Both Italian and Spanish are Romance languages that developed from Latin. These two linguistic entities share a wide vocabulary, and even their verb conjugations follow similar rules.
However, remembering words and their spellings can be tricky, especially for beginners, as some words are written in a similar or identical way. What’s more, although these words look the same, they can have different meanings, which can lead to some rather embarrassing mistakes, as we’ll see below.
So, without further ado, here are the five main similarities and differences between Italian and Spanish. We hope this list is helpful to those learning both languages!
5 Similarities Between Italian and Spanish
1. Connections between Romance languages
comparative linguistics It turns out that Italian and Spanish are among the most closely related Romance languages. In fact, the way the two languages overlap due to their shared Latin base is impressive. Partial dictionaries, verb conjugations, and phrase structures appear as one nearly identical unique block. Furthermore, their vocabulary similarity exceeds 80%.
But as we’ll see next, these similarities don’t always guarantee easier learning. indeed, fake friend and huge semantic difference It is easy to break student expectations.
2. Same letters (with some exceptions)
Castilian shares the same alphabet as Italian, except n [ɲ] it’s pronounced with gn In Italian.This is a sound that doesn’t exist in english, and it can be particularly difficult to learn.This pronunciation is common in Italian, but there is no suitable letter in the alphabet – instead a A combination of two letters: g + n.
you can at gnOmo (dwarf), Maligno (vicious) or Bargno (bathroom). By contrast, in Spanish it is a real letter and is used for words such as manhe (sky or tomorrow), barno (bathroom), aboutna bottle of beer (a cup of beer).
Double LL [ʎ] is the Castilian pronunciation familiar to both Italian and Spanish, but this pronunciation is composed of compound letters.in Italian is formed by linking g + l = gl, such as horsesglia (shirt) or Paglia (straw). In Spain it is used double ll Kaabatwoo (horse). In this case, English speakers also have difficulty pronouncing the correct pronunciation.
at last, [x] in Spanish is usually used when pronouncing letters ‘j’and ‘h’, which looks like a The aspirated “h” in English, But stronger and deeper.you can at jAmon (Ham), ojo (Eye), and jAdin (garden). Italian has none, and neither has English.This sound was originally rooted in Arab And was imported in the past colonial times.
3. Italian and Spanish spellings are regular
Unlike English, which is an irregular language, Italian and Spanish are read as written. so, phoneme and grapheme overlap You can spell almost any word, just know the sound of that letter, because they always follow the same pattern.
To understand this aspect better, let’s look at an example: the English word “anxious” /ˈæŋkʃəs/ is not pronounced as it is written. However, the same word in Italian and Spanish: ‘ansioso’ [anˈsjoso] Read it exactly as it is written.
4. Pronouns can be implied
In Italian and Spanish, pronouns can be avoided. so, I Come home, in Italian: (io) I go homeand in Spanish: (yo) homecoming. It is implied from the verb conjugation and is not mandatory like in English.
5. Definite article
spanish and italian distinguishing definite article based on type and number nouns preceding them. Unlike English, which only uses the article “the”, these two Romance languages use the following articles:
| language | italian | spanish |
| masculine singular | Il | This |
| masculine singular | Luo | / |
| feminine singular | This | This |
| masculine plural | I | Lowes |
| masculine plural | This | / |
| feminine plural | This | Russ |
these articles agree noun next. Therefore, it is necessary to know the type and amount you will need for the nouns you will be using.
5 Differences Between Italian and Spanish
1. Same origin? No, false friends!
Although bilingual share some of their vocabulary Many of these words differ in meaning today due to their shared Latin ancestry and historical cultural exchange.
these are called fake friend, or in other words, words that look similar but have different meanings in two or more languages. Here are some common examples for Italian and Spanish:
Wasso
Wasso /’vaso/ has the same pronunciation in Italian and Spanish. What has changed is the meaning associated with the word.In Italian, it refers to a vase Or pots that can be used for flowers or decoration.In Spanish, this means Glassso if you are visiting Spain, you can ask for a glass of water: Water, please (Water, please) this phrase. But in Italian you should use: Water, please.
workshop vs workshop
These two words look alike, right? But their meanings are completely different.One workshop in italy is a workshop or garage Where can I get my car repaired. Instead, the Spanish word, officefor office. As you can see, the word also has a lot in common with the English word, since etymologically it derives from Latin: officeoriginally meant task execution (Oxford Language Definition).
donkey
donkey is italian butter. but be careful not to require donkey In a Spanish bar, because the bartender will think you’re crazy.After all, it’s not uncommon for someone to ask for a donkey In the bar!
Competition vs. I know how to play
Italian verbs: disputehas the same meaning as the English word Contest or to challenge. For example, “The European Union intends to dispute le missure adopterate nelle politiche sull’innovazione” (EU intends to question measures taken in innovation policy).
Spanish words by contrast Reply Indicates replying to an email, phone call, etc.
embarrassing bien balazada
These two fake friends could get you in deep trouble. in italian, AwkwardIndicates the condition of existence Awkward or ashamed However pregnant means to become in spanish pregnant!
These are just a few examples, but there is much more to be aware of. In short, always look up new words, even if you come across some that look like cognates. Most likely they are fake friends in disguise!
2. Italian words almost never end in a consonant
This is a big distinction that not only separates Italian from Spanish, but also from English and many other European languages. In fact, Italian endings are characterized by vowels that define genres and numbers.
for this reason, wallet (Bag) becomes Bag plural form. spanish words if (Bag), on the other hand, becomes Bag. So, like English, it adds a -s to the end of the word form plural.
There are some exceptions in Italian, such as the loan word like truck (truck) does end in a consonant, and its ending does not change to a feminine or plural form, but they are rare.
3. Property
This italianContrary to Spanish and English, Use articles with possessives. So if you say it in Spanish: mi madre estaba en Meter oficina (my mom was in mine office), in Italian: mia madre stava in my ufficio (literally: my mother in mine office). Like English, Spanish does not use articles before possessiveswhile Italian.
4. Use of conditional tenses
Conditional sentences are usually applied in the same way in both languages. But there are two main differences to consider:
- Express Depends on the future action of the past verb:
- italian: compound condition (Antonio told me he will come)
- spanish: simple condition (Antonio told me will come)
- Translation: Antonio told me he will come.
- Express probability:
- Italian: Composite Future (they will be 8 a.m. when he returns)
- Spanish: simple condition (Will 8 am when he arrives)
- translate: definitely is It was past 8 o’clock when I came back.
indicative future use
The use of future indicative is different in Spanish and Italian. Here is a list of their differences:
future use of italianwhile Spanish does not, so:
- Create conditional clauses that refer to the future (Spanish uses the present tense)
- Introducing time clauses with “when” (when), and “until” (until) and “once” (immediately) points to a Simultaneous action in the future (Spanish uses the subjunctive mood)
when will i have If I have money, I will buy a car.
when there If I have money, I will buy a car.
when i have If I have money, I will buy a car.
- Construct sentences expressing doubt or possibility introduced by the adverb “maybe/perhaps” (Maybe).
Maybe it starts with /will start next week.
Maybe start/start next week. (Spanish uses the subjunctive mood)
Maybe it will start next week.
in conclusion
These are just the main similarities and differences to be aware of when starting your language learning journey.This future, Conditional and Subjunctive tense Italian and Spanish are probably the hardest to understand, even if you reach a higher level, It’s easy to make a mistake.
As we have seen, just because two languages belong to the same language group, it does not mean that they are similar in every way. Instead, sometimes this proximity creates huge problems in distinguishing one from the other, as is the case with Italian and Spanish.
About the author: Fabio Guarino
As a linguist and language expert, as a Freelance Content Writer and SEO Marketer Allows me to combine my passions and interests with my career. My favorite thing to do with language is play with words. This is something I have dreamed about since I started traveling the world and learning languages.
