The 5 most common mistakes in Italian

“The 5 most common mistakes in Italian” translated with AI

In this article titled “The 5 Most Common Mistakes in Italian,” you will find five common mistakes that Italian learners (or at least my students) often make. Some mistakes can be corrected immediately, while others are more difficult to fix and explain why the phrase doesn’t work. This often happens when students need a deeper understanding of grammar. However, with some practice and a little goodwill, everyone can avoid these mistakes and become better Italian speakers.

If you’re curious to learn more, please keep reading!

Being Italian and teaching the language to foreigners, I find it very interesting to see how students of different nationalities approach the study of Dante’s language and to understand what they learn with ease and what, on the other hand, gives them trouble.

One of the topics that certainly causes them no small amount of difficulty is the learning and use of verbs, as I recently observed through a small survey conducted on Instagram. However, there are also other topics that, while not considered as complicated, can still be quite challenging.

Below, I’ve listed the 5 most common mistakes in Italian — or at least the 5 mistakes I’ve most frequently encountered during lessons with my students — along with explanations. 

I’ll start with the more trivial ones, which are often due to distraction, and then move on to those errors that require more careful and thorough study to be permanently eliminated.

1. The Words “problema” and “aiuto”

It’s no surprise that the word “problema” is a real problem. Many people repeatedly get it wrong, and it’s easy to understand why. According to the rules we learn from the very first Italian lessons, words that end with “a” are feminine and should be accompanied by a feminine article. However, be careful—some words are exceptions, and “problema” is one of them. So remember that it’s correct to say “il problema” and never “la problema”.

The word “aiuto,” on the other hand, is a term that is mostly misused by those who speak Spanish and Portuguese, due to a translation that is, let’s say, a bit too literal. In Italian, “la aiuta” (article + noun) doesn’t exist, but the expression “la aiuta” does, meaning “Someone helps her.” So, remember to always say “l’aiuto” (in the masculine form) and never “la aiuta”!

2. Articles After Demonstrative and Indefinite Adjectives

No need to panic; I don’t want to delve into grammar, and soon you’ll see that this mistake is much easier to understand and correct than you might think.

Although even we Italians make mistakes when speaking our own language, this type of error is particularly unusual and is almost impossible for a native Italian to make. Wondering why? Simply because it results in a sentence that sounds very, very strange.

I’m sure this mistake arises from the fact that, in Italian, articles are almost always required, with only a few rare exceptions. That’s why I often hear my students say phrases like “Alcuni gli zii” (“Some the uncles”), “Molte le persone” (“Many the people”), “Quelle le storie” (“Those the stories”), and so on…

2. Articles After Demonstrative and Indefinite Adjectives

No need to panic; I don’t want to delve into grammar, and soon you’ll see that this mistake is much easier to understand and correct than you might think.

Although even we Italians make mistakes when speaking our own language, this type of error is particularly unusual and is almost impossible for a native Italian to make. Wondering why? Simply because it results in a sentence that sounds very, very strange.

I’m sure this mistake arises from the fact that, in Italian, articles are almost always required, with only a few rare exceptions. That’s why I often hear my students say phrases like “Alcuni gli zii” (“Some the uncles”), “Molte le persone” (“Many the people”), “Quelle le storie” (“Those the stories”), and so on…

3. Sentences Indicating Duration

“Piove da due giorni fa” or “Dorme da due ore fa” are phrases that are only partially correct; in both cases, there is… a bit too much. In this type of expression, we cannot use both “da” and “fa” together; we need to choose one.

So, how can we make the sentence sound more natural in Italian?

There are several correct ways to express the same concept.

• Piove da due giorni. (It has been raining for two days).
• Sono due giorni che piove. (It has been raining for two days now.)
• Ha cominciato a piovere due giorni fa. (It started raining two days ago).

Even for the other sentence, we can use better expressions such as:

• Dorme da due ore. (He/She has been sleeping for two hours).
• Sono due ore che dorme. (He/She has been sleeping for two hours now).
• Ha cominciato a dormire due ore fa. (He/She started sleeping two hours ago).

So, from now on, be careful not to create overly complex sentences thinking they will sound better. Keep it simple, and I’m sure your sentences will be perfect!

4. “Avere senso” or “fare senso”?

These are two very similar expressions that, in Italian, have completely different meanings. The mistake often arises when my students want to say “it makes sense” in Italian. Unfortunately, if they rely on a literal translation, the result is not what they expect, and they often end up saying “fa senso.”

The expression “fa senso” means that something is unpleasant, disgusting, or even, in the extreme, “mi fa schifo” (it grosses me out). In short, it is a translation that is nowhere near the meaning of “ha senso”, which indicates that something has its own logic or is reasonable.

So, the next time you need to use this expression, take a moment to think about it, and I’m sure you will use the correct phrase.

5. Meglio or migliore? Peggio or peggiore?

Meglio, migliore, peggio and  peggiore (“Better,” “best,” “worse,” and “worst)” are terms that frequently appear among the top 5 common mistakes made by my students in Italian. As a result, they can be some of the most challenging aspects to learn and use correctly.

One way to clarify the situation is to determine whether the word we need is an adjective (migliore, perggiore) or an adverb (meglio, peggio).

For example:

• La mia canzone è migliore della tua. __ My song is better than yours (migliore = più bella/più buona = adjective).
• Io canto meglio di te. __ I sing better than you (meglio = più bene/in modo più buono = adverb).
• Il mio tema di italiano è peggiore del tuo. __ My Italian essay is worse than yours (peggiore = più cattivo = adjective).
• Oggi sto peggio di ieri. __ Today I feel worse than yesterday (peggio = più male / in modo peggiore = adverb).

Note: “Più bene” and “più male” are strongly discouraged in Italian; I used them here only to illustrate their meaning and what they are for.. Therefore, avoid using them when you speak Italian and always prefer “meglio” or “peggio”.

Understanding the degrees of adjectives and adverbs does not come automatically; it requires time and practice to master and use them correctly. Even native Italians can sometimes be confused when they use these adjectives and adverbs.

This is just a brief explanation, but I believe we will revisit this topic soon for a more thorough exploration!

Conclusion

The errors mentioned in this article are the 5 most common mistakes in Italian, or at least the mistakes I hear repeatedly from my students. Some can be considered lapses of attention, while others result from a lack of understanding of the theory or, more simply, from a lack of practice.

What I always emphasize to my students is the need to practice and apply what they have learned through theory and exercises by engaging in conversation. For me, this is essential because the ultimate goal of any language student is to speak confidently and fluently!

Read and discover why it’s fun to make mistakes and find out why you should avoid literal translations!

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Listen to this episode in Italian. You can read the script here!