How to Avoid the FEAR OF SPEAKING Italian

How can I stop making mistakes by speaking Italian?

Alan asks: How do I avoid freezing & panicking when Italians approach me to speak?

In this episode of Ask Manu Italiano I will give you 4 recommendations and 5 practical tips to avoid the fear of speaking italian.

RECOMMENDATIONS

 

1. PREPARE FOR SITUATION – (collect ideas/expressions/topics that are more likely to come up)
   
   
2. PRE-EMPT YOUR LEVEL OF ITALIAN – (let them know what your level is)
   
   
3. UNDERSTAND THAT SOME SCENARIOS ARE JUST DIFFICULT – (some may throw in words from their dialect that you may not be able to understand)
   
   
4. REMEMBER YOU GOAL: COMMUNICATION (not perfection) – (to be able to communicate and lessen anxiety)

PRACTICAL TIPS

 

1. FOCUS MORE ON NONVERBAL CUES – Focus on the visual cues facial expressions, the tone and pitch of the voice, gestures displayed through body language.
   
   
2. FOCUS ON CONTEXT – (what is likely to be said) – All things related to the situation.
   
   
3. FOCUS ON VOCABULARY WORDS – (you know/can assume/can guess) – Use the (Fill in the blank) method. Make a guess about the meaning that will provide the missing information.
   
   
4. FOCUS ON THE BEGINNINGS OF VERBS – Italians have a bunch of tenses you may not know all of them or can’t detect because of the talking speed.The “beginning” is always the one who will tell you what verb they are using.
   
   
5. DON’T GET BOGGED DOWN BY PREPOSITIONS, PARTICLES AND PRONOUNS – The context will fill it in, so don’t let these confuse you.