Italian speaker difficulties in English

This page is for IELTS candidates whose first language is Italian. Italian and English share many Latin words, which makes reading easy, but the rhythm, the vowels, the endings of words and a handful of grammar habits are different, and they keep appearing in Speaking and Writing. Read the problems once, then do one lesson a day and go round the series again: every lesson practises the same problems with new sentences.

Pronunciation

Sentence rhythm: stress-timing, not syllable-timing

Makes you sound more natural.

Why it happens: Italian gives almost every syllable a similar length and clarity, like steady footsteps. English is different: it hits a few important syllables hard and hurries everything between them, so an even Italian rhythm makes your key words hard to find (and English sounds to you like people "eat their words").

In English the content words (nouns, main verbs, adjectives, adverbs) carry the beats: they are longer, louder and a little higher. The small grammar words (a, the, of, to, was, can) are quick and quiet. The beats come at roughly regular times, so the more small words there are between two beats, the faster you say them. Count the beats, not the syllables: My brother is working in a bank has three beats, whatever its length.

• Not we-are-vi-si-ting-our-un-cle-in-Man-ches-ter (every syllable equal), but we're VIS-it-ing our UN-cle in MAN-ches-ter (three beats)
• Not the-train-is-ar-ri-ving-at-the-sta-tion (all loud), but the TRAIN is arRIV-ing at the STA-tion
• Not I-have-for-got-ten-my-ho-me-work (even), but I've forGOT-ten my HOME-work
• Not they-want-to-open-a-new-of-fi-ce (flat), but they WANT to O-pen a new OF-fice

How to make it: Tap the table once for each important word as you speak: the taps are your beats. On each tap make the strong syllable longer, louder and a little higher. Squeeze the small words between the taps: say them fast and quietly, but do not leave them out. Keep the taps steady. If there are more small words between two taps, speed up; do not slow the tap.

Weak forms: to, can, of, and, have, was

Makes you sound more natural.

Why it happens: You expect every word to arrive in full, so you say to like "too" and can like the word on a dictionary page. Native speakers shrink small words to almost nothing, and this is also why fast English can seem to have missing words when you listen.

Many small words have two forms. In normal speech they take the weak form with /ə/: to /tə/, can /kən/, of /əv/, and /ən/, for /fə/, was /wəz/, from /frəm/, have /əv/ or /v/. The strong form is used only when the word is stressed or ends the sentence (Yes, I can.). Can't is always full: /kɑːnt/. Listen for the long vowel: that is how you tell can from can't.

• Not I want TOO go home. (full "too"), but I want /tə/ go home. (weak)
• Not a cup OFF tea (full vowel), but a cup /əv/ tea
• Not bread AND butter (full "and"), but bread /ən/ butter
• Not I CAN drive. (a loud, full can in an ordinary sentence), but I /kən/ drive. (but "I can't drive" has /kɑːnt/)

How to make it: Do not stress the small word: say it with a short, relaxed "uh" vowel. Say the small word in the same breath as the strong word next to it: want-tə-GO, not want / too / go. Use the full form only if the small word is the last word of the sentence: Yes, I can. For can't, make the vowel long and finish with a clear /t/.

The weak vowel <span class='ipa'>/ə/</span>: photographer, important, sofa

Makes you sound more natural.

Why it happens: An Italian vowel keeps the same clear sound whether the syllable is strong or weak, and each written vowel is read out. In English the unstressed vowels shrink to one neutral sound, so you say every letter of important and the word loses its shape.

The most common vowel in English is /ə/: a short, relaxed "uh". It lives in unstressed syllables, and any letter can spell it: about, important, sofa, photographer. Endings in -er, -or and -ar are /ə/ with no r in British English. Say the one strong syllable clearly and let the others shrink. If every syllable is full, listeners cannot tell which one is strong.

• Not pho-to-GRA-pher, with four clear vowels, but fə-TOG-rə-fə: three weak syllables
• Not im-por-TANT, with a clear o, but im-POR-tənt: the second vowel is strong, the last is weak
• Not SO-fa, with a clear a at the end, but SO-fə: the ending is a short /ə/
• Not a-BOUT, with a full a, but ə-BOUT: the first vowel is weak

How to make it: Relax your mouth: lips loose, tongue flat and in the middle, jaw barely open. Say a very short "uh", and no more: it should be the quietest, shortest vowel in the word. Say the strong syllable clearly, then make every other vowel shorter and quieter. Do not say the name of the letter: the a in about is not "ah".

Word stress: eCONomy, not eco-NO-my

Big effect on being understood.

Why it happens: Most Italian words are stressed on the second-to-last syllable, so your ear and mouth expect that pattern. English stress is not fixed: it can fall almost anywhere, and it moves when a word changes its job or its ending.

Learn the stress with every new word, and use these patterns. (1) Words ending in -ion, -ian, -ic, -ical, -ity, -ious are stressed on the syllable just before the ending: ecoNOMic, uniVERsity, inforMAtion. (2) Many two-syllable words that are both noun and verb are stressed first as nouns and second as verbs: a REcord, to reCORD. (3) Compound nouns put the stress on the first part: a TRAFfic jam. A wrong syllable is a bigger problem than a wrong vowel, because the listener loses the word.

• Not ecoNOmy (stress on the second-to-last), but eCONomy (stress on the second syllable)
• Not poLItics, but POLitics
• Not inTEResting, but INteresting
• Not ad-ver-TISE-ment, but adVERtisement

How to make it: Say the word in a whisper first and find the one syllable that is longer and louder. On the strong syllable open your mouth wider, make the vowel longer and let your voice rise a little. Make the other syllables short, weak and low. Tap once on the strong syllable: if you tap twice, you are stressing too much.

Stop on the last consonant: bus, not bus-a

Big effect on being understood.

Why it happens: Native Italian words almost always end in a vowel; the few that end in a consonant are tiny words like in and per, or foreign (bar, sport). A word that ends in a consonant feels unfinished, so your mouth adds a small vowel, usually "uh" or "eh", and a one-syllable word becomes two.

Finish the word on the consonant and stop: bag, not bag-uh. It matters most at the end of a phrase or sentence, where a spare vowel is easy to hear. Inside a phrase it is easier, because the last consonant can slide onto the next word (bag_is). Keep the voice on to the end of bed, bag, leave; do not let them turn into bet, back, leaf. For /t/, /d/ and /n/ the tongue touches the ridge behind your top teeth, not the teeth themselves.

• Not My club-a is near the station., but My club is near the station.
• Not We waited for the bus-e., but We waited for the bus.
• Not It was a long night-a., but It was a long night.
• Not He is a good friend-o., but He is a good friend.

How to make it: Say the word slowly and notice where your tongue or lips end. Stay there. Stop your voice at the last consonant: there should be silence after it, not a second sound. For /t/, /d/ and /n/ put the tip of your tongue on the bumpy ridge just behind your top teeth. Count the syllables: bus, club, night, friend are all one beat.

One Italian a, four English vowels: cat, cut, cart, bed

Big effect on being understood.

Why it happens: Italian has a single open a. English has three sounds that you may hear as that a, and a fourth that you may hear as e: /æ/ in cat, /ʌ/ in cut, /ɑː/ in cart, and /e/ in bed. So bad and bed, or cat and cut, come out the same.

/æ/: mouth wide, jaw down, tongue forward (cat, bad, man). /ʌ/: short, mouth only half open, tongue relaxed and in the middle (cut, bus, love). /ɑː/: long, mouth open, tongue low and back (cart, bar, calm). /e/: mouth half open, tongue forward and spread (bed, men, said). Your Italian a is one open vowel that sits between /æ/ and /ɑː/, so do not use it for all three: make /æ/ wider and /ɑː/ longer and further back.

• Not I have a bed back. (you meant bad), but I have a bad back. (wide /æ/)
• Not I would like a cap of coffee. (you meant cup), but I would like a cup of coffee. (short, relaxed /ʌ/)
• Not My ant lives in Rome. (you meant aunt), but My aunt lives in Rome. (long /ɑː/)
• Not I lost my pan yesterday. (you meant pen), but I lost my pen yesterday. (/e/)

How to make it: /æ/: drop your jaw wide, keep your tongue low and forward behind the bottom teeth. /ʌ/: relax your mouth, jaw half open, and say a short "uh" with no smile. /ɑː/: open wide, pull the tongue back and down, and hold it for two counts. /e/: half open, spread your lips a little like a small smile, tongue forward.

Long and short: sheep/ship, pool/pull

Big effect on being understood.

Why it happens: Italian has only one i and one u, both tense and clear, so you may use them for both English vowels in each pair: /iː/ and /ɪ/ in leave and live, /uː/ and /ʊ/ in pool and pull. The short vowels are the ones you tend to miss.

/iː/ is long, with a smile and the tongue high (sheep, leave, seat). /ɪ/ is short, with the mouth a little more open and relaxed (ship, live, sit). /uː/ is long with tight, rounded lips (pool, food, Luke); /ʊ/ is short, with loose lips (pull, foot, look). Length matters, but so does the shape: keep the short ones relaxed.

• Not I want to leave here. (you meant live), but I want to live here. (short /ɪ/)
• Not He will sheep the parcel. (you meant ship), but He will ship the parcel. (short /ɪ/)
• Not Please pool the door. (you meant pull), but Please pull the door. (short /ʊ/)
• Not The foot was delicious. (you meant food), but The food was delicious. (long /uː/)

How to make it: /iː/: smile, tongue high and forward, hold for two counts. /ɪ/: relax the smile, open your mouth a little, keep it short and quiet. /uː/: round your lips tightly, tongue high and back, hold for two counts. /ʊ/: loosen your lips, make the sound short, with no tension.

Four different o's: cot, caught, coat, turn

Big effect on being understood.

Why it happens: Italian has a clear, steady o. In English the same spelling hides four different vowels, and learners often say them all as the Italian o: /ɒ/ in cot, /ɔː/ in caught, /əʊ/ in coat, and the unrounded /ɜː/ in turn. An Italian vowel also stays pure, but /əʊ/ is a glide.

/ɒ/: short, mouth open, lips slightly rounded (cot, hot, stop). /ɔː/: long, lips rounded, tongue higher (caught, short, more). /əʊ/: begins with a relaxed "uh" and glides to a soft "oo" (coat, home, go); the second half is lighter than the first. /ɜː/: long, lips not rounded, tongue in the middle (turn, work, bird). Compare work and walk: only the lips change.

• Not I forgot my cot. (you meant coat), but I forgot my coat. (gliding /əʊ/)
• Not I cot a cold last week. (you meant caught), but I caught a cold last week. (long /ɔː/)
• Not I will torn left at the corner. (you meant turn), but I will turn left at the corner. (/ɜː/, lips relaxed)
• Not I walk in an office. (you meant work), but I work in an office. (/ɜː/)

How to make it: /ɒ/: open your mouth, round your lips just a little, make it short. /ɔː/: round your lips more and hold the vowel for two counts. /əʊ/: start with relaxed lips, then slowly round them while you say the vowel. /ɜː/: spread or relax your lips (do not round them) and hold the middle vowel for two counts.

Sounding the endings: -s, -ed, and s or z?

Big effect on being understood.

Why it happens: In Italian the s is hissed or buzzed depending on the sounds around it, so you never have to choose, and few words end in a hissed -s. So you may use /z/ where English has /s/ (smoke can become "zmoke"), or use /s/ where English needs a buzzing /z/ (dogs said with a hiss). Past endings -ed and the third-person -s are often left out as well.

Say /s/ (a hiss) in smoke, price, bus, and /z/ (a buzz) in zoo, prize, buzz. The ending -s follows the last sound: /s/ after voiceless sounds (cats, works), /z/ after voiced sounds and vowels (dogs, plays), /ɪz/ after s, z, sh, ch, j (buses, watches). The ending -ed is /t/ after voiceless sounds (helped), /d/ after voiced ones (opened), /ɪd/ after t or d (wanted). Say the ending every time: it carries tense and number.

• Not The zmoke made me cough., but The smoke made me cough. (hiss /s/)
• Not Two bus stop here., but Two buses stop here. (/ˈbʌsɪz/)
• Not Yesterday I walk to school., but Yesterday I walked to school. (/wɔːkt/)
• Not My brother need a new phone., but My brother needs a new phone. (/niːdz/)

How to make it: For /s/ keep your throat quiet: a hiss. For /z/ turn your voice on and feel the buzz with a hand on your throat. For -s and -ed, copy the sound before: whisper the ending after a whisper, buzz it after a buzz. After t or d, add a short extra syllable: want-ed, need-ed. After s, z, sh, ch, j add a short extra syllable too: bus-es, watch-es.

th: tongue forward, not t or d

Makes you sound more natural.

Why it happens: Italian has neither /θ/ nor /ð/. Most learners replace them with /t/ and /d/ (tin for thin, dis for this), and some use /f/ or /s/. Working too hard at it can be worse than the original error, so keep the sound light.

Touch the back of your top front teeth lightly with the tip of your tongue (when you practise slowly, the tip can show a little between your teeth) and let the air flow over it. /θ/ is only air, no voice (think, three, month). /ð/ is the same with the voice on (this, mother, the). Do not bite the tongue and do not stop the air: /t/ and /d/ stop the air, but th lets it continue. Because the and this are so frequent, /ð/ is the most important one to fix.

• Not I tink it is a good idea., but I think it is a good idea. (air flows over the tongue)
• Not Dis is my broder., but This is my brother. (voiced /ð/)
• Not I have free brothers., but I have three brothers. (/θ/, not /f/)
• Not I sank you for your help., but I thank you for your help. (/θ/, not /s/)

How to make it: Touch the back of your top front teeth lightly with the tip of your tongue. Do not bite it. For /θ/ push air out gently: no voice, no stop. Feel the air on your tongue tip. For /ð/ do the same but switch your voice on and feel the buzz. Pull the tongue back quickly into the next sound; do not leave it on the teeth.

Say the sound, not the letter: h, ng, r, silent and double letters

Makes you sound more natural.

Why it happens: Italian spelling is close to pronunciation, so every letter gets read out. Applying that to English gives "sing-g" for sing, a pronounced r in farm, a heavy double m in summer, a sounded k in know, a dropped /h/ in house, and an h added to apple.

h: Italian has no /h/, so learn a soft breath /h/ in house, hair, behind (no rough scrape), but nothing in hour, honest, and never add one to eat, old, apple. ng: in sing, singer, long it is one nasal /ŋ/, with no g after it (finger and longer do have one). r: in British English you say r only before a vowel (red, around), and it is short and smooth, not rolled; after a vowel and before a consonant or at the end it is silent (farm, car, teacher). Double letters are one short sound: summer has one m. Silent letters: knee, know, write, listen, psychology, climb. And w is a lip glide, never /v/.

• Not sing-g (the g is pronounced), but sing /sɪŋ/: one nasal sound at the back
• Not farm with a rolled r, but farm /fɑːm/: no r at all
• Not sum-mer with a long double m, but summer /ˈsʌmə/: one m, one short sound
• Not k-nee, p-sychology, but knee /niː/, psychology /saɪˈkɒlədʒi/: the first letter is silent

How to make it: For /ŋ/ lift the back of your tongue to the soft palate and let the voice come out of your nose; then release without a /g/. For /h/ breathe out softly through an open mouth, as if you were fogging a mirror. For British r before a vowel, pull the tongue back so it bunches; the tip lifts a little and touches nothing: no tap, no roll. For r before a consonant or at the end, say nothing: farm is /fɑːm/, car is /kɑː/.

Speaking style

Focus and tune: move the stress, not the words; rise or fall

Why it happens: In Italian you can put the important word at the end of the sentence by reordering the sentence. English keeps the word order and moves the stress instead. And English questions are marked by tune: yes/no questions rise, wh-questions fall; if you use the wrong tune or a flat one, a polite request can sound sharp.

In English the word you want to highlight takes the main stress: it is longer, louder and higher. I stayed in a HOTEL (not a flat); I STAYED in a hotel (I did not just visit). A yes/no question falls and then rises at the end: Do you like it? ↗. A wh-question normally falls: Where do you live? ↘. In a list the voice rises on each item and falls on the last. Start a request a little higher and end gently up or down, and add please or could to sound friendly.

• Not I went to Rome in June. (flat voice, no highlighted word), but I went to Rome in JUNE. (you are answering: When?)
• Not I met my teacher yesterday. (only stress at the end), but I MET my teacher yesterday. (you are correcting: not phoned)
• Not Do you like it? ↘ (falling), but Do you like it? ↗ (rising)
• Not Where do you live? ↗ (rising, as in a question you did not hear), but Where do you live? ↘ (falling)

How to make it: Choose the one word you want the listener to notice and make it longer, louder and higher. Keep the other words in order and in their normal rhythm: do not move them. Run your finger through the air to match the tune: up at the end of a yes/no question, down at the end of a wh-question. Smile a little when you ask for something; it lifts the pitch and sounds friendlier.

Grammar

No "the" for general ideas; "a" for jobs

Why it happens: In Italian a general idea takes the definite article (la vita è bella, i cani sono utili), and a job after essere takes no indefinite article. English does the opposite in both cases.

Use no article when you talk about something in general: Life is difficult. Dogs are loyal. Technology changes quickly. Use the only for something specific: the life of my grandparents. A singular job or role needs a/an: I am a student. She works as an assistant. Country names normally have no article (in Spain, through Greece), and neither do meals (after breakfast).

• Not The technology has changed our lives., but Technology has changed our lives.
• Not My sister is engineer., but My sister is an engineer.
• Not I worked there as assistant., but I worked there as an assistant.
• Not We travelled through the Spain., but We travelled through Spain.

I visited Rome last year, not I have visited

Why it happens: The Italian perfect (ho visto) is the normal spoken past for many things, even for events with a finished time. English splits the job: the past simple is for finished times, the present perfect for a link with now. Verbs of arriving and going also use be in Italian (è arrivato), but English always uses have.

Use the past simple when the time is finished and stated or understood: yesterday, last year, in 2019, two days ago, when I was young. Use the present perfect (have/has + past participle) when there is no finished time and the result matters now: I have lost my keys. She has just arrived. The helper is always have, never be: he has gone, not he is gone.

• Not I have visited Rome last summer., but I visited Rome last summer.
• Not We have moved here in 2018., but We moved here in 2018.
• Not My brother is just arrived., but My brother has just arrived.
• Not Have you seen the film last night?, but Did you see the film last night?

I have lived here for three years

Why it happens: To say how long something has been true, Italian uses the present (abito qui da tre anni) and the word da covers both for and since. So you say "I live here since three years" or "it is three years that I live here".

To say how long up to now, use the present perfect with for or since. For + a length of time: for three years, for a month. Since + a starting point: since 2020, since Monday, since I was a child. For an action still in progress you can also use the perfect continuous (I have been studying English since March). Never use the present simple for this meaning.

• Not I study English since 2020., but I have studied English since 2020.
• Not I work in this company since five years., but I have worked in this company for five years.
• Not It is two months that I live here., but I have lived here for two months.
• Not She is a nurse since March., but She has been a nurse since March.

Always a subject: It is raining, there is a problem

Why it happens: Italian drops the subject when the verb ending shows it (piove, è difficile, c'è un problema). English verbs have no such ending, so every sentence needs a subject, even it and there, and it also needs the object when the object is known.

Every English clause has a subject. Use it for weather, time and opinions: It is cold. It is late. It is hard to say. Use there is/are to say something exists: There is a problem. Keep the object pronoun when the object is clear: Do you like it? Yes, I like it. And do not repeat the subject: My parents live in Bari, not My parents they live...

• Not Is very cold in January., but It is very cold in January.
• Not Is a park near my house., but There is a park near my house.
• Not Do you like this song? Yes, I like., but Do you like this song? Yes, I like it.
• Not My parents they live in Bari., but My parents live in Bari.

Questions and negatives: do, does, did, and only one "no"

Why it happens: Italian has no equivalent of do: you can ask a question with rising tone alone (Dove lavora?) and make a negative with non. Negative words also stack up (non capisco niente). In English you need the helper do, and one negative per clause.

For a question with a plain verb, put the helper first: (question word) + do/does/did + subject + base verb: Where does he work? What did you study? For a negative use don't/doesn't/didn't + base verb: I don't like crowds. The helper carries the tense and the -s, so the main verb is plain: Does she live? not Does she lives? Use only one negative: I don't understand anything, not nothing.

• Not Where he works?, but Where does he work?
• Not I no like crowded places., but I don't like crowded places.
• Not I don't understand nothing., but I don't understand anything.
• Not What you want to study?, but What do you want to study?

can, must, should: no to, no do, no -s

Why it happens: Italian modals (posso, devo, voglio) are ordinary verbs: they take endings, questions and the infinitive. English modals are different, so you add to, do or -s where they do not belong, and you stack two modals.

After can, could, must, should, will, would, may, might use the base verb: no to, no -s, no do. Make a question by moving the modal: Can you help me? You cannot put two modals together: use will be able to for the future of can and had to for the past of must. Choose carefully between must (strong) and should (advice).

• Not I can to swim., but I can swim.
• Not Do you can help me?, but Can you help me?
• Not She musts leave early., but She must leave early.
• Not Next year I will can drive., but Next year I will be able to drive.

enjoy doing, hope to do, after doing, want me to do

Why it happens: Italian uses an infinitive after prepositions (prima di andare) and after many verbs, so you say "before to go" or "enjoy to cook", and you may drop to where English needs it ("plan visit"). After volere Italian uses a che clause (voglio che tu venga), so you say "want that you come".

After a preposition (before, after, about, of, for, look forward to) use -ing: before leaving, I am looking forward to meeting you. Some verbs are followed by -ing (enjoy, finish, avoid, suggest, consider) and some by to + verb (want, hope, plan, decide, manage, need). With want, ask, tell, expect use person + to + verb: She wants me to help. Use to + verb for purpose: I went to the shop to buy bread.

• Not I enjoy to cook for my family., but I enjoy cooking for my family.
• Not I look forward to meet you., but I look forward to meeting you.
• Not We plan visit the museum., but We plan to visit the museum.
• Not She wants that I help her., but She wants me to help her.

Keep the verb and object together: I like football very much

Why it happens: Italian allows an adverb between a verb and its object (mi piace molto il calcio, abito sempre a Roma) and can move the subject for emphasis. English keeps subject, verb and object together in that order.

Keep the order subject + verb + object, and do not put anything between the verb and its object. Put place, then time at the end: We saw a film at the cinema last night. Put manner and degree after the object: I like this city very much. Put frequency words before the main verb (after be): I always get up early. She is often late.

• Not I like very much this city., but I like this city very much.
• Not She plays every weekend tennis., but She plays tennis every weekend.
• Not He drinks always strong coffee., but He always drinks strong coffee.
• Not We saw yesterday a film., but We saw a film yesterday.

advice, news, weather, bread: no -s, no a

Why it happens: Several words that are uncountable in English have countable forms in Italian (un consiglio, i consigli; le notizie; i mobili). Italian la gente is also singular, so people gets a singular verb.

Uncountable nouns have no plural -s, no a/an, and take a singular verb: advice, news, information, furniture, luggage, weather, bread, traffic, research, progress. Count them with a measure: a piece of advice, two loaves of bread. Use much (not many) with them. People is plural: People are friendly here.

• Not The news are bad., but The news is bad.
• Not She gave me many advices., but She gave me a lot of advice.
• Not People is friendly in my town., but People are friendly in my town.
• Not It was a terrible weather., but It was terrible weather.

He goes, she says: the third-person -s

Why it happens: An Italian verb changes for every person (parlo, parli, parla), so English feels bare: only he, she and it get an ending, and it is short and soft. Few Italian words end in -s, so it is easy to leave out when you speak and write.

In the present simple add -s (or -es after s, sh, ch, x, o) in he, she, it: he works, she watches, it goes. With have it is has. After does/doesn't the verb is plain: Does she work? She doesn't work. Do not add the -s to I, you, we, they.

• Not She work in a bank., but She works in a bank.
• Not My brother play football every week., but My brother plays football every week.
• Not He don't like rain., but He doesn't like rain.
• Not Does she works here?, but Does she work here?

discuss it, explain it to me, listen to music

Why it happens: Italian verbs take their own prepositions, and the person often comes as a small pronoun on the verb (spiegami, dimmi). So you add about after discuss, leave out to after listen, and put the person straight after explain or suggest.

Some verbs take their object directly, with no preposition: discuss, mention, enter, reach, answer (discuss the problem). Others need a fixed preposition: listen to, wait for, depend on, look at. With explain, suggest, say put the thing first and the person after to: explain the rule to me, suggest a place to us. Tell takes the person directly: tell me the truth. Say go to a country or city, and in for where you are.

• Not We discussed about the problem., but We discussed the problem.
• Not Please explain me the rule., but Please explain the rule to me.
• Not I listen music every day., but I listen to music every day.
• Not He said me the truth., but He told me the truth.

After if and when: no will, no would

Why it happens: Italian uses the future after quando and se (quando finirà), and the subjunctive after se for unreal situations (se avessi), which learners often copy as "would". In English the future and conditional words go only in the main clause.

After if, when, as soon as, before, until about the future use the present: When the course finishes, I will travel. For an unreal or unlikely present use if + past simple, with would only in the other clause: If I had more time, I would learn Greek. For an unreal past use if + had + past participle, and would have + past participle in the other clause: If she had asked, we would have helped.

• Not When the course will finish, I will travel., but When the course finishes, I will travel.
• Not If I would have more time, I would learn Greek., but If I had more time, I would learn Greek.
• Not If you will study hard, you will pass., but If you study hard, you will pass.
• Not If she would have asked, we would have helped., but If she had asked, we would have helped.

I am cold, I am twenty, I agree: be, not have

Why it happens: Italian says ho freddo, ho fame, ho venti anni ("I have cold, hunger, twenty years") and uses essere for "agree" (sono d'accordo). Italian also uses one verb for both the helper have and the main-verb have.

For feelings and states use be + adjective: I am cold / hungry / afraid / thirsty. For age use be: I am twenty. Agree is an ordinary verb, with no be: I agree. When have is the main verb in the past or in a negative, use the helper do: I didn't have breakfast, not I hadn't breakfast.

• Not I have cold in this room., but I am cold in this room.
• Not My brother has twenty-five years., but My brother is twenty-five.
• Not I am agree with you., but I agree with you.
• Not I haven't breakfast in the morning., but I don't have breakfast in the morning.

Sources

Problems chosen with reference to Learner English (Swan & Smith, 2nd edn, Cambridge University Press), chapter on Italian speakers by Alison Duguid. Explanations, examples and exercises are IELTS Laboratory’s own.