{"id":835,"date":"2019-04-29T20:39:28","date_gmt":"2019-04-29T20:39:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yabla.com\/italian-blog\/?p=835"},"modified":"2019-05-16T09:13:44","modified_gmt":"2019-05-16T09:13:44","slug":"how-to-start-thinking-in-italian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yabla.com\/italian-blog\/2019\/04\/29\/how-to-start-thinking-in-italian\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Start Thinking In Italian"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A personal experience<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Locanda<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

So you want to learn how to start thinking in Italian… Maybe learn the language faster?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many years ago, I went to Italy with my boyfriend. It must have been one of my first times. I spoke no Italian and he spoke a just tiny bit, based on all the Italian opera he listened to. We went to a locanda<\/em> (an inn) to get something to eat and he kept saying allora <\/em>(let’s see) before each phrase when talking to the cameriere<\/em> (waiter), while ordering our meal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Allora…<\/strong> prender\u00f2 l’insalata con le pesche, pancetta, e mozzarella.<\/em>
Let’s see…<\/strong> I’ll have the salad with peaches, bacon, and mozzarella<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I finally asked him why, and what it meant, and his explanation was that Italians always said it. He was just imitating what he had heard Italians say in similar situations, so I started paying attention and realized he was right. All I had to do was open my ears a bit wider to hear that Italians really do say allora<\/em> a lot. It\u2019s mostly just a way to say \u201cwell,\u201d or \u201cso,\u201c or even “let’s see,” but one word can go a long way towards being able to start to thinking in Italian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Own your word: It feels good.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

My boyfriend might have been overdoing it, but maybe that\u2019s because allora<\/em> was the only “filler” word he knew at the time. He was having fun pronouncing that word. It made him feel like a real Italian, and sometimes, one word is enough to get you started in thinking in Italian. I hopped on that train. Once you own a word, you’ll never forget it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fun Part<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The fun part of learning a new language is rolling the word around on your tongue, trying it out for size, and owning it, but you need a reliable source to imitate. Imitating a native speaker is the best, but even someone who speaks Italian as a second language can give you a head start. Sometimes that can be less intimidating than practicing with an Italian. That’s how it was for me. My boyfriend gave me a few tips, which really helped, but I also learned some of his mistakes! You don\u2019t need to look for perfection, but you want to make your pronunciation intelligible to an Italian. One word expressed with confidence can make all the difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just One Word!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Allora<\/em> is great word for when you don\u2019t really know what to say or when you\u2019re thinking out loud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you’re walking around the house thinking about what to do next, try saying Allora\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Allora\u2026<\/em> should I do the dishes or should I take out the garbage? <\/p>\n\n\n\n