French and Italian: 5 similarities and 5 differences

If you are learning Italian and considering learning another language at the same time, then one of the easiest languages ​​you can choose is French. Although they have many similar characteristics due to the common Latin tradition, they are enough to make them different and make you feel happy and challenging. Here are some similarities and differences between these two Romance languages!

French and Italian: 5 similarities

1. Lexical similarity is 89%

according to Ethnography, Italian and French have the closest vocabulary of all modern Romance languages, with an estimated 89% of words shared. This is because both can be traced back to popular Latin. Many times, at the end of the Italian term, the pronunciation is almost the same as the vowel sound. E.g:

2. Italian and French grammar are very similar

Growing up in Canada, I had to study French at school for nearly nine years, but during that time, I hardly learned how to string together a simple sentence. It was not until I learned Italian that I suddenly found that I could understand a lot of French that confuses me as a student! Why? Because the syntax is too similar!

Here are some major similarities:

• They are all subject, verb, object (SVO) languages
• The conjugation process of this word is similar
• They use adverb pronouns (exist and Yes French / born and There In Italian)
• They often use the present perfect tense to express the simple past

3. Italian and French are considered “Language of Love”

“Language of Love” is a title often given to French and Italian by English speakers. But what makes them the two most romantic languages ​​in the world? Well, it comes down to their pleasant quality, mainly due to the even distribution of vowels and consonants in words. (In contrast, Germanic languages ​​like English have many harsh-sounding consonant clusters.)

More importantly, both languages ​​are built on a long tradition of poetry, music, and art, which has contributed to their romantic reputation.

4. Both Italian and French have formal registrations

Language records, such as Italian and French, do not actually exist in English. Indeed, we have formal vocabulary and phrases, but Italian and French can actually be divided into different independent registers. Whenever you speak to an older person, meet a stranger, or interact with other people in the workplace, you should exercise caution and use formal language.

5. The alphabet is almost identical

The written letters of the two languages ​​are more or less the same, although the pronunciation rules are different. In Italian, the letters J, K, W, X, and Y are not considered part of the correct alphabet, even though they appear in loan words. The French and English alphabets have the same set of written letters.

French and Italian: 5 differences

1. Italian has regular spelling, French does not

Italian has the so-called “shallow” spelling, which means that its spelling is very regular, with almost one-to-one correspondence between letters and sounds.

On the other hand, French has a “deep” orthography, because the relationship between letters and sounds is not so direct. For learners, one of the most problematic aspects is the silent consonants in French—that is, consonants that are written but not pronounced. Usually, learners must simply remember the unusual pronunciation of irregular words and hope for the best!

2. The polite pronouns “vous” and “Lei”

We have already mentioned that Italian and French have formal registers, but the formal subject pronouns are not the same.

In French, pronouns you Used to indicate ‘you‘Formal or’you‘Plural, and in Italian, there is a single formal pronoun she. Except for capital letters Rise, Which has the same spelling as the third-person feminine singular pronoun Thunder (she).

Informally, pronouns are used in both languages you.

3. Italian does not require subject pronouns

The similarity between French and English is that the subject pronoun must always be clearly stated.

In contrast, Italian is an “empty subject” language, which is just a peculiar way of saying that, unless it is necessary for emphasis or comparison purposes, the subject can usually be deleted. This is because the person, number, and/or gender identity are encoded in the verb conjugation.

4. Italian uses definite articles more often

The definite article is equivalent to ‘This‘ in English. In French and Italian, articles vary according to the gender and number of topics:

French

This = Positive, singular
This = Feminine, singular
I’ = Singular nouns beginning with a vowel
This = Plural (both sexes)

Italian

This = Positive, singular
it = Masculine, singular (before vowels and certain clusters of consonants)
This = Feminine, singular
I’ = Singular nouns beginning with a vowel
A generation = Positive, plural
This = Masculine, plural (before vowels and certain clusters of consonants)
This = Feminine, plural

However, unlike the French, the Italians tend to use the definite article before possessive pronouns. E.g:

The only Italian possessive pronouns that do not require a definite article are those that appear before the names of family members (e.g. My aunt replace My aunt for ‘My aunt‘).

5. French uses split to negate’ne’ and’pas’

If you want to negate an Italian phrase, it’s actually very simple: all you have to do is put the word in No (no) Before the verb. E.g:

I eat spaghetti. (I eat spaghetti.)> I don’t eat pasta. (I don’t eat pasta.)
Can i come. (I can come.)> I can’t come. (I can’t come.)

On the other hand, French requires the use of two negative words’born‘ and ‘no‘Appears on both sides of the verb.

I eat spaghetti. (I eat spaghetti.)> I don’t eat pasta. (I don’t eat pasta.)
I can come. (I can come.)> I can’t come. (I can’t come.)