Language Trainers Blog

When talking your native language you might find yourself at a loss for the right word sometimes and may use a filler word, such as um or err in English, to give you a bit more time to think of the word. Or you might use other words in various situations, such as ouch! or ow! when you hurt yourself, oops! when you drop something or knock something over, or yuck! when you taste something unpleasant. It’s very useful to learn such fillers and  interjections in foreign languages you’re learning. One way to do so is to listen to a lot of ordinary conversation and to pay attention to these fillers.

If French you could say Aïe! or Ouille! when you hurt yourself, Miam miam! for Yum yum! (that tastes good), Beurk! or Burk! for Yuck!, and Alors! or Eh bien! for Well!. If words temporarily escape you, you can say Ben!, Euh! or Heu!, and if you’re not sure what someone else is talking about, you can express this by saying Hein?

You can indicate that you think someone is talking nonsense by saying Bah! or Tratata!, but if this doesn’t really worry you, you could say Tant pis! (if can’t be helped). If you want to express your frustration in a mild kind of way, you could say Sacrebleu!, Sacredié!, Sacredieu! or my favorite French expression, Zut! / Zut alors!

If you’re learning a language, is it worth your while to go to language classes, or is it better to study on your own?

Language classes offer you opportunities to practise using your language with others, to get answers to your questions, and to meet other learners. They also give a structure to your studies, which some people prefer. However students are rarely at exactly the same level and each will probably have different expectations from the class, and the teaching style and methods may not suit you.

Studying a language on your own gives you the chance to study what you’re interested in at your own pace and in your own way. On the other hand if you’re studying on your own you have to be disciplined and motivated in order to study regularly, and you probably won’t have people to practise with and to answer your questions.

Many people go to classes for an hour or two a week and don’t do much else to learn their languages. Then they wonder why they aren’t make as much progress as they hoped to. I think classes should be seen as a useful part of your learning strategy, but not the sole part. To make good progress in your studies, you need to study every day, even if it’s only for 10 or 15 mintues, and to immerse yourself as much as possible in the language by listening to it, speaking to yourself and anyone else who will stay still long enough, reading it and writing it.

Today’s word, orgoglioso, which means proud in Italian, however it doesn’t have quite the same connotations as in English. Instead of having generally positive connotations of  self-confidence , it has negative connotations of self-importance and haughtyness in Italian. You can however say that you’re proud of someone else: “sono orgogliosa di te” (I’m proud of you).

Related words include

• orgoglio (pride)
• orgogliosamente / fieramente (proudly)
• inorgoglire (t0 make proud)
• inorgoglirsi (to become proud)
• fiero (proud; disdainful; haughty; cruel; fierce; audacious)
• fierezza (proud; haughtiness; boldness; daring

When looking up foreign words in a dictionary you have to be careful that you find the right one. A word in English may have more than one equivalent in Italian or another language, and vice versa. One way to check words is to look them up in the English / Italian section, then check them in the Italian / English section. Larger dictionaries have examples of usage which can help you narrow in on the exact translation you need.

When meeting a group of Italians, make sure you shake hands with all members of the group, make eye contact and smile. Not doing so is considered rude. When they know you better, don’t be surprised is they greet you with kisses on the cheeks and/or an embrace as well – Italians tend to more tactile generally than northern Europeans.

If you visit a church or cathedral in Italy, make sure you’re wearing long sleeves and trousers or a long skirt – going into such places wearing shorts and t-shirts is considered disrespectful.

Make sure you dress well when in Italy as the Italian are very fashion conscious and appearances are important, as are first impressions. The clothes you wear can indicate your social status, family background and education level. Your confidence, style and demeanour are also important.

Calling cards are quite widely used in Italy, so it’s a good idea to take a supply of you own. They usually include the person’s name, address, title or academic honours, and telephone number. They can be used in social situations, but should not used in business situations, where business cards are preferred.

When giving presents to Italian avoid chrysanthemums, as they are used at funerals, and avoid red flowers, which indicate secrecy, and yellow flowers, which indicate jealousy. Make sure any wine you give is good quality, and don’t wrap things in black, the colour of mourning, or purple, the colour of bad luck. If someone gives you a gift, it’s usual to open it straight away.