There are situations in which you want to say something but you can’t find the words. Even though you’ve looked them up over and over again. I’ve been there too, and I remember when I couldn’t say something that I had learned the day before. Clearly, there was something wrong with my brain, right? Well, actually no.
And if you’re one of those who, like me, are struggling to use words that you keep looking up, you’re in good company. It happens more than you think and not just to you.
The reason why this happens – you might have guessed it if you’ve read this article – is that you need to practice what you want to say.
Simply looking up words and expressions only when you need them or can’t remember them is not enough.
What you need are practice and time.
Despite all the toxic positivity that you can’t find out there telling you that “you can make it because I did it and so can you“, you need to keep in mind a couple of things:
- long-lasting learning is active, not passive
- deep-learning takes time
So, yes, you can make it. But not just by believing it. You need time, practice, a lot of trial and error, and repetition.
This is why I decided to show you a sample dialogue about expressing opinions in Italian and a few exercises to help you use the expressions that you’ll see.
After that, I’m going to give you some more tips to help you make the most of this exercise.
Ready? Here it is!
Dialogue
First things first. Here is a dialogue between two friends talking about choosing a dress for a wedding. You’ll find the English translation on the right so that you can see what these sentences mean.
But first, I would like to show you the expressions that you will find, so that you’ll have a more enjoyable experience with this conversation.
Useful expressions
- Secondo me = to me
- Lo trovo = I find it
- Non credo che vada bene = I don’t think it’s good
- Per me = to me
Conversation
| ITALIANO | INGLESE |
| Devo trovare un vestito per il matrimonio di Sara. | I need to find a dress for Sara’s wedding. |
| Ti aiuto io. Guarda questo! Secondo me è perfetto! | I’ll help you. Look at this one! In my opinion, it’s perfect! |
| Non lo so, lo trovo troppo volgare. | I don’t know, I find it too vulgar. |
| Ok, allora cosa ne pensi di quello blu? | Ok, then what do you think of the blue one? |
| Non lo so. Non mi piace molto. | I don’t know. I don’t like it that much. |
| Allora quello rosso? | Then the red one? |
| Non credo che il rosso vada bene per un matrimonio. | I don’t think red is a good color for a wedding. |
| Ok, allora… guarda questo qui! | Ok, then… look at this one! |
| Questo è perfetto! È semplice ed elegante. | This one is perfect! It’s simple and elegant. |
| Ti piace? Per me ti sta bene. | Do you like it? To me, it looks good on you. |
| Sì, mi piace tantissimo. | Yes, I like it a lot. |
Listen
Now that you’ve read the dialogue and you’re familiar with it, listen to it a few times to get used to how these words and sentences sound in Italian
Read aloud
Ok, let’s get practical now! You know how the words and sentences sound, so… it’s time to read this conversation aloud. You can print it out or write it down (even better!) and then read it out loud a few times.
Pro tip: you can play the audio version, pause it and then repeat. Just like you did in this exercise.
Using the expressions
Now, let’s dive a little bit deeper. We’ve seen some phrases to express opinions in Italian. Here they are again.
- Secondo me = to me
- Lo trovo = I find it
- Non credo che vada bene = I don’t think it’s good
- Per me = to me
Below you have an exercise to help you use them. How can you reply with the input that you have?
| Cosa ne pensi di questo vestito? |
| (Say that you find it vulgar) __________________________________________________________ |
| Ti piace questa maglietta? |
| (Say that, to you, it’s too elegant) __________________________________________________________ |
| Cosa ne pensi di questa camicia? |
| (Say that you don’t think it’s good for work.) __________________________________________________________ |
| Guarda questa gonna. Ti piace? |
| (Say that in your opinion it’s perfect) __________________________________________________________ |
Your turn to speak
Now play this track. You will hear the four questions above. Listen to them and speak when it’s your turn with the answers that you gave.
Some more tips
This exercise is just a starting point to help you get unstuck. If you want to make the most of it and make sure you remember what to say…
- Do this exercise a few times. Repeat it after a few days and see how it goes and how you feel when speaking.
- Try and see if you can remember your answers, and say them without looking at them. Test yourself often. An extra effort is what helps you remember more.
References
Lethaby Carol, Mayne Russell, Harries Patricia, An Introduction to Evidence-Based Teaching in the English Language Classroom – Theory and Practice, Pavilion ELT, 2021
Oakley Barbara, Mindshift: Break Through Obstacles to Learning and Discover Your Hidden Potential, TarcherPerigee, 2017
Oakley, Barbara, Schewe Olav, Learn Like a Pro: Science-Based Tools to Become Better at Anything, St. Martin’s Essentials, 2021
Oakley Barbara, Rogowsky Beth, Sejnowski Terrence Joseph, Uncommon Sense Teaching: Practical Insights in Brain Science to Help Students Learn, TarcherPerigee, 2021
Thornbury Scott, How to Teach Speaking, Pearson Education ESL, 2005
Teng, M. & Xu, J. (2022). Pushing vocabulary knowledge from receptive to productive mastery: Effects of task type and repetition frequency. Language Teaching Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688221077028
