🗣️🤏🇮🇹

How to Say ‘I speak a little Italian’ in Italian

Parlo un po' di italiano

PAHR-loh oon po dee ee-tah-LYAH-noh

[PAHR-loh oon po dee ee-tah-LYAH-noh]

🇮🇹 In Italy: Opening with this usually earns you patience and slower speech. Italians generally appreciate any attempt at their language.

Phrase Breakdown

Parlo un po'

PAHR-loh oon po

I speak a little

'Parlo' means 'I speak', stressed 'PAR-loh'. Link it smoothly to 'un po''.

Example

Parlo un po' lentamente.

I speak a little slowly.

Words in this phrase

Parlo

[PAHR-loh]

I speak

To talk or converse about something.

Example

Io parlo italiano.

I speak Italian.

[oon]

Masculine singular indefinite article used before many singular nouns.

Example

Nel disegno vedo Un quadrato blu.

In the drawing I see a blue square.

po'

[po]

Bit

A small piece or amount.

Example

Mi sento un po' meglio.

I feel a bit better.

di italiano

dee ee-tah-LYAH-noh

of Italian

'Di' means 'of'. In fast speech 'di italiano' often blends into 'd'italiano'.

Example

Una lezione di italiano.

An Italian lesson.

Words in this phrase

[dee]

Used to indicate belonging or a type.

Example

Parte della forma di triangolo è rossa.

Part of the triangular shape is red.

italiano

[ee-tah-LYAH-noh]

Italian

The Italian language (or an Italian person/thing).

Example

Studio italiano a scuola.

I study Italian at school.

Guides for Italian learners

Duolingo vs Busuu: Which Is Better for Actually Improving?Duolingo vs Busuu compared: a free gamified habit versus structured levels with corrections from native speakers. Which to choose, and when to use both.

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