Can someone that speaks Spanish understand Italian and vice versa?

Answer 1

It makes it easier to understand the other, since they are similar, but you still wouldn't really understand it totally. Especially when they get to talking fast. And both Italians and Mexicans talk fast, and faster when excited.

Answer 2

Both are different languages, but have much in common ( both Roman languages,similar words,etc). Of course, If you speak Spanish you have better chances to understand to some level Italian and vice versa. But that will not guarantee you fully understanding at all.
My native language is not Roman and I speak Italian and lived there too. Can tell you that my Spanish friends faced little obstacles in understanding, partially or not fully Italian. Obviously, there are so many words that are common and for Spanish speakers is easier to learn Italian..For example, the Spanish "ayuda" changes in Italian into "aiuto" ( help), the infinitive of the verb "poder" is "pottere" and the structure of sentences is not much different..

Have a nice day!

Answer 3

No. In fact, I (foolishly perhaps) tried to speak Spanish with some Italian immigrants I met at a beach back in 1978 and they understood very little of it. An Italian man I met from Naples that same year told me that Spanish and Italian were about 50-50 similar to each other. That's still enough to make mutual comprehension very difficult. Also, William Shakespeare used only 60% of the words we use in English today and look at how difficult he is for us to understand sometimes.

Answer 4

I speak Spanish and spent a few weeks in Rome last year. I found that I understood some things enough to get the gist of what was being said, but for me it was much easier to understand written Italian than the spoken language.

Answer 5

Yes..most of the word are similar...They belong to the romance languages..Italian, Spanish and French are very similar in some aspects..it is so similar that if someone really needed to communicate with each other they could at least rudely make out what the other was saying.

Answer 6

I wouldn't think so. I am fluent in Spanish and have studied Latin and the romantic languages during the earning of my bachelors in history, however I only know a little Italian. From looking at the history behind it Spanish is romantic (from Latin) with heavy Arabic and South American inflences (French if you're talking Iberian Spanish) and Italian is romantic with heavy influences from the Gauls (french-ish) that invaded and occupied Rome for a while in the 5th century B.C. But long story short, I lived in Spain and visited Italy and had to have a translator.

Answer 7

Yes you do, ot of words are similar as they come from the same root, but also u have to havea complete knowledge af all vocabulary, cos lot of words that arent any longer used as common might be similar to the ones tht the other uses. So yes , nit only speak it you have to know it really well. Also Portuguese is easy to understand.

Answer 8

Sure but not necessarily fluently. Since they are both latin based languages, there are similarities in spelling and pronunciation. If you're visiting a different country, you should be able to manage fairly quickly.

Look up a dictionary in that language on the web and you'll see.

Answer 9

Not fluently but yes somewhat. The languages are not the same but there alot of words that are very similar and the meaning easy to pickup

Answer 10

I'm italian, I can hardy understand a spanish.