Language learning | Italy | Language
My Italian Language Learning Journey
From Uccelli to Forheads
Learning Italian was a thrilling adventure that began in the 3rd grade of primary school back in 2011.
My school offered it as an extracurricular course, and I dove in, eager to master the language of:
- Romance
- Art
- And some of the world’s best pasta dishes.
For two years, I took weekly Italian lessons, blissfully unaware of the linguistic pitfalls that lay ahead.
**The Course of Animals**
My early Italian classes focused largely on the animal kingdom, and while this might not seem particularly glamorous, I enjoyed it immensely.
The new words rolled off my tongue with an elegance that felt like a testament to my rapidly expanding vocabulary.
However, one fateful day, I fell ill and missed a class.
When I returned, my classmates and I were quizzed on the Italian names for various animals.
I confidently rattled off words for “cat”, “dog”, “cow”, etc.
But then came the dreaded question:
“How do you say bird in Italian?”
**The Uncontrollable Laughter**
I frantically turned to my classmates for help.
One of them whispered the word “uccello”, and to my delight, I had my answer.
But something unexpected happened: I and another classmate who had missed the same lesson began to laugh uncontrollably.
You see, “uccello” phonetically resembles the Slovenian phrase “v čelo”, which translates to “into the forehead”.
This connection was simply too much for our 8-year-old minds, and we doubled over in laughter, much to the confusion of everyone else in the classroom.
It was a moment that cemented Italian in my heart, if only for its delightful coincidence.
**A Neighborly Conversation**
Fast forward a year or two, my Italian skills came in handy in a way I hadn’t anticipated.
I moved into a new neighborhood (well, actually my father did), and our Italian-speaking neighbor was thrilled when I could converse with him in his native language.
We shared a brief but pleasant conversation, which felt like a “huge small win”.
However, my ego took over, and I tried to impress his wife by proclaiming that I also knew how to say “panda” in Italian.
Her response was a perplexed look combined with a smile, as she informed me that the word was the same in Slovene, and many other languages for that matter.
I sighed in relief, thankful I hadn’t boasted that Google Translate had led me to believe it was “pandano”, saving me from further embarrassment.
**The Italian Talent Show**
One of my most memorable Italian adventures happened during a talent show in my class.
Naturally, I chose to showcase my Italian skills. I managed to string together a few sentences, but then I hit a wall, my mind going blank.
In a panic, I pulled a piece of paper from my pocket that read “Avevo dieci anni”, which I confidently read aloud.
I later realized this was poorly translated by, you guessed it, Google Translate.
The kicker? I was supposed to say “Ho dieci anni”.
In Italian “Ho dieci anni” means “I am ten years old”, reffering to my current age.
On the other hand “Avevo dieci anni” translates to “I was ten years old”, reffering to my age in the past.
My blunder left me standing awkwardly in front of a room full of parents and classmates, wishing I had better memorized my lines.
But luckily nobody else in the room knew Italian, so nobody noticed.
**Conclusion: The Italian Journey Continues**
My Italian language learning journey has been filled with ups, downs and comedic moments.
From the classroom mishaps to the neighborly conversations and talent show blunders, these experiences have shaped my Italian adventure.
While my journey had its fair share of laughs, it’s also been a testament to how language learning can open new doors, bring joy, and sometimes lead to embarrassing – but memorable – moments.
Stay tuned for my French learning journey, where Google Translate managed to get me into even hotter water with a full A4 page of mistranslations.
Until then, I’ll continue to navigate the delightful world of Italian, with all its linguistic surprises and delightful misunderstandings.
Got any funny language stories of your own?
Drop them in the comments – I’d love to hear how you turned your linguistic lemons into lemonade!
Laughed at my linguistic leaps?
Hit the clap button 50 times and drop a comment below – I’d love to hear about your own language learning escapades or misunderstandings!
