Do you speak Italian?

Ciao carà
Yes italian is essential. I found it difficult my first days here to buy fresh bread however i used sign language like pointing and taking up my fingers to indicate amount. Im greatful however that italians are very receptive.In that bakery shop they did assist me and now we speak better.Asking for directions is difficult if you don't know the language. English for example is not a language they understand so it is difficult like indicating go right or left or to remain on the road. Now i speak italiano much better.i attended a school in Verona where the teacher did one on one with me.Even if you say it wrong italians in general don't laugh but correct and encourage you.When one goes to get documents like permesso  you attend a police school where they tell you a lot about italy and do lessons in a language you understand .there they also advise you on public schools to attend to learn more italiano.
I however would say to those who can't speak italiano... Be encouraged to learn the language. Life will be much better and also to get friends.

Yes priscilla it is so essential for a successful integration in italia here and not only in italia anywhere you go language must be your first priority because without language you finds it very difficult to communicate and day to day activities... And in italia it's very simple to be able to speak language just by taking extra lesson from schools designated specially for foreigners who want to speak the language... I Just took six months classes and now I'm able to speak, read and write perfectly in italian and also working as a linguistic translator.. thanks i Hope it helps...😊😊

My experience in Italy has not been a particularly positive one, after more than 5 years I leave next month and I'm certain we will not return.
I have lived all over the world and have never experienced the frustrations due to language issues as much as here; in most countries if you at least try to speak their language the they will 'meet you half-way' but here in Southern Italy particularly, unless you speak fluent Italian then you are really stuck.
From day to day shopping then you can manage with a smattering of Italian (and translate app's on your 'phone) but if you have an issue with any type of 'officialdom' then good-luck - and particularly if it is with a utility company with a 'help-line'. you call the automated service which is speaking far too fast, providing options you have not caught and if you are lucky and guessed correctly then you might eventually get through to a real person, it might take quite a while - and then they do not speak English and they eventually hang-up on you as it is too difficult for them...frustrating so you go through it all again...with the same result!
Why do these websites not have a language option? that might help...
Medical issues, unfortunately we have had a few and trying to find an English speaking doctor, dentist - even vet for the dog? well again good-luck with that. eventually we found an English speaking doctor, previously with a smattering of Italian, reasonable German and a little French and Croatian you could get by, not here - so how can you have a doctor/patient relationship? Frustrating at best and we are lucky to have private health insurance so we could 'shop-around'.
A year ago I had to have a serious operation, having this performed in a national hospital was out of the question - being UK non-resident and travel restrictions here made it nigh on impossible to have it performed at 'home' so we searched for a private option and were lucky to have a 'perfect solution' here in Taranto at the 'Casa di Cura Bernardini' and I have nothing but praise for the orthapaedic, surgical, physiotherapy and nursing staff - the care I received was outstanding. There were language difficulties but the 'major players' all spoke very good English and those that did not at least tried or did not treat you like the village idiot because you could not speak fluently in their tongue, often in the local dialect...
Some advice I will offer, is that if you do need advice on medical or other issues then try a pharmacy, this has usually worked for us!

I've been in country since the end of September and am trying to get the knack of the language. I too, like George, live in southern Italy (Manfredonia). I have been unable to find a class locally for italiano per stranieri and am limited to having a car at this point to travel for one. I have found free university level Italian that is very structured and it is helping me for the way I learn--very structured.  courses.edx.org/dashboard. There are 3 levels of the course and it's been better for me than RosettaStone and Duolingo. Vocabulary has not been a problem for me--speaking it has. I know it takes practice which takes time. I've lived in Egypt and Portugal and don't remember it being as difficult and I know it will take time to get to a level which is comfortable for me. So for now, a lot of simple words and sign language too.

Hi:)

Well, I moved to Trento in October 2016 and I was a bit shocked by the poor English level of the people here, not just adults, but young people. I have been living in other countries before, learning different languages and out of all of them English is the most simple one (you don't have all the different articles, conjugations and so on).
I started my Italian language class at EDA Center, an educational center for adults where they have Italian class for foreign people. It costs 25 euro for the whole year and the teachers are good, plus you interact with other foreigners that totally understand what your are going through during your integration process. It's full of people that don't have friends or jobs so it's a good place to start to make new friends and encourage each other, you get to discover the city and Italy through their tips and advice.

Fortunately, I am a Romanian so learning Italian is easy as they are both Latin languages and many words are similar.

In my first weeks in Trento, whenever I started a conversation in English, there was an instant barrier so it made it very clear to me that I have to improve my Italian as quick as I can. Before joining the Italian class at EDA, I used Memrise, an app for learning languages. It's very nicely designed, easy to use and it makes you remember words in a very efficient way.

If you plan to live in Italy you need to learn the language well. It is a must

Si,devi imparare lingua italiana piu posibile per forza!!!

....e una volta che impari la lingua non sei del posto finche' non te la cavi con il dialetto. Per esempio a Venezia con il dialetto Veneto, .....eh cio'...l'Italian dopo tutto l'e' per li turisti
That's what i once heard when visiting La Serenissima.

While Italian helps bridge the various regions, it doesn't get you inside the 'local clans'.
Dialect unlocks more inner barriers, almost as well as 'un goto de vin'.

It is almost imposible to live 'comfortably' in Italy without atleast basic knowledge of Italian language. Unfortunately I have lived here for 3yrs+ and still don't speak Italian. I have enrolled in a language class already but still not so helpful because I don't  practice often.

Living in Italy and understanding Italian go hand in hand.

Are there any recommended italiano school for foreigner in Milan?

Being fluent in Italian is a must. I am not yet fluent but I am improving, when family visit from the uk they can see the difference. My way of learning is to stay away from English people as much as possible as the tendancy is to feel safe and I can be lazy. I speak to Italians everyday, I listen, pick up on phrases and words commonly used, translate them when I get home, understand them and start using these words and phrases making them meaningful. Take yourself out of your comfort zone, I once went on a three day holiday with people from my town, no one spoke English, I had a great time, now I have gained their respect and get invited to events. They are good at politely correcting me when I do not pronounce words correctly. Even in my supermarket I try to initiate conversation, being British, the weather is a topic I use often! I still have a long way to go, and like George trying to sort things out on the phone can be really frustrating and I have had the phone put down on me! however, when you get it right it's a great feeling.
I think the key to learning is identifying your learning style, everyone is different. I have a shelf full of books, I have DVDs too, but they just don't do it for me. This year some local ladies who want to learn Italian have asked me to meet with them a couple of times a week, we will take it in turns to speak only English or Italian, learning informally over coffee or going for a walk.

Amblepup wrote:

Being fluent in Italian is a must. I am not yet fluent but I am improving, when family visit from the uk they can see the difference. My way of learning is to stay away from English people as much as possible as the tendancy is to feel safe and I can be lazy. I speak to Italians everyday, I listen, pick up on phrases and words commonly used, translate them when I get home, understand them and start using these words and phrases making them meaningful. Take yourself out of your comfort zone, I once went on a three day holiday with people from my town, no one spoke English, I had a great time, now I have gained their respect and get invited to events. They are good at politely correcting me when I do not pronounce words correctly. Even in my supermarket I try to initiate conversation, being British, the weather is a topic I use often! I still have a long way to go, and like George trying to sort things out on the phone can be really frustrating and I have had the phone put down on me! however, when you get it right it's a great feeling.
I think the key to learning is identifying your learning style, everyone is different. I have a shelf full of books, I have DVDs too, but they just don't do it for me. This year some local ladies who want to learn Italian have asked me to meet with them a couple of times a week, we will take it in turns to speak only English or Italian, learning informally over coffee or going for a walk.

should read, local ladies who want to learn to speak English!