Ever had one of those moments where you thought you nailed a sentence in Italian, only to realize something wasn’t quite right? Don’t worry, we’ve all been there, and today we’re going to fix it together!
Making mistakes in Italian is totally normal — it’s part of the learning process! They’re nothing to stress about. In fact, they’re actually super helpful because they show you the areas you need to work on. The trick is to spot them, fix them, and use what you’ve learned to speak more confidently and naturally
This guide is designed to help you catch those tricky grammar slip-ups before they become habits. Each sentence might include a small mistake or two, and your mission is to do an Italian grammar check to spot the error and learn how to avoid it next time.
So, are you ready to aguzzare la vista (sharpen your eyesight) and have some fun while improving your Italian? Cominciamo! (Let’s get started!)
Italian grammar check: Can you spot the mistakes in Italian? Take a look at these 15 sentences and see if you can spot anything that doesn’t quite sound right.
1. Abito in Milano, ma vado spesso a Francia per lavoro.
While it’s clear what the speaker means, there are two mistakes with the prepositions. These little words can be tricky because they don’t always match the ones we use in English, and they can change depending on the context, just like we see here with in and a.
When we talk about being in a city or town in Italian, we need to use a, not in. So, instead of saying abito in Milano, it should be abito a Milano
On the other hand, when we talk about going to a place, we usually use in (except for towns or small places, which take a). So, instead of saying vado spesso a Francia, the correct form is vado spesso in Francia.
Here’s the correct sentence:
Abito a Milano, ma vado spesso in Francia per lavoro.
(I live in Milan, but I often go to France for work)
To explore this topic further, my guide to Italian prepositions is packed with clear explanations and lots of examples to help you master them!
2. Accompagno il mio fratello a casa e arrivo!
The problem here is in the use of the definite article il (the) before mio fratello (my brother). In Italian, we usually don’t put the definite article before a possessive adjective when it’s referring to a singular family member. So instead of saying il mio fratello, we simply say mio fratello
This rule applies to most family members in the singular form—mia madre (my mother), mio padre (my father), mia sorella (my sister), and so on. However, when the noun for the family member is paired with an adjective (il mio bellissimo fratello – my handsome brother) or is used in a diminutive form (il mio fratellino – my little brother), the definite article becomes necessary.
Here’s the correct sentence:
Accompagno mio fratello a casa e arrivo!
(I take my brother home and I arrive!)
To learn more, have a look at my guide to how to use Italian possessive adjectives with all the rules for using them.
3. Anche se ho studiato molto, dubito che riesca a superare l’esame.
In this sentence, there’s a mistake in the use of the subjunctive mood. While it’s true that the verb dubitare (to doubt) usually triggers the subjunctive because it expresses uncertainty, there’s a special rule when the subject of both the main clause and the dependent clause is the same, as in this case (where the subject is io – I).
When this happens, the construction of the subordinate clause changes from che + subjunctive to di + infinitive. So, instead of saying dubito che riesca, the correct form is dubito di riuscire.
Here’s the correct sentence:
Anche se ho studiato molto, dubito di riuscire a superare l’esame.
(Although I studied a lot, I doubt I will pass the exam)
Want to master the subjunctive mood? Check out my guide to Italian subjunctive, complete with easy-to-understand explanations and plenty of examples that will make it easier to understand!
4. Sandro vuole tornare a casa, lui manca la sua famiglia.
The mistake here is related to the verb mancare (to miss), which works a bit differently in Italian than in English. In English, we say that someone misses something, but in Italian, the construction is the opposite: the subject of the sentence is actually the person or thing being missed, not the person who feels the absence. So, it’s like saying that something is missing to someone
In this case, instead of saying lui manca la sua famiglia, we should say gli manca la sua famiglia, where gli is the indirect object pronoun for “to him” (so, it literally means “his family is missing to him”).
Here’s the correct sentence:
Sandro vuole tornare a casa, gli manca la sua famiglia.
(Sandro wants to go back home, he misses his family)
To learn more about how the verb mancare works, read my guide to saying “I miss you” in Italian
5. Ieri ho andato al centro commerciale e ho comprato una rossa sciarpa
After doing an Italian grammar check, we can see there are two mistakes in this sentence. First, in Italian, we don’t use the auxiliary verb avere (to have) with motion verbs like andare (to go). Instead, we use essere (to be). So, the correct form of that passato prossimo is sono andato, not ho andato
The second mistake has to do with the placement of the adjective rossa (red) before the noun sciarpa (scarf). In Italian, adjectives that describe colours usually come after the noun they describe, which is the opposite of English, where adjectives usually come before the noun. So instead of saying una rossa sciarpa, we should say una sciarpa rossa.
Here’s the correct sentence:
Ieri sono andato al centro commerciale e ho comprato una sciarpa rossa.
(Yesterday, I went to the mall and bought a red scarf)
To find out more about the use of auxiliary verbs in compound tenses and the placement of adjectives, take a look at my guide to passato prossimo and read about the use of Italian adjectives here.
6. Io amo la carne, mentre lui piace il pesce.
The mistake here comes from the use of the verb piacere (to like). In Italian, piacere doesn’t work the same way as “to like” does in English. Instead of saying that someone likes something, Italian flips the structure: the subject becomes the thing that is liked, and the person who likes it is expressed with an indirect object pronoun or the preposition a + name/noun. So, instead of saying lui piace il pesce (he likes fish), the correct form is a lui piace il pesce (literally, the fish is pleasing to him).
Here’s the correct sentence:
Io amo la carne, mentre a lui piace il pesce.
(I love meat, while he likes fish)
Want to master the verb piacere? Explore my guide to saying “I like” in Italian!
7. Da piccolo sono andato spesso al mare con i nonni
In this sentence, the mistake lies in the use of the passato prossimo instead of the imperfetto. The passato prossimo is used for actions that occurred at a specific, well-defined moment in the past, usually once. On the other hand, the imperfect is used for actions that happened regularly or habitually in the past, especially when describing actions that were part of a routine, as in this case, where going to the sea with your grandparents was something that occurred repeatedly. So, instead of saying da piccolo sono andato spesso, we need to say da piccolo andavo spesso to convey that this was a regular, habitual action.
Here’s the correct sentence:
Da piccolo andavo spesso al mare con i nonni.
(As a child, I used to go to the sea often with my grandparents)
To better understand the difference between these two key past tenses, take a look at my guides to the Italian imperfect tense and the passato prossimo. They’ll help you get a clear idea of when to use each one!
8. Professore, gli posso parlare un attimo?
The mistake here is with the choice of the pronoun. In Italian, when we want to be formal — such as when addressing a teacher, boss, or stranger — we need to use the formal subject pronoun Lei (with a capital L) and its corresponding direct object (La – her) and indirect object (Le – to her) pronouns, whether the person we’re speaking to is a man or a woman.
This may feel a bit strange when talking to a man, because Lei and its related pronouns are technically in the third person feminine, but that’s simply how formal Italian works! So, instead of saying gli posso parlare, we should say Le posso parlare.
Here’s the correct sentence:
Professore, Le posso parlare un attimo?
(Professor, may I speak with you for a moment?)
Want to learn more about formal speech in Italian? Check out my guide to the formal “you” and how to use it correctly in conversation.
9. Se avrei più soldi, farei la vita bella
Ouch, my ears! This sentence contains one of the worst grammar mistakes in Italian: using the conditional when we should use the subjunctive! Specifically, in this type of “if” clause where we’re imagining a hypothetical situation that may or may not happen, we need the imperfect subjunctive in the first part of the sentence, not the conditional. So, instead of se avrei (if I would have), it should be avessi. (If I had).
There’s also a small issue with vita bella (beautiful life). In Italian, certain fixed expressions always place the adjective before the noun, and bella vita (beautiful life) is one of them.
Here’s the correct sentence:
Se avessi più soldi, farei la bella vita.
(If I had more money, I would live the good life)
Check out my guides to the conditional and subjunctive moods, and this one on the use of Italian adjectives. They’ll make these concepts much clearer and help you avoid these tricky mistakes!
10. Non so perché, ma io ammalo sempre durante le vacanze!
After doing a proper Italian grammar check, did you notice something missing here? A pronoun! In Italian, ammalarsi is a reflexive verb, which means the subject is both performing and experiencing the action. This might not be immediately obvious because in English we simply say “to get sick,” but in Italian, we need to use a reflexive pronoun to show that the subject is also the receiver of the action. So, instead of io ammalo (I get sick), the correct form is mi ammalo, where mi is the reflexive pronoun for “myself.”
Here’s the correct sentence:
Non so perché, ma mi ammalo sempre durante le vacanze!
(I don’t know why, but I always get sick during the holidays!)
Take a look at my guides to reflexive verbs and reflexive pronouns to learn how to use them properly in Italian!
11. Tuo papà e tua mamma sono simpatiche veramente!
This sentence contains a couple of important mistakes. First, the adjective simpatiche (nice) doesn’t agree correctly with the nouns it refers to. In Italian, when an adjective refers to two nouns of different genders (like papà—father, which is masculine, and mamma—mum, which is feminine), it must take the masculine plural form. So, instead of simpatiche (feminine plural), the correct form here is simpatici (masculine plural).
The second issue concerns the position of the adverb veramente (really). In Italian, when an adverb modifies an adjective, it must be placed before the adjective. So, instead of saying simpatici veramente (really nice), the correct word order is veramente simpatici.
Here’s the correct sentence:
Tuo papà e tua mamma sono veramente simpatici!
(Your dad and mum are really nice!)
For further insights into how Italian sentence structure works? Check out my guide to word order in Italian and learn more about the agreement of Italian adjectives here.
12. I Queen scriverono canzoni indimenticabili! Simone mi da sempre consigli su quali ascoltare.
There are two things we need to adjust in this sentence. First, let’s talk about the verb scriverono. It’s almost there, but not quite right. Scrivere (to write) is an irregular verb, meaning it doesn’t follow the typical conjugation rules for -ere verbs in the passato remoto. The correct third-person plural form in this tense is actually scrissero.
Next, let’s look at the verb da. Do you see the issue here? It’s missing an accent! In Italian, the verb dare (to give) requires the accent in the third-person singular present form (dà) to distinguish it from the preposition da (from). Without the accent, it could cause some confusion!
Here’s the correct sentence:
I Queen scrissero canzoni indimenticabili! Simone mi dà sempre consigli su quali ascoltare.
(The Queen wrote unforgettable songs! Simone always gives me advice on which ones to listen to)
To avoid these common mistakes, check out my guide to Italian irregular verbs. It will help you understand these tricky cases!
13. Avete visto il nuovo ragazzo di Paola? Ha proprio dei belli occhi!
See that belli? It doesn’t sound quite right! That’s because the adjective bello (beautiful, nice) has some special rules when it comes before a noun: its ending changes depending on the gender, number, and the first letter of the word it describes. For example, when bello comes before a masculine plural noun that starts with a vowel (like occhi – eyes), it changes to begli. So, instead of dei belli occhi, the correct form is dei begli occhi.
Here’s the correct sentence:
Hai visto il nuovo ragazzo di Paola? Ha proprio dei begli occhi!
(Have you seen Paola’s new boyfriend? He really has beautiful eyes!)
Want to get a clearer understanding of how to use this popular Italian adjective? My guide to Bene, Bravo, Bello, Buono in Italian is packed with insights into their meanings and correct usage!
14. Stiamo stanche! Quanto tempo mettiamo ad arrivare a casa?
In Italian, we don’t use stare when talking about feeling tired or exhausted. For conditions like tiredness, we use the verb essere instead. So, instead of saying stiamo stanche, we should say siamo stanche. It’s easy to get confused with these two verbs, as both can translate to “to be,” but they’re not always interchangeable, which makes them one of the most common mistakes in Italian!
Now, let’s look at Quanto tempo mettiamo ad arrivare a casa? Here, there’s an issue with the verb mettere: it’s missing the pronoun ci! In Italian, when talking about how long it takes to do something, we need to use the pronominal verb metterci, meaning “to take (time).” Pronominal verbs are those where a basic verb combines with one or more pronouns that change its meaning. For example, the verb mettere on its own means “to put,” but when combined with the pronoun ci, it changes meaning to “to take time.” So, in this phrase, instead of saying Quanto tempo mettiamo, the correct form is Quanto tempo ci mettiamo.
Here’s the correct sentence:
Siamo stanche! Quanto tempo ci mettiamo ad arrivare a casa?
(We are tired! How long does it take us to get home?)
Check out all the differences between essere and stare here and take a look at my guide to Italian pronominal verbs to learn more about structures like metterci!
15. Ciao bella, ti sono piaciuti i crisantemi?
Grammatically, there’s nothing wrong with this sentence! The indirect object pronoun ti (to you) is in the right position, and the past participle piaciuti (liked) matches perfectly with crisantemi (chrysanthemums). But let’s take a closer look—because even when grammar is on point, there are some cultural nuances to keep in mind.
First, let’s talk about Ciao bella (Hello, beautiful). While it’s a super popular Italian greeting, it can sometimes be perceived as flirtatious, especially if it’s coming from a man. So, context is key! If you’re chatting with a close friend, it’s perfectly fine, but in more formal or unfamiliar situations, you might want to skip it and go with something more neutral.
Now, about those crisantemi (chrysanthemums). In Italy, these flowers are strongly associated with cemeteries, where they are traditionally used to decorate tombs. Giving them to a friend, partner, or anyone outside this context could lead to some awkward moments!
Make sure to read my guide to the most important Italian customs to avoid cultural missteps while you are in Italy — it’s packed with tips to help you act like a local!
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