If you are traveling in Italy but speak little or no Italian, the phrase you may have to use at some point is «I can not speak Italian” meaning is”I can not speak Italian“.
I can not speak Italian.
I can not speak Italian.
No is an adverb whose purpose is to express negation. It is one of the most common negative words in Italian, corresponding to English”no“.
I say is the regular first-person present tense -Yes verb say (speak / speak). Let’s take a quick look at the complete present tense of this verb:
- (I say = I say
- (you say = you say (singing, informally)
- (He says = He says
- (she says = she says
- (she says = you say (singing, formal)
- (we say = we say
- (you say = you say (plural)
- (they said = they said
at last, Italian – as you may have guessed by now – means “Italian“, as in Italian. However Italian can also mean “Italian“, or”italian woman“If you change the ending -o to -One. Note that in Italian, the word Italian Never capitalized like English.
Here are some expressions you can add to this phrase for a little spice:
- I can not speak Italian very good = I can not speak Italian very good
- I can not speak Italian takes a long time = I can not speak Italian takes a long time
- Unfortunately I can not speak Italian = Unfortunately I can not speak Italian
- excuse meI can not speak Italian = sorry, I can not speak Italian
“I don’t speak Italian” and “I don’t speak” I’italian’
Use of definite articles I’ (This) is correct and both forms of the phrase exist. This also applies to the frontal version: i can speak italian and i can speak italian.
Is there a difference between the two? Yes, there are actually some, but for the most part, they’re subtle and not worth bothering with because you’ll be understood either way. But if you’re still reading, they’re here!
Version without articles (I speak Italian/I don’t speak Italian) are considered more colloquial, and they are common today.
Version with article I say I’Italian/I don’t speak I’Italian Be more formal.
Definite articles can also increase the precision of knowledge about language.if you say I say I’Italian, you not only say that you can speak basic Italian, but that you have mastered the language at a high level. no articles (i can speak italian), the actual level of the speaker is vague.
Finally, if you say i can speak italianyou may be talking about the language you speak at any given moment or as a routine, while i can speak italian Strictly refers to your ability to speak the language.
The last distinction makes more sense if we use an example:
I speak Italian with my son.
I speak Italian with my son.
In the first example, the person was referring to his and his son’s habit of speaking Italian, not his own language ability.
Luca speaks Italian, Japanese, French and Welsh!
Luca speaks Italian, Japanese, French and Welsh!
In the second example, we’re talking about Luca’s knowledge of four languages, and his mastery of all four languages.
Again, these differences are subtle and no matter what you say, you will be understood (I can not speak Italian or I can not speak Italian.
But be careful: with other verbs, the article must be used. E.g:
- I understand Italian (no
I understand Italian) - I am learning Italian (no
I am learning Italian).
If you want to learn more about this, watch the Italian video from Fly High below.
