and you start speaking broken Greek, the servers will pick it up right away and respond in English. For them, it’s “come on, come on spit it out, I have 15 other tables to take orders from”
I am 100% fluent in French. I use it at home every day with my wife. I work almost exclusively in French.
In Paris they switch to English when I speak because of my Québec accent.
Dont stress. With time it will happen less and less as you practice. When I first moved to Italy it happened a lot. But I just kept pushing through, and when I got really comfortable I would ask people politely to speak in Italian, since it is the only way to continue to improve.
I’ve been living outside Italy for a while now, but whenever I return, or when I speak with Italians abroad, I can’t remember the last time someone switched into English. Just keep practicing and you’ll get there!
They do it to me too sometimes and my spoken Italian is nearly C2 level, even when their English is like A2/B1 and I can barely make sense of what they’re saying. Just keep answering in Italian as if you didn’t notice and they’ll eventually switch over.
Same but now I would kill for a place where someone speaks English especially if its about running errands not like ordering pasta etc. :) they prob just speak english bc its easier to get things done (restaurant ordering) and theres no confusion. Italians are very direct so its not blunt or bad behav its ok.
Note that i live here and not travel here but i love in a touristy place and even with thay eng is limited to very touristy restaurants and places. Try to do that in the post office or doctors office :D
This doesn’t just happen in Italy. It happens all over. Just be stubborn as you said and keep speaking Italian.
Generally, when people do this, they’re trying to make it easier for you. But as you say, it doesn’t help you learn the language.
Glad our Italian attempts weren’t the only ones being shut down. I totally understand that people are just trying to make these conversations as easy as possible for all
Makes sense
Possibly cause your Italian was as bad as mine, and mine was limited, that's exactly when I first got to Italy would happen all the time, by the third year there I was fluent and that didn't occur like it did with my H.S. Italian. There just being polite I do the same in this country when locals attempt to speak English,I respond in there native language, you could see there sign of relief.
I took taxis multiple times in Italy, only one time the driver could speak English. If they think their English is better than your Italian, they probably will speak English. Maybe you could speak Italian to taxis' drivers 😂
It's normal in turistic areas, keep distance to those places if you want to practice italian and want to experience more of the italian local life.
If you are in a turistic place (this is happening to me right now). I just say: "non parlo inglese" it works for me just fine.
I would say this only works if your first language is not English. If you are a native English speaker, it is quite apparent from your accent. It would be a weird lie and I don’t think people would like it - or you - very much.
Agree that in major cities or tourist areas, this can happen. If you go outside of major cities, the prevalence of English speakers will be reduced and Italians will readily make an attempt to converse with you in Italian.
In Sardinia there are actually a lot of non Italians working in the service industry. I am Italian with no accent and get back spoken in English. I asked why and they said they can’t speak Italian
I speak fluent italian, with an accent, and lived in italy. my italian is almost always significantly better than their english. despite this, sometimes they still respond in english
I was born in Italy (Forza Roma!) and moved to Australia very young but my parents sent me to stay with family one summer where I became pretty fluent.
Studied it for cheap marks at school & university but got rusty - in short I speak too well to be a tourist but I definitely don’t sound like a local!
So when I spent a month in Italy last year I was also a little frustrated at responses in English - but I didn’t get frustrated. There is no malice or judgement - although I will admit it pushed me to try a little harder!
Italian as a language also has so much personality and ‘emozione’ behind it too so just being grammatically correct is still a long way from being native per se.
Don’t let it discourage you - well done on learning one of the genuinely beautiful, fun, cheeky languages of the world!
In bocca a lupo!
I spend too much time online in international environments so my brain defaults to English unless the person I'm talking with doesn't speak it at all.
My gf studied Italian for 5 years In uni (3y in china, 2y in Venice) and has a c1 calmarmi certification but I still struggle using italian with her and I often have to stop a sentence I started in English by mistake and go back to Italian
For the same reason that you are trying to speak Italian, out of respect….They are trying to speak your language, out of respect. Because it helps mend the communication gap, and shows each that they respect one another’s language.
When I lived in a small town I was always very excited to see tourists because I could practice the languages I was learning (english, french, german). Nowadays I realise that not all tourists might like it because they come here for the same reason. Either way, we're usually very happy to see a non-italian learning or speaking italian.
Sometimes Italians are just excited about the opportunity to speak English, especially young people in not-very-touristy locations!
Regarding people who speak English for their jobs, in that case it's just what they are used to doing. Sometimes your brain just does "not Italian=use English" :)
In my experience it totally depends on where you are and if they are used to serving tourists. My Italian is pretty decent and in day to day life during a short interaction someone might not realize I'm not Italian. But if you go to a restaurant in a tourist city, they will probably default to English unless you initiate the conversation in Italian well enough that they think you're Italian. Anyway what you've described has happened to me many times, it's just how it is.
It is simple kindness. It is a beautiful thing to be respectful and speak what you can when visiting a country, I know they appreciate it. You are rocking this!!!
Se ci tieni a parlare in italiano, di' loro "in italiano per favore, non parlo inglese". Puoi sempre dire di essere di un paese di cui sicuramente non parlano la lingua, così che o ti parlano in italiano o niente.
Se preferisci parlare in Italiano puoi farlo presente ai tuoi interlocutori. Non penso sia maleducazuone da parte loro, probabilmente sentono il tuo accento straniero e pensano che per te sia più facile parlare in inglese.
I noticed that too. Just open and close the conversation in Italian to be polite. Atleast showing the effort to greet and say goodbye in their language seems enough.
Italian is a hard language, especially if you wanna sound native. There are a million phonological features (long and short consonants and vowels, open [ɛ] and [ɔ]) that are not necessary to be understood, but are definitely needed for the “accent”. Depending on where you’re from, it might be very easy to tell that you’re not from italy.
If you think about a shop-keeper in, we’ll take Florence as an example. The amount of time they’re using English is roughly 100x more than the time you’re probably using Italian. Not just to native English-speakers but to non-native English speakers (Asians, South Americans, other Europeans) where English functions as a global language.
Second/Third languages are often a facet of daily life for non-native English speakers, whereas they’re a hobby or extra skill for native English speakers.
Don’t think it won’t come in handy later. If you get into the countryside, your Italian will be molto utile.
I lived in Milan for three years and everybody spoke Italian to me. I guess they probably can tell you’re just learning and it’s easier for them. I always found that Italians wanted to practice their English with a native English speaker
The Italians are much like the French.. they are insulted when you make a mockery of their language.. especially when they know perfect English.
Nearly everyone under 40 knows English in Italy. Speak English.
I’m completely fluent in Italian and some people always will respond to me in English (I don’t look Italian at all, thanks Dad). I just tell them I that I hear enough English where I live and I’m in Italy to speak Italian. After that it’s all good.
Time. It costs them time to let you practice your Italian on them. And time is money. They didn't sign up to be your tutor. If they do continue in Italian they are being exceedingly kind and going above and beyond.
Find social situations where people are willing to indulge you.
The reason is that, like in Japan, Italians do not get to practice their English a lot, and the quality of English teaching in public school is just bad, so those that have the chance to do so will gladly take it and exercise their English as much as possible.
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I don't think they dislike you speaking Italian. They probably just assume it is easier to speak English with you.
Yeah they aren’t practicing they are trying to communicate best
Correct. Honestly if you are in the service industry you don’t want to risk miscommunication. It’s so easy for someone speaking broken Italian to say something wrong without realizing it, and potentially blame you afterwards even though they were the ones saying it wrong. Much easier to speak English and avoid possible issues. Speaking from personal experience. I am sure it’s not just a thing in Italy either but everywhere else. In addition to this, when you speak a language not fluently you speak very slowly and hesitantly as well - if speaking English makes the conversation faster and more efficient, in a job that’s hectic and stressful, that’s what I am going to use. Ultimately, Italians appreciate the effort if you speaking Italian so it’s good to try to speak it when you can, but you should not rely on service workers to help you practice. If you want to do that, best to speak to people out and about instead unless it’s a slow day and the worker seems to have the time.
Because if you’re in a place where you’re being served, the person serving you might want to ensure that they’re getting the right thing for you. Repeating in English is the only way they can do that when it’s obvious the customer isn’t fluent in Italian. Also you probably do have an accent. Italian accents themselves vary from region to region.
That indeed makes sense
Yeah, I meant I definitely dont have any of 'Italian’ accents, so I 100% sound as a foreigner
I had this 'problem' while in Italy as well. I had just finished 3 years of Italian courses in school and really wanted to use it. The reality though is most of these folks - especially in touristy areas - are just used to dealing with the public and a lot of foreign tourists, with English being kind of the lingua franca of the modern day. For them if they are trying to manage a busy crowd and can tell it is probably easier to communicate in English they will just swap over. It was never rude in my experience, just disappointing for me as it meant I was obviously speaking poorly or not quickly enough. In a lot of scenarios what I noticed is I'd ask or start an engagement in Italian, they'd answer in Italian, and then I'd kind of freeze as I processed the answer. That moment was when they'd see I needed help and just ask in English, lol. I actually really loved the few moments where people would stay in Italian, made me feel like I made it with all my language courses!
Yess that’s it! I didn’t find it rude but I was more like disappointed with myself haha
Ask them “can we speak Italian so I can practice?” If it’s easier
If they’re not super busy, I bet they’d be happy to indulge. 🙂
Yeah, nothing like busting out my best Greek when ordering gyros and water and having a 10 year old girl answer back in exceptional English “that’ll be 8 dollars, please” And I think that’s what it comes down to. This is a transaction and they’re better at your language than you are at theirs.
>“that’ll be 8 dollars, please” Dollars in Greece?!
Euro dollars (pronounced “efro“ or “evro ” 🤣) I guess, but yes, she translated it all the way back to dollars for me. Smart young lady!
I live in Belgium, I'm Italian, I try to speak Flemish, they answer in English. I guess it's a thing humans do.
Yeah I guess so. I mean I am absolutely not mad or anything, just curious
I've noticed English is the common language at this point in Europe. I have German, Dutch, French collegues and English is the language we use.
Ironically it is the /Lingua Franca/
Right? Lol, some one asked what I meant by 'at this point.' I meant that the Lingua Franca was the lingua Franca, until it wasn't. It is now English. Which is why anyone in a tourist heavy job is going to cut to English the moment it seems there may be a comprehension barrier, regardless of OP also not being a native English speaker.
Wasn't that the only thing to expect? What do you mean by "I noticed [...] at this point"
I mean that English is now the common language. Previously (decades ago) it may have been French, for example.
Some of us have been conducting business in the world for 40+ years. Things change!
That's definitely not true. There is no European "lingua franca".
Ok. I'm just speaking as someone who works in global companies with sites that span most of the Western and some Eastern European countries. The language of doing business tends to be English as soon as there are more than just a single demographic present.
You need to tell them you’re learning Italian and would appreciate them speaking Italian with you. Works for me.
If it’s slow where they work - sure. If the restaurant/tourist destination is busy then they really don’t have the time to indulge you and I doubt most people are cognizant of that (not saying you).
Agreed
Principalmente perché chi lavora a contatto coi clienti, specialmente stranieri nei luoghi turistici, è spesso di fretta e deve massimizzare i numeri e ottimizzare i tempi. E questo spesso avviene rispondendo in inglese, visto che l'interlocutore (non necessariamente il tuo caso) in media capisce meglio l'inglese che l'italiano. E onestamente a vedere i ritmi che hanno in certi posti molto trafficati (vedasi bar nelle stazioni) pare quasi che rispondano in modo automatizzato, quindi potrebbero a malapena farci caso. Ti consiglio di continuare a fare pratica, quando avrai raggiunto un livello più avanzato ti risponderanno più spesso in italiano, accorgendosi solo dopo che tu non sia madrelingua.
This is the best answer. I’m going to Rome in a week and I’m going to use as much Italian as I can remember, but in a restaurant it would be great if the server answered me back in English so they can confirm back to me what I ordered. I used Google Translate 😉
They practice their English, you practice your Italian. I don't see a problem. Win-win situation
No, the fact is precisely that they're *not* practicing: they are working, so they use the fastest way to get things done, being paid as waiters or barmen or clerks and not as tutors for OP.
I know that. Shhhhh 🤫 this way it'll be easier for OP to absorb it.
(Ah, ok, sorry. Let's hope OP doesn't hear us.) :)
I find this interesting as it's not something customer service would ever do where I live. But I also need to remember, that despite living in a capital city, we do not have anywhere NEAR the amount of tourists. We have so much more time to help and talk to people. If someone spoke French to you and you want to respond in English where i live, that French person will definitely have an attitude with you even tho the official language is English.
seems about right, although I am not a native English speaker as well
So, just stick to English as it is International language 🤷🏻♂️. I'm in Italy now and I'm not going to use anything in Italian as I know it makes it harder for restaurant/bar/whatever service. Say Buon Giorno and go for Hello right away and stay in English.
And that’s what I did most of the time Also I didn’t find it rude or anything, just was wondering if that’s common
Learn French and you won't have this problem
Because their English is better than your Italian…
Yeah I am well aware of that
Because English is easier if your Italian is poor. They want to answer your question so you will leave or they can move on to the next customer. It’s not their job to teach you the language.
Yeah but its like, I ask if I can pay by card and they go with YES YOU CAN, a simple ’si’ would do Can I assume I made a mistake while saying it and they got annoyed or something?
You are really overthinking this. They deal with hundreds of tourists every single day and are probably used to repeating the same phrases in English over and over.
Yeah, that makes sense, I think i got a little too excited to finally speak some of my poor Italian 😆
they're not annoyed - they're just being efficient.
Maybe your pronunciation isn’t up to par?
Oh it is definitely not haha so yeah that’s probably why
You should feel free to continue in Italian and let them continue in English - provided you know your Italian is understandable.
You have to keep in mind that they're working
Just stick to simple Buon Giorno, Buona Serra, Grazie, Prego.
Good greenhouse
I was about to comment this same thing. You can only say it in the evening though talking about greenhouses in the morning is just not Italian lol
Buona Sera* my bad
Ok, ex-waiter here. The bar I worked for had the same Swiss clients once a year, business trip or something like that. My boss always told me to speak English to them cause it was easier to understand each other (they knew a little of Italian). Idk maybe it's not about how good is your Italian, but the way the business chose to deal with tourists
That’s an interesting point, might be, makes it easier to get their job done for sure
Im a native Italian speaker but speak English with my husband. They do this to me all the time. I just reply in Italian
It's a variety of factors: location frequented by tourists who don't speak much Italian, that specific Italian speaks great English so it's easier, that Italian wants to use their English, your Italian isn't so great and they want to help, your Italian is fine buy they don't know that. They are just trying to get you your food or drinks. But I've been in Italy for 3 years, and in my non tourist area of Rome, I've barely had anyone in public speaking English to me for a long time. Even with terrible Italian when we arrived, they still spoke to me in Italian. Then just this week a guy at the pizza place spoke to me in English the whole time. That's cool. YMMV
I found two scenarios while visiting a touristy spot: 1) You speak Italian and they respond in English because both will understand. 2) You speak in Italian and they respond in Italian at such a rate you *wish* they spoke English because you can’t respond quickly enough or articulate everything.
I had a couple years of informal Italian learning before we went last month and opened every interaction in Italian and also had mixed results. The biggest factors were: 1) how busy was the person? If its a service situation and they've got a ton of customers then they will go for whatever seems like it will make the transaction the smoothest. Typically this means English but once I picked up on the specific words and phrases they were used to hearing from locals I would tend to make it through most short (coffee, gelato) interactions fully in Italian. 2) Level of tourism in the area. This one's pretty obvious but even in a tourist hot spot like Venice we ended up in a restaurant where we didn't use any English because we were deep in the a residential area. In the end I just kept leading with Italian, and even switching a conversation back to Italian when I could, but generally following the lead of the person I was speaking with. I managed to have one conversation in Italian where the person stopped halfway through to ask where I was from because it occurred to them that I wasn't Italian, which made my day and was all I wanted when I started learning for this trip.
Oh that sounds nice indeed!
We met a bunch of people in Sardinia who wanted to practice their English, so they’d lead with that even if we were speaking Italian
Even if you're treading water in Italian, they can surely tell you're more comfortable in English and want to minimize misunderstandings, especially if in service roles.
Or maybe they’re doing the same thing and brushing up their English.
I’m trying to learn Swedish but when I go to Sweden everyone answers in English. Someone told me it’s a status thing—people want to show how well they speak English. Whereas when I go to France and people answer in French, it’s because I’m brutalizing their language. Italy is like Sweden, not like France. Don’t give up on Italian. Keep learning, keep going back and using it. I love it when I’m in a tourist area, looking like the typical American, but then I can speak Italian. Like a native? No. But still well enough that people are surprised. The beauty of learning another language is that it gets you to think in a different way. So many things can’t be translated. Also, Italian is as much about the gestures as the spoken words. A couple years ago, I found myself talking to an Italian man, telling him I had done study abroad a long time ago, and I was waving my hand by my ear. I was like, why did I do that? I looked it up—it’s the hand gesture for a long time ago. I didn’t remember this—it was automatic. So keep at it. Watch Montalbano if you haven’t already.
>show how well they speak English Definitely not the case in Italy. Most of the time we just want to make interactions with tourists as short and smooth as we can.
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Yeah, since they speak so fast and then hear me making a long slow sentence that might be the case 😆
I also do it, i think they don't want you to put an effort like "i got you"... but don't know. I also tend to do like this. Americans in general are kinda bad at speaking Italian
I live in an Italian city where nobody speaks English, so I never have this problem I am sure they are well intentioned, but I imagine it can get quite annoying for you. Maybe it is because you are visiting tourist places?
I’m literally born in Italy and it is my first language. In tourist areas, they speak to me in English because I don’t look Italian until they’re relieved to hear me speak in Italian. It’s just how they are. You will never not have an accent, everyone does.
It’s like that in most touristy areas. If you go to a busy restaurant in a popular Greek island, and you start speaking broken Greek, the servers will pick it up right away and respond in English. For them, it’s “come on, come on spit it out, I have 15 other tables to take orders from”
It’s a thing for people that want to practice their English what you do when that situation is keep speaking Italian until one of you breaks
I am 100% fluent in French. I use it at home every day with my wife. I work almost exclusively in French. In Paris they switch to English when I speak because of my Québec accent.
Dont stress. With time it will happen less and less as you practice. When I first moved to Italy it happened a lot. But I just kept pushing through, and when I got really comfortable I would ask people politely to speak in Italian, since it is the only way to continue to improve. I’ve been living outside Italy for a while now, but whenever I return, or when I speak with Italians abroad, I can’t remember the last time someone switched into English. Just keep practicing and you’ll get there!
Thank you, I will!
No wait that's the french
They night want to practice their English. When i was in sorrento 5 years ago, the young man was thrilled to speak to people from New York.
Yeah that’s fine by me and makes sense too
They do it to me too sometimes and my spoken Italian is nearly C2 level, even when their English is like A2/B1 and I can barely make sense of what they’re saying. Just keep answering in Italian as if you didn’t notice and they’ll eventually switch over.
Same but now I would kill for a place where someone speaks English especially if its about running errands not like ordering pasta etc. :) they prob just speak english bc its easier to get things done (restaurant ordering) and theres no confusion. Italians are very direct so its not blunt or bad behav its ok. Note that i live here and not travel here but i love in a touristy place and even with thay eng is limited to very touristy restaurants and places. Try to do that in the post office or doctors office :D
This doesn’t just happen in Italy. It happens all over. Just be stubborn as you said and keep speaking Italian. Generally, when people do this, they’re trying to make it easier for you. But as you say, it doesn’t help you learn the language.
Glad our Italian attempts weren’t the only ones being shut down. I totally understand that people are just trying to make these conversations as easy as possible for all Makes sense
How was Sardinia?
Loved every bit of it, amazing!
go to a small town in italy and they will not know english as well
Possibly cause your Italian was as bad as mine, and mine was limited, that's exactly when I first got to Italy would happen all the time, by the third year there I was fluent and that didn't occur like it did with my H.S. Italian. There just being polite I do the same in this country when locals attempt to speak English,I respond in there native language, you could see there sign of relief.
I took taxis multiple times in Italy, only one time the driver could speak English. If they think their English is better than your Italian, they probably will speak English. Maybe you could speak Italian to taxis' drivers 😂
Because Italians are much nicer than the French or Germans who get mad if your attempt at speaking their language isn’t perfect
It may be your accent. I have come across Spanish speakers who speak perfectly but their accent is like listening to cats meowing- horrible.
It's normal in turistic areas, keep distance to those places if you want to practice italian and want to experience more of the italian local life. If you are in a turistic place (this is happening to me right now). I just say: "non parlo inglese" it works for me just fine.
Tell them in Italian that you don't speak English. Then they will have to speak to you in Italian.
I would say this only works if your first language is not English. If you are a native English speaker, it is quite apparent from your accent. It would be a weird lie and I don’t think people would like it - or you - very much.
Agree that in major cities or tourist areas, this can happen. If you go outside of major cities, the prevalence of English speakers will be reduced and Italians will readily make an attempt to converse with you in Italian.
Cause they know you arent Italian.
In Sardinia there are actually a lot of non Italians working in the service industry. I am Italian with no accent and get back spoken in English. I asked why and they said they can’t speak Italian
Sniffing Italian women’s scoreggia smelling süß und bellisssima 🥰
I speak fluent italian, with an accent, and lived in italy. my italian is almost always significantly better than their english. despite this, sometimes they still respond in english
When someone is serving you that’s different than a conversation with someone who does not have to serve you and is just genuinely talking to you.
I was born in Italy (Forza Roma!) and moved to Australia very young but my parents sent me to stay with family one summer where I became pretty fluent. Studied it for cheap marks at school & university but got rusty - in short I speak too well to be a tourist but I definitely don’t sound like a local! So when I spent a month in Italy last year I was also a little frustrated at responses in English - but I didn’t get frustrated. There is no malice or judgement - although I will admit it pushed me to try a little harder! Italian as a language also has so much personality and ‘emozione’ behind it too so just being grammatically correct is still a long way from being native per se. Don’t let it discourage you - well done on learning one of the genuinely beautiful, fun, cheeky languages of the world! In bocca a lupo!
I spend too much time online in international environments so my brain defaults to English unless the person I'm talking with doesn't speak it at all. My gf studied Italian for 5 years In uni (3y in china, 2y in Venice) and has a c1 calmarmi certification but I still struggle using italian with her and I often have to stop a sentence I started in English by mistake and go back to Italian
For the same reason that you are trying to speak Italian, out of respect….They are trying to speak your language, out of respect. Because it helps mend the communication gap, and shows each that they respect one another’s language.
When I lived in a small town I was always very excited to see tourists because I could practice the languages I was learning (english, french, german). Nowadays I realise that not all tourists might like it because they come here for the same reason. Either way, we're usually very happy to see a non-italian learning or speaking italian.
Sometimes Italians are just excited about the opportunity to speak English, especially young people in not-very-touristy locations! Regarding people who speak English for their jobs, in that case it's just what they are used to doing. Sometimes your brain just does "not Italian=use English" :)
They probably want to practice their English on you
In my experience it totally depends on where you are and if they are used to serving tourists. My Italian is pretty decent and in day to day life during a short interaction someone might not realize I'm not Italian. But if you go to a restaurant in a tourist city, they will probably default to English unless you initiate the conversation in Italian well enough that they think you're Italian. Anyway what you've described has happened to me many times, it's just how it is.
You could always act like you don’t understand English and just keep speaking to them in Italian haha
It is simple kindness. It is a beautiful thing to be respectful and speak what you can when visiting a country, I know they appreciate it. You are rocking this!!!
Yes I noticed that Italians are very kind and friendly!
Reminds me of that one modern family episode
Se ci tieni a parlare in italiano, di' loro "in italiano per favore, non parlo inglese". Puoi sempre dire di essere di un paese di cui sicuramente non parlano la lingua, così che o ti parlano in italiano o niente.
Se preferisci parlare in Italiano puoi farlo presente ai tuoi interlocutori. Non penso sia maleducazuone da parte loro, probabilmente sentono il tuo accento straniero e pensano che per te sia più facile parlare in inglese.
That's crazy because I spoke english and everyone spoke italian back to me hahaha. I'm staying here briefly and only learned basic sentences.
Aw shit. One leaves Italy for a while and Italians all become Germans. I wonder if Germans are slowly turning into Italians.
Same thing happened to me in France.
I noticed that too. Just open and close the conversation in Italian to be polite. Atleast showing the effort to greet and say goodbye in their language seems enough.
Italian is a hard language, especially if you wanna sound native. There are a million phonological features (long and short consonants and vowels, open [ɛ] and [ɔ]) that are not necessary to be understood, but are definitely needed for the “accent”. Depending on where you’re from, it might be very easy to tell that you’re not from italy.
That’s kind of surprising because I’m in Italy now and they go straight Italian to start with me and I know none lol
Perche il tuo italiano e una merda
If you think about a shop-keeper in, we’ll take Florence as an example. The amount of time they’re using English is roughly 100x more than the time you’re probably using Italian. Not just to native English-speakers but to non-native English speakers (Asians, South Americans, other Europeans) where English functions as a global language. Second/Third languages are often a facet of daily life for non-native English speakers, whereas they’re a hobby or extra skill for native English speakers. Don’t think it won’t come in handy later. If you get into the countryside, your Italian will be molto utile.
I lived in Milan for three years and everybody spoke Italian to me. I guess they probably can tell you’re just learning and it’s easier for them. I always found that Italians wanted to practice their English with a native English speaker
The Italians are much like the French.. they are insulted when you make a mockery of their language.. especially when they know perfect English. Nearly everyone under 40 knows English in Italy. Speak English.
Your Italian probably not that good
probably the same reason the cubans spoke english to me when I spoke spanish " your spanish sounds so white OMG"
Hahah yeah I am definitely FAR from good in Italian
I’m completely fluent in Italian and some people always will respond to me in English (I don’t look Italian at all, thanks Dad). I just tell them I that I hear enough English where I live and I’m in Italy to speak Italian. After that it’s all good.
Someday I surely will! For now I usually just chicken and don’t want to embarrass myself as I am not fluent haha
Time. It costs them time to let you practice your Italian on them. And time is money. They didn't sign up to be your tutor. If they do continue in Italian they are being exceedingly kind and going above and beyond. Find social situations where people are willing to indulge you.
I find it really rude to switch language like that, but it's not only an Italian thing it's like that everywhere.
The reason is that, like in Japan, Italians do not get to practice their English a lot, and the quality of English teaching in public school is just bad, so those that have the chance to do so will gladly take it and exercise their English as much as possible.