In this article, we talk about a topic that is particularly close to my heart: the most common mistakes I often hear from people learning Italian. And you know what? Even many native Italians fall into these traps!
It’s time to fix them once and for all. Get your pen and paper ready to take notes, because we’re about to go through the 5 mistakes that might make you sound a little less fluent than you really are! Let’s discover them together and learn how to avoid them for good.
Stop Making These 5 MISTAKES IN ITALIAN!
Mistake #1: “FA SENSO” – The English Influence
❌ WRONG: “Questo fa senso” [This does sense]
✅ CORRECT: “Questo ha senso” [This makes sense]
Why is it wrong? The confusion comes from the English influence “it makes sense“. Many students literally translate this expression, but in Italian the correct verb is AVERE [HAVE]: “avere senso” [to make sense], which means to be logical, reasonable, comprehensible.
Correct examples in daily use:
- “La tua spiegazione ha senso, ora capisco meglio” [Your explanation makes sense, now I understand better]
- “Non ha senso arrabbiarsi per così poco” [It doesn’t make sense to get angry over so little]
- “Ha senso partire presto per evitare il traffico” [It makes sense to leave early to avoid traffic]
- “Il suo discorso non ha alcun senso“ [His speech makes no sense at all]
Important linguistic curiosity: “Fare senso” in Italian does exist, but it means “to disgust”, “to cause nausea”. So if you say “questo cibo fa senso”, you’re saying it disgusts you! Not exactly what you wanted to express, right? This difference is crucial to avoid embarrassing misunderstandings.
Other examples with “fare senso” (in the correct meaning):
- “Quell’odore mi fa senso“ [That smell disgusts me]
- “Non riesco a guardare quel film dell’horror, mi fa troppo senso“ [I can’t watch that horror movie, it disgusts me too much]
Mistake #2: “GUIDO/VOLO/CAMMINO A CASA” – The Focus Issue
❌ WRONG: “Guido a casa” [I drive to home], “Volo a Roma” [I fly to Rome], “Cammino al lavoro” [I walk to work]
✅ CORRECT: “Vado a casa in macchina” [I go home by car], “Vado a Roma in aereo” [I go to Rome by plane], “Vado al lavoro a piedi” [I go to work on foot]
Why is it problematic? The verbs GUIDARE, VOLARE and CAMMINARE [DRIVE, FLY and WALK] put emphasis on the action itself (what am I doing), unlike verbs like ANDARE, TORNARE, PARTIRE [GO, RETURN, LEAVE], which put emphasis on the destination (which place do I need to reach).
From a grammatical point of view these expressions are technically acceptable, but from a semantic point of view and natural language use, they sound unnatural to the ears of a native Italian speaker.
The practical rule:
- When the focus is on the destination: “Vado/Torno/Parto + destinazione + mezzo di trasporto” [I go/return/leave + destination + means of transport]
- When the focus is on the action: “Guido/Cammino/Volo + complemento di tempo/modo/compagnia” [I drive/walk/fly + complement of time/manner/company]
Correct examples with focus on destination:
- “Vado a casa in macchina“ [I go home by car] (instead of “Guido a casa” [I drive home])
- “Torno in ufficio a piedi“ [I return to the office on foot] (instead of “Cammino in ufficio” [I walk to the office])
- “Parto per Milano in aereo“ [I leave for Milan by plane] (instead of “Volo a Milano” [I fly to Milan])
Correct examples with focus on action:
- “Guido da tre ore senza sosta” [I’ve been driving for three hours non-stop]
- “Cammino ogni mattina per mantenermi in forma” [I walk every morning to stay in shape]
- “Volo spesso per lavoro” [I fly often for work]
Mistake #3: “FORSE TU ABBIA RAGIONE” – The Misused Subjunctive
❌ WRONG: “Forse tu abbia ragione” [Maybe you have-SUBJ right], “Probabilmente lui sia arrivato” [Probably he has-SUBJ arrived]
✅ CORRECT: “Forse tu hai ragione” [Maybe you have right], “Probabilmente lui è arrivato” [Probably he has arrived]
Why is it wrong? “Forse” [Maybe] is an adverb of doubt, but it doesn’t require the subjunctive because the subjunctive is used only after expressions that contain a main verb (credo che [I believe that], penso che [I think that], è possibile che [it’s possible that], può darsi che [it might be that]…).
The golden rule to never make mistakes:
- FORSE/PROBABILMENTE/SECONDO ME + INDICATIVO: “Forse piove domani” [Maybe it rains tomorrow], “Probabilmente arriva tardi” [Probably he arrives late]
- ESPRESSIONI DI DUBBIO (con verbi) + CONGIUNTIVO: “Può darsi che piova“ [It might be that it rains], “È possibile che tu abbia ragione” [It’s possible that you have right], “Credo che sia giusto” [I believe it’s right]
Other correct examples with adverbs:
- “Forse Maria arriva tardi” [Maybe Maria arrives late]
- “Probabilmente hanno sbagliato strada” [They probably took the wrong road]
- “Forse è meglio aspettare” [Maybe it’s better to wait]
- “Secondo me dovremmo partire ora” [In my opinion we should leave now]
Correct examples with verbal expressions:
- “È probabile che Maria arrivi tardi” [It’s likely that Maria arrives late]
- “Può darsi che abbiano sbagliato strada” [It might be that they took the wrong road]
- “Penso che sia meglio aspettare” [I think it’s better to wait]
Regional curiosity: This mistake arises because in some regions of Italy you hear “forse che…” [maybe that…] followed by the subjunctive, but this is a dialectal form, not standard Italian! In correct Italian, after “forse” [maybe] you always use the indicative.
Mistake #4: “NE VOGLIO” – The Incomplete Particle
❌ INCOMPLETE: “Ne voglio” [I want of it] (and that’s it)
✅ CORRECT: “Ne voglio due” [I want two of them], “Ne voglio un po'” [I want a little of it], “Ne voglio tanti” [I want many of them]
Why is it incomplete? The particle “NE” [of it/them] substitutes (among other things) a quantity. Therefore, if I use “ne” [of it], I must always specify HOW MUCH afterward! It’s like saying “voglio quantità” [I want quantity] without saying which quantity.
How “NE” works in detail:
- “Vuoi delle mele?” [Do you want some apples?] → “Sì, ne voglio tre“ [Yes, I want three of them] (ne = di mele [of apples])
- “Hai dei libri?” [Do you have some books?] → “Sì, ne ho molti“ [Yes, I have many of them] (ne = di libri [of books])
- “Bevi caffè?” [Do you drink coffee?] → “Sì, ne bevo troppo!” [Yes, I drink too much of it!] (ne = di caffè [of coffee])
- “Compri dei fiori?” [Are you buying some flowers?] → “Sì, ne compro alcuni“ [Yes, I’m buying some of them] (ne = di fiori [of flowers])
All possible quantities after “NE”:
- Numbers: “Ne voglio uno/due/dieci” [I want one/two/ten of them]
- Indefinite quantities: “Ne voglio molti/pochi/tanti/alcuni” [I want many/few/a lot/some of them]
- Approximate quantities: “Ne voglio un po’/abbastanza/troppi” [I want a little/enough/too many of them]
- Negative quantities: “Non ne voglio più/nessuno” [I don’t want any more/none of them]
- Comparative quantities: “Ne voglio di più/di meno” [I want more/less of them]
Practical examples in real situations:
- “Ne voglio ancora“ [I want more of it] (implied: un po’ [a little])
- “Ne voglio uno rosso“ [I want a red one of them]
- “Ne voglio tanti per la festa” [I want many of them for the party]
- “Non ne voglio più, grazie” [I don’t want any more of it, thanks]
Alternatives when you don’t want to specify the quantity:
- “Lo voglio“ [I want it] (if it’s masculine singular)
- “Li voglio“ [I want them] (if it’s masculine plural)
- “La voglio“ [I want it] (if it’s feminine singular)
- “Le voglio“ [I want them] (if it’s feminine plural)
- “Voglio quello/quella/quelli/quelle“ [I want that one/those]
One place to learn Italian
Join the LearnAmo AcademyMistake #5: “È BELLO A ME” – Expressing Personal Opinions
❌ WRONG: “È bello a me” [It’s beautiful to me], “È interessante a me” [It’s interesting to me], “È difficile a me” [It’s difficult to me]
✅ CORRECT: “È bello per me” [It’s beautiful for me], “Mi sembra interessante” [It seems interesting to me], “Trovo che sia difficile” [I find it difficult]
Why is it wrong? In Italian, when we express a personal opinion or a subjective judgment, we never use “A + nome/pronome personale” [To + name/personal pronoun]. This construction doesn’t exist in our language for expressing opinions.
The four correct alternatives for expressing opinions:
1. “Per me” + adjective: [For me]
- “Per me è bellissimo” [For me it’s very beautiful]
- “Per me è troppo difficile” [For me it’s too difficult]
- “Per me non ha senso” [For me it doesn’t make sense]
2. Indirect pronouns + piacere/sembrare/parere: [to like/to seem/to appear]
- “Mi piace molto” [I like it a lot]
- “Mi sembra interessante” [It seems interesting to me]
- “Mi pare giusto” [It seems right to me]
- “Ti sembra difficile?” [Does it seem difficult to you?]
3. “Trovo che” + subjunctive: [I find that]
- “Trovo che sia interessante” [I find that it’s interesting]
- “Trovo che abbia ragione” [I find that he’s right]
- “Trovo che questo libro sia noioso” [I find that this book is boring]
4. “Secondo me” + indicative: [In my opinion]
- “Secondo me è fantastico” [In my opinion it’s fantastic]
- “Secondo me hai torto” [In my opinion you’re wrong]
- “Secondo me dovremmo aspettare” [In my opinion we should wait]
Direct comparison – practical examples:
- ❌ “Questo film è noioso a me” [This movie is boring to me] → ✅ “Per me questo film è noioso” [For me this movie is boring] / “Mi sembra noioso” [It seems boring to me]
- ❌ “È giusto a me” [It’s right to me] → ✅ “Secondo me è giusto” [In my opinion it’s right] / “Mi pare giusto” [It seems right to me]
- ❌ “È difficile a me” [It’s difficult to me] → ✅ “Per me è difficile” [For me it’s difficult] / “Trovo che sia difficile” [I find that it’s difficult]
When to Use “A ME” Correctly
The construction “A + pronoun” [To + pronoun] is used correctly in these specific cases:
- To specify to whom: “Ha detto a me, non a te” [He said it to me, not to you]
- For emphasis: “A me non interessa!” [I don’t care!] (emphatic)
- With the verb piacere: “A me piace la pizza” [I like pizza] (even though “Mi piace” [I like] is more common)
Final Summary: The 5 Mistakes to Never Make Again
Here’s a practical summary of all the mistakes we analyzed today. Print it and keep it always at hand!
1. AVERE senso [HAVE sense] (never “fare senso” [do sense] which means to disgust)
2. ANDARE/TORNARE a casa [GO/RETURN home] when we’re moving (never “guidare/volare/camminare a…” [drive/fly/walk to…])
3. Forse tu HAI ragione [Maybe you HAVE right] (indicative after adverbs of doubt, not subjunctive)
4. Ne voglio DUE/TANTI/UN PO’ [I want TWO/MANY/A LITTLE of them] (always specify the quantity after “ne”)
5. È bello PER ME [It’s beautiful FOR ME] (never “a me” [to me] to express opinions)
Strategies to Memorize and Stop Making Mistakes
To help you memorize these concepts, here are some practical strategies:
Association Technique:
- “Ha senso” [Has sense] = “Ha logica” [Has logic] (both with the verb AVERE [HAVE])
- “Vado a casa” [I go home] = “Raggiungo casa” [I reach home] (focus on destination)
- “Forse + indicativo” [Maybe + indicative] = “Forse + certezza relativa” [Maybe + relative certainty]
- “Ne + quantità” [Of it + quantity] = “Di questo + quanto?” [Of this + how much?]
- “Per me” [For me] = “Nella mia opinione” [In my opinion]
Quick Check Rule: Before speaking, ask yourselves:
- “Am I using AVERE with ‘senso’?” [Am I using HAVE with ‘sense’?]
- “Is my focus on the destination or the action?”
- “After FORSE am I using the indicative?” [After MAYBE am I using the indicative?]
- “After NE have I specified how much?” [After OF IT have I specified how much?]
- “To express opinions am I using PER ME or MI SEMBRA?” [To express opinions am I using FOR ME or IT SEEMS TO ME?]
Related Mistakes to Know
Besides the 5 main mistakes, also pay attention to these very common related mistakes:
Other mistakes with “senso” [sense]:
- ❌ “Ha senso di farlo” [It has sense to do it] → ✅ “Ha senso farlo” [It makes sense to do it] / “Vale la pena farlo” [It’s worth doing it]
- ❌ “Non fa senso per niente” [It doesn’t do sense at all] → ✅ “Non ha alcun senso” [It has no sense at all]
Other mistakes with movement verbs:
- ❌ “Corro al supermercato” [I run to the supermarket] → ✅ “Vado al supermercato di corsa” [I go to the supermarket running]
- ❌ “Nuoto alla spiaggia” [I swim to the beach] → ✅ “Vado alla spiaggia a nuotare” [I go to the beach to swim]
Other mistakes with the subjunctive:
- ❌ “Magari tu venga domani” [I wish you come-SUBJ tomorrow] → ✅ “Magari tu vieni domani” [I wish you come tomorrow]
- ❌ “Sicuramente lui sia in ritardo” [Certainly he is-SUBJ late] → ✅ “Sicuramente lui è in ritardo” [Certainly he is late]
Your Task to Master the Language
Now that you’ve learned to recognize and correct these 5 fundamental mistakes, it’s time to put your new knowledge into practice! Here’s how you can definitively consolidate these concepts:
Practical challenge: Write in the comments one correct sentence for each mistake we analyzed today. Show me that you really understood! This activity will help you memorize the rules better and feel more confident using Italian.
Examples of sentences you could write:
- “La tua spiegazione ha senso, grazie!” [Your explanation makes sense, thanks!]
- “Vado al lavoro in bicicletta ogni giorno” [I go to work by bike every day]
- “Forse domani fa bel tempo” [Maybe tomorrow it will be nice weather]
- “Vuoi dei biscotti? Sì, ne voglio tre“ [Do you want some cookies? Yes, I want three of them]
- “Per me questo libro è interessante” [For me this book is interesting]
If you have other grammatical doubts or want us to delve deeper into other topics, write them in the comments: they could become the theme of the next article! Your participation is fundamental to improve together.
Always remember: making mistakes is human, but continuing to make mistakes when you know the error… that’s for lazy LearnAmici! And you’re not lazy, are you? With these 5 mistakes fixed, your Italian will immediately sound more natural and fluent.
A virtual hug to all LearnAmici and… see you in the next article to continue this wonderful journey discovering the Italian language!
Ciao e buon studio! [Goodbye and happy studying!]
If you’re interested in learning other mistakes to avoid, read this article about 10 mistakes to avoid to sound like a native speaker!
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