This blog post is going to be dedicated to my Italian language skills. I came to Florence with a very limited knowledge of the language (“ciao” was probably the only thing I could say) and now I can start little conversations by myself! Hooray for big victories!
My newfound confidence in my ability to speak Italian was when I got my very first Italian quiz back and found out that I scored a 95%! It was reassuring to see that I have actually retained something (and the hours of studying probably helped). I can officially say hello and ask how someone is, order food at a restaurant, and count from one to one hundred. It does not seem like much, but for me, I can really see the progress.
This week was a monumental week in Italian class because we are learning verb conjugations. It is very challenging because some verbs do not fit the rules and it is hard to spot them. But the silver lining to learning these grammar rules is that it opens new vocabulary to practice. I can actually learn things that I can use in my daily life.
Today I got to flex my Italian when I was going to have lunch with family friends passing through Florence. We were looking for a specific restaurant and the directions that they were given were a little confusing. So I walked up to a little newspaper stand and asked for the restaurant. What came out of the owner’s mouth was a jumble of Italian words, spoken quickly. Thankfully, I got the directions and we were on our way. We got to the restaurant without incident, and I was pleased with myself that I listened and actually understood what the stand owner was saying to me.
What limits me the most is my vocabulary. I have the vocab of a three year old…. probably not even that. I can ask if the person I am talking to if they speak English (Parla l’inglese?) but my knowledge basically ends there. I get frustrated because I want to learn more but I understand that it will take time for my vocabulary to build. I have learned so much in the first 6 weeks that I have been here and I am so excited to see how good my Italian will be in another few months. Who knows, I might become fluent…
Ciao!
Caio Catherina!
ReplyDeleteUnderstanding native speakers is always such a challenge. As you wrote, they babble so quickly! But how wonderful you were able to able to comprehend the man's directions and find your way. That's the first step to fluency. You are doing the right thing by going right up there to those Italians and attempting conversation. Any chance you chatting with college-age Italians? That might be fun and educational. Maybe have your bartender friend (the coaster flipper) introduce you to a nice group of italiano students...Or ask him where italian students hang out.