Comments on: Top 5 Italian Words You Really Don’t Want to Mispronounce

By: Dee

Dee — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:59:36 +0000

I have made several errors in my attempts to speak italian in Italy but one of my more glaring boo-boos was the time that I was trying to explain to my Italian relatives that in America we put preservatives in wine while in Italy they do not. I did not know the word for preservative so I took a chance and hoped that it might be similar to the English word. I tentatively stated that there was “preservetivi” in American wine only to realize after everyone started to laugh that what I actually said was that there were condoms in American wine. I later found out that the Italian word for preservative is conservativo.

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Sat, 14 Jan 2012 14:22:20 +0000

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By: michelle

michelle — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 08:35:27 +0000

Yes, those double consonants are probably one of the strangest things for us to get used to…but one mistake is all it takes to learn the difference pretty quickly!

By: Robbin

Robbin — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:16:32 +0000

I think one of my favorite personal mistakes was saying “che cazzo” instead of “che pazzo”. Woopsie!
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By: stew vreeland

stew vreeland — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:21:20 +0000

http://www.seeyouinitaly.com/blog/?p=918 extolls virtue of my italian dictionary that signals “false friends” words designed to trip you up by seeming to be so logically the right word.

but the confusion can be half the fun, no? How about a nice refreshing glass of fish on a hot day. Yes, i have ordered a “succa di pesche” vs pesca. hardly seems right. and of course in the context of your top 5 words don’t forget uccellino. this little bird can be a conversation stopper in the right setting.

By: Kim

Kim — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:18:35 +0000

Dining in Trastevere with friends, some Italian, on my first trip to Italy, I decided to order fried artichokes. Instead of carciofi, however, I ordered cervelli. Every pair of eyes at the table turned to give me a most skeptical gaze, and I realized immediately something was terribly wrong. Got it straightened out…thankfully!

By: Andrew M

Andrew M — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 13:57:25 +0000

I think most English speakers can’t hear the difference between the single and double consonant sound. I got chuckles for months while explaining that I was in Italy for “just one year” until I figured it out.
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By: Mimi Torchia Boothby Watercolors

Mimi Torchia Boothby Watercolors — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 22:03:57 +0000

so what IS spezzatore?
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By: Mimi Torchia Boothby Watercolors

Mimi Torchia Boothby Watercolors — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 22:02:53 +0000

Ah, yes, giggles and embarrassment. I was so excited because we were having our garage built. On the top of the roof they put a rooster shaped weather vane. As I searched for the right words to describe the rooster, I realized no one was listening because I had called il tetto la tetta and they could not stop laughing. Then I went on to the door and failed there too. Tears came to eyes.
Mimi Torchia Boothby Watercolors´s last post . . . A cat called the Kodkod – Oncifelis guigna

By: michelle

michelle — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:12:52 +0000

Nice one, Pat! Quite a difference indeed