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

Parlo un po' di italiano

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

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

💬 Usage Tip: parlo already means "I speak", so you don't need io "I". The verb ending shows who is speaking.

Phrase Breakdown

Parlo un po'

PAHR-loh oon poh

I speak a little

'Parlo' means 'I speak'. Roll the 'r' lightly: 'PAR-loh'. Then glide into 'un po''.

Example

Parlo un po' di francese.

I speak a little French.

Words in this phrase

Parlo

[PAHR-loh]

I speak

To talk or converse about something.

Example

Io parlo italiano.

I speak Italian.

[oon]

a / an

An indefinite article meaning 'a' before a masculine singular noun.

Example

È stato un incontro molto utile.

It was a very useful meeting.

po'

[poh]

a little / a bit

Shortened form of poco in the fixed expression un po', meaning a little or a bit.

Example

Siamo un po' nervosi prima della partita.

We are a little nervous before the match.

di italiano

dee ee-tah-LYAH-noh

of Italian

Join 'di' and 'italiano' smoothly. The stress falls on 'LYA': 'ee-tah-LYAH-noh'.

Example

Studio un po' di italiano.

I study a little Italian.

Words in this phrase

[dee]

Preposition linking nouns, often translated as of.

Example

Che tipo di ruolo è disponibile?

What kind of role is available?

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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