Am I better off speaking Spanish instead of English when I go to Italy?

Question

I've heard that I would be better understood by the Italians if I speak spanish to them. Is this true??

Answer 1

I'm Italian and I'm rather fluent in both English and Spanish.
However when I visit Spain and I've the opportunity I prefer to speak with them in English. Reason is that Italian and Spanish are much too close languages but rather a lot of terms are meaning completely different things even if they're sounding absolutely identical.Just a few examples :
Italian term 'burro' (butter) is in Spanish 'manteca' while in Spanish 'burro' means donkey that in Italian is 'asino'
Italian term 'largo' (wide) is in Spanish 'ancho' while in Spanish 'largo' means long that in Italian is 'lungo'.
Italian term 'caldo' (warm) is in Spanish 'caliente' while in Spanish 'caldo' means broth,soup that in Italian is 'brodo'.
That's why, to avoid unpleasant mistakes, I prefer speaking in English with Spaniards.
However in case of emergency you may use for sure Spanish (by taking care of possible differences) also because people speaking just Italian will understand you better than if you speak an unknown language as it's for them the English.

Answer 2

Many Italians speak English, so you're probably better off with English than Spanish. Where Spanish will come in handy is in recognizing the words in Italian, since both are members of the same language family. Take some time beforehand to learn at least a few phrases in Italian; it will really help when you're trying to communicate with someone who doesn't know English. After all, it is Italy, and so the burden of communicating is on the tourist, not the host (although the Italians were generally very helpful and patient in this regard).

Answer 3

You actually could probably pick up Italian very easily if you know Spanish.

I spent a semester in Rome and some of my classmates were Mexican and Cuban Americans who could speak Spanish. It helped them pick up Italian, but it wasn't always so easy for Italians to understand. One thing to keep in mind is the accent you speak Spanish with. Apparently Spaniards and Latin Americans have very different accents and Italians are more used to the Spanish accent.

Answer 4

Some Italians might actually take offense! I recommend trying to speak in Italian first; we're very easily won over! If that doesn't work, try Spanish or English. Good luck!!!

Answer 5

Ask the person you are speaking to if they speak English. If they say no, ask if they speak Spanish or vice versa. IMHO saying that Spanish is similar to Italian is like saying that French is similar to English. If someone started speaking French to an English speaking person, it would be difficult for the English speaking person to understand. German is also similar to English (English is a Germanic language), but the 2 languages are not interchangeable. BTW, both English and French are widely studied by Italians.

Answer 6

Most italians know english, so your probably better off speaking in english...
if you're talking to an italian, and they happen to not know a word, say it in spanish, and they may understand.
But bringing some sort of translator with you is probably best, or atleast a dictionary...

i hope that helps, let me know if you want me to teach you some italian to get you by while you're visiting here.

ciao.

Answer 7

You are better off with English. Many of the signs are in Italian and English. Many of the waiters understand English, taxi drivers, door men, railroad people, at the airport. A word of advice. Try to learn several basic words in Italian and you'll find it easier for you to communicate. Hello, goodbye, what time is it? Where can I get a taxi? Thank you. Please. Where is the water closet? Try to learn how to tell time. Learn the money and how to use it. Have a great time and don't forget to visit Florence, Rome, Pompeii, Naples (?) Venice.

Answer 8

I went to Italy when I was 15 and barely spoke a word of Italian. I knew thank you, excuse me, hello, goodbye, and police. That was about it. However, I got along just fine. Most of the people I met spoke very good English actually, even better than me!

Answer 9

spanish is closer to italian, but people in italy usually study english as a foreign language. start with english and then try with spanish or a little of both, personally it makes me nervous when english speaking people start to talk to me in spanish with their funny accent, its like if they think that italy is a part of spain...

Answer 10

Yes and no. While there are similar words and grammatical terms betweent the two languages...they are entirely different. I suggest you take an English-Italian dictionary with you and use your knowledge of Spanish grammatics to help you.