Common English Mistakes by Italian Speakers

This page focuses on errors typically made by native Italian speakers from Italy when writing in English.

Category:Fiction & Creative Writing
Writing for storytelling, entertainment, and artistic expression.
Common Users:Authors, Playwrights, Poets.
Mistake Example #1

Fiction & Creative Writing / Creative Nonfiction

Using direct translations from Italian (e.g., 'We see us tomorrow' instead of 'See you tomorrow')

In the warm embrace of the Tuscan sun, I find myself lost in the memories of my childhood summers. We were always playing in the fields, and the laughter of my friends still echoes in my mind. "We'll see yous tomorrow," they would say, as we parted ways, promising another day of adventures under the endless sky.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"This needed some tweaking to sound more natural and native."

In the warm embrace of the Tuscan sun, I find myself lost in the memories of my childhood summers. We were always playing in the fields, and the laughter of my friends still echoes in my mind. "We'll see you tomorrow," they would say, as we parted ways, promising another day of adventures under the endless sky.

In the warm embrace of the Tuscan sun, I find myself lost in the memories of my childhood summers. We were always playing in the fields, and the laughter of my friends still echoes in my mind. We see us tomorrow, they would say, as we parted ways, promising another day of adventures under the endless sky.

Mistake Example #2

Fiction & Creative Writing / Flash Fiction

Using direct translations from Italian (e.g., 'We see us tomorrow' instead of 'See you tomorrow')

In the quiet village of San Pietro, Maria wouldalways saidy, "WLet's mtake a walk intheis evening," and everyone knew thits was the time when the sun painted the sky with colors of dreams.With Ha smile, her friend Luca, withould alwaysmile, repliedy, "Yes, we'll see useach other at the piazza," as they wandered through the cobblestone streets, sharingtheir stories of the day. The air was filled with laughter and the scent of blooming jasmine, a perfect end to a day in their little corner of the world.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"Nice story! I made some changes so the English would sound more natural."

In the quiet village of San Pietro, Maria would always say, "Let's take a walk this evening," and everyone knew this was the time when the sun painted the sky with colors of dreams. With a smile, her friend Luca would always reply, "Yes, we'll see each other at the piazza," as they wandered through the cobblestone streets, sharing their stories of the day. The air was filled with laughter and the scent of blooming jasmine, a perfect end to a day in their little corner of the world.

In the quiet village of San Pietro, Maria always said, "We make a walk in the evening," and everyone knew it was the time when the sun painted the sky with colors of dreams. Her friend Luca, with a smile, replied, "Yes, we see us at the piazza," as they wandered through the cobblestone streets, sharing stories of the day. The air was filled with laughter and the scent of blooming jasmine, a perfect end to a day in their little corner of the world.

Mistake Example #3

Fiction & Creative Writing / Novel

Overuse of passive voice

In the quiet village of San Gimignano, the townsfolk were whispering abouta mysterious eventwas being whispered about by the townsfolk. They said the ancient bell tower was said tohaved been seen glowing under the moonlight, and strange shadows were being cast upon the cobblestone streets. The villagers were filled with curiosity and fear, as the elders remembered thestories of the old legendswere being remembered by the elders.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"I changed some (not all) of the passive voice constructions to the active voice to improve the flow of the text."

In the quiet village of San Gimignano, the townsfolk were whispering about a mysterious event. They said the ancient bell tower had been seen glowing under the moonlight, and strange shadows were being cast upon the cobblestone streets. The villagers were filled with curiosity and fear, as the elders remembered the stories of the old legends.

In the quiet village of San Gimignano, a mysterious event was being whispered about by the townsfolk. The ancient bell tower was said to have been seen glowing under the moonlight, and strange shadows were being cast upon the cobblestone streets. The villagers were filled with curiosity and fear, as the stories of the old legends were being remembered by the elders.

Mistake Example #4

Fiction & Creative Writing / Personal Essay

Confusing singular and plural nouns

When I was a child, my favorite memory was visiting the beautiful countryside with my family. We would spend hours exploring the field and picking wildflowers, which my mother would later arrange into a lovely bouquet. The air was filled with the scent of fresh grass and the sound of birds singing, creating a symphony that I still cherish today.

Text corrected by:
Miss E., Cyprus, Europe

"This is mostly great, but please remember to use plural nouns properly: "picking wildflower" should be "picking wildflowers" and "sound of bird" should be "sound of birds"."

When I was a child, my favorite memory was visiting the beautiful countryside with my family. We would spend hours exploring the field and picking wildflowers, which my mother would later arrange into a lovely bouquet. The air was filled with the scent of fresh grass and the sound of birds singing, creating a symphony that I still cherish today.

When I was a child, my favorite memory was visiting the beautiful countryside with my family. We would spend hours exploring the field and picking wildflower, which my mother would later arrange into a lovely bouquet. The air was filled with the scent of fresh grass and the sound of bird singing, creating a symphony that I still cherish today.

Mistake Example #5

Fiction & Creative Writing / Poem

Overuse of passive voice

In the garden where roses are grown, clouds hidthe sunwas hidden by clouds, and the breeze was felt gently on the skin. The songs of birds were heard, and the scent of flowers was carried by the air. In this place, dreams are woven bythe whispers of leavesweave dreams, andbeauty touches the heartis touched by the beauty that is seen.

Text corrected by:
Vince, United States

"Changes I made were mostly to improve fluidity and readability. Nicely done :)"

In the garden where roses are grown, clouds hid the sun, and the breeze was felt gently on the skin. The songs of birds were heard, and the scent of flowers was carried by the air. In this place, the whispers of leaves weave dreams, and beauty touches the heart.

In the garden where roses are grown, the sun was hidden by clouds, and the breeze was felt gently on the skin. The songs of birds were heard, and the scent of flowers was carried by the air. In this place, dreams are woven by the whispers of leaves, and the heart is touched by the beauty that is seen.

Mistake Example #6

Fiction & Creative Writing / Screenplay

Confusing singular and plural nouns

INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY MARCO sits at a table, surrounded by books and notebooks. He looks up as LUCIA enters, carrying a bag of croissants. She smiles and waves. LUCIA Ciao, Marco! I bring you croissants. I know you love them. MARCO Grazie, Lucia! I was just thinking about how much work I have. Thesrebook are so manybooks, and I don't know where to start.

Text corrected by:
Gregg, Los Angeles, CA

"This needed some corrections to fix singular and plural pronouns."

INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY MARCO sits at a table, surrounded by books and notebooks. He looks up as LUCIA enters, carrying a bag of croissants. She smiles and waves. LUCIA Ciao, Marco! I bring you croissants. I know you love them. MARCO Grazie, Lucia! I was just thinking about how much work I have. There are so many books, and I don't know where to start.

INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY MARCO sits at a table, surrounded by book and notebook. He looks up as LUCIA enters, carrying a bag of croissant. She smiles and waves. LUCIA Ciao, Marco! I bring you croissant. I know you love them. MARCO Grazie, Lucia! I was just thinking about how much work I have. These book are so many, and I don't know where to start.

Mistake Example #7

Fiction & Creative Writing / Script Treatment

Overuse of passive voice

In the quiet town of Bellagio, the townspeople were planninga mysterious event. was being planned by tThe elderstownspeople.d Tthe ancient legend of the lake monster, was being toldby the talelds captivaters, and the childrenwere being captivated by the tales. Meanwhile, thMaria was overseeing preparations for the annual festival. wAll admired here being overseen by Maria, whose passion for traditionwas admired by all. As the sun set,the streets were being filled with the aroma of freshly baked focacciafilled the streets, and everyone felthe excitemend aboutfor the festivitieswas being felt by everyone.

Text corrected by:
Camille, Maryland, USA

"When possible, active voice is generally preferred. I have changed passive-voice constructions to use the active voice instead. "

In the quiet town of Bellagio, the townspeople were planning a mysterious event. The elders told the ancient legend of the lake monster, and the tales captivated the children. Meanwhile, Maria was overseeing preparations for the annual festival. All admired her passion for tradition. As the sun set, the aroma of freshly baked focaccia filled the streets, and everyone felt excited about the festivities.

In the quiet town of Bellagio, a mysterious event was being planned by the townspeople. The ancient legend of the lake monster was being told by the elders, and the children were being captivated by the tales. Meanwhile, the preparations for the annual festival were being overseen by Maria, whose passion for tradition was admired by all. As the sun set, the streets were being filled with the aroma of freshly baked focaccia, and the excitement for the festivities was being felt by everyone.

Mistake Example #8

Fiction & Creative Writing / Short Story

Confusing singular and plural nouns

In a small village nestled between the hills, there was a legend about a mysterious cat who could grant wishes. Every child in the village would tell story about the cat's magical powers, hoping one day to meet it. One evening, as the sun set behind the mountains, a young girl named Lucia decided to search for theis cat, believing that her wish could change her family's fortune.

Text corrected by:
Jennifer, Detroit, Michigan USA

"I fixed a couple of issues with singular and plural nouns and made a few other small changes."

In a small village nestled between the hills, there was a legend about a mysterious cat who could grant wishes. Every child in the village would tell story about the cat's magical powers, hoping one day to meet it. One evening, as the sun set behind the mountains, a young girl named Lucia decided to search for this cat, believing that her wish could change her family's fortune.

In a small village nestled between the hills, there was a legend about a mysterious cat who could grant wish. Every child in the village would tell story about the cat's magical power, hoping one day to meet it. One evening, as the sun set behind the mountain, a young girl named Lucia decided to search for the cat, believing that her wish could change her family fortune.