• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Sos Italian – Learn Italian online

Online Italian lessons, Italian culture, Italian translation

  • About
    • Awards
  • Choose me
    • Online Italian Lessons
    • English > Italian Translations
    • Proofreading of Italian Texts
  • Resources
    • Teaching aids
    • Teaching and Learning
    • Translation
  • About
    • Awards
  • Choose me
    • Online Italian Lessons
    • English > Italian Translations
    • Proofreading of Italian Texts
  • Resources
    • Teaching aids
    • Teaching and Learning
    • Translation
  • Home
  • My Blog
  • Learn Italian
    • Test your Italian
    • Exercises
  • Italian books
    • Grammar books
  • Online Italian courses
  • Contacts
  • Subscribe
  • Home
  • My Blog
  • Learn Italian
    • Test your Italian
    • Exercises
  • Italian books
    • Grammar books
  • Online Italian courses
  • Contacts
  • Subscribe

How to start thinking in Italian

Last Modified: February 15, 2019

How to start thinking in Italian

How do I start thinking in Italian?

This is one of the questions Italian learners sooner or later will ask themselves.

Indeed, if you’re or have been a language learner, you have surely noticed that thinking directly in another language can be pretty difficult, especially in the beginning.

The most natural and common practice, in fact, is that of translating sentences from your native language to the language you’re learning, not thinking directly in another language.

So, how do you start thinking in Italian?

Here are some steps that can help you start thinking in Italian.

1. Learn words in context

This seems a pretty banal advice but learning words in context makes it easier for you to memorize new words and also whole new sentences and expressions. And, with time, this will help you speak Italian more fluently, both in your head and with others.

Give it a try. It works!

Example:
Non mi sento bene. Ho mal di testa e mi piange il naso. Mi sa che sto covando l’influenza.
I don’t feel well. I’ve got a headache and my nose is running. I think I’m coming down with the flu.

It’s usually much easier to learn the expressions piangere il naso and covare qualcosa in context than when they appear, for example, in a list.

2. Keep improving your grammar

Yes, I know, Italian grammar can be difficult but mastering it can help you talk – and consequently think – in Italian without worrying too much about grammar rules, because in the end using Italian grammar correctly will come natural to you. So, make sure to practice every single day.

3. Talk with native speakers

Talking with native speakers allows you to make a lot of practice. It’s the perfect way to practice both vocabulary and grammar while having fun. Moreover, while talking to friends you’re usually relaxed and this will help your brain to stop thinking too much and to stop translating everything from your native language into Italian.

If twenty years ago it was difficult to find a native Italian speaker near you, nowadays everything is easier. Indeed, thanks to video conferencing tools and to social networks it’s definitely easier to find native Italians eager to help you improve your Italian – usually they ask you to teach them your native language in exchange. So, no more excuses.

4. Listen and read a lot

Listening and reading a lot will help you memorize new Italian words and sentences without even realizing it. This is something that helped me a lot. After some time, I didn’t even have to ask myself “how do I say that in English?” because I already knew the answer, whitout even knowing how.

So, find Italian books and watch Italian movies or tv series. If you don’t like Italian books, tv series or movies, it’s ok. You can always read or watch the Italian version of the American ones.

5. Start talking to yourself

This is something I do regularly to improve my English and I find it helpful. Start talking to yourself, in your head or out loud, tell yourself what you’re going to do today, what you have done today, why you didn’t like the movie you watched yesterday night, while the driver in front of you should go to hell…whatever you like. This will allow you to make some practice and, with time, it will force your brain to think directly in Italian, instead of translating everything into Italian.

When did you start thinking in Italian? What worked for you and what didn’t?


Credits

Original image by lukasbieri

Related Posts:

  • Three habits successful language learners have
    Three habits successful language learners have
  • Three effective habits language learners have
    Three effective habits language learners have
  • Fight shyness and speak Italian
    Fight shyness and speak Italian

Category: LearningTag: Italian, Language learning, learn Italian, Sos Italian

Previous Post: «Six Italian words with opposite meanings Six Italian words with opposite meanings
Next Post: Seven Italian body idioms Seven Italian body idioms»

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

twenty − 2 =

Primary Sidebar

Italian grammar: beginner to advanced

Newsletter

Join my newsletter and get a piece of Italy delivered right into your inbox!

Learn Italian with my online courses

Sos Italian - Online Italian classes

Categories

  • Culture
  • English-Italian texts
  • Grammar
  • Italian food and drinks
  • Italian Language Certifications
  • Learn Italian
  • Learning
  • Teaching
  • Translation
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized

Advertising

Archives

  • Popular

Footer

Terms and Conditions

© Copyright En

Privacy Policy

Termini e Condizioni

© Copyright It

P. Iva: 02736390028

Copyright © 2023

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookies should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.

3rd Party Cookies

This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.

This website uses Pixel Facebook to better measure, optimize, and retarget our marketing campaigns.

This website uses AdSense to enable an analysis of the use of the website and to allow third party vendors, including Google, to use cookies to serve ads based on a user’s prior visits to this website or other websites.

Keeping these cookies enabled helps us improve our website.

Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences!

Cookie Policy

More information about our Privacy and Cookie Policy

Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance