When we talk about learning a language, we use the word fluency or fluent in English, but finding the right Italian word for this can be tricky. Fluency is all about speaking a "foreign" language with ease and confidence. 

banner2 PLACEHOLDER

Let's look at the dictionary definitions or translations. The dictionary translation of "fluency" is fluidità, and "fluent" is fluido. Both words come from the Latin "fluere" or fluire (to flow) in Italian. And let's keep in mind that we also have "fluidity" and "fluid" in English.

Così ho una conversazione più fluida, senza ripetizioni di parole, OK? -Sì.

That way I have a more fluid conversation, without the repetition of words, OK? -Yes.

Captions 26-27, Corso di italiano con Daniela Pronomi oggetto diretto - Part 2

 Play Caption

 

In Italian, fluido can describe someone's way of speaking, but there are other words, too. 

One great Italian word that can describe someone's degree of ease in speaking a different language is: con scioltezza (with ease, with fluency).

Più sciolto, dai!

More relaxed, come on!

Caption 10, L'oro di Scampia film - Part 2

 Play Caption

 

An interesting adverb to describe how someone speaks is correntemente (fluently, with ease).

Sì, piccione poliglotta, per quanto possa sembrare assurda questa cosa, pare che sia stato avvistato un piccione che è capace di parlare cinque, sei lingue, correntemente.

Yes, a polyglot pigeon, as absurd as this thing may seem, it appears that a pigeon was sighted that is capable of speaking five, six languages fluently.

Captions 26-28, Anna e Marika in TG Yabla Italia e Meteo - Part 4

 Play Caption

Correntemente should not be confused with correttamente (correctly), which refers to someone speaking with correct grammar. 

Il nostro amico si chiede che consigli puoi dare a chi vuole imparare l'italiano e parlarlo correttamente.

Our friend asks himself what advice you can give to someone who wants to learn Italian and speak it correctly.

Captions 54-56, Adriano Risposte agli amici di Yabla

 Play Caption

 

Another word for fluido is scorrevole, from the verb scorrere (to flow). And of course, we notice the S prefix! Scorrere is related to correre (to run, to flow) so you might want to check out this lesson.

In the following example, the use of scorrere is metaphorical. The speaker is from L'Accademia della Crusca, an important linguistic institution based in Florence (see this lesson). He is talking about the changing Italian language (ever flowing and changing). The Accademia watches the language evolve and tries to document it, understand it, and share the knowledge gained. 

Noi non miriamo a raccogliere un materiale immobile. Noi contempliamo un fiume che scorre e ci limitiamo a sorvegliare che non vada al di là degli argini.

We don't aim to gather immobile material. We contemplate a river that flows, and we limit ourselves to making sure that it doesn't overflow its banks.

Captions 40-42, Me Ne Frego Il Fascismo e la lingua italiana - Part 14

 Play Caption

Mia figlia parla italiano in modo scorrevole, cioè con scioltezza, anche se non è madre lingua.

My daughter speaks Italian fluently, in other words, with ease, even though she's not a native speaker. 

Some of the words described above have other meanings as well, so it's good to be mindful of the context! Thanks for reading!

banner6 PLACEHOLDER

In a recent episode of Scampia D’Oro, there’s some talk of time. There’s talk about how long something takes: how long it took Lupo and Enzo to set up the gym, how long it took Enzo to get home. Let’s take a look at the differences between how English and Italian express this kind of time.

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

In English, we use an impersonal "it" when talking about time: "It takes me three hours." The person appears as an object (me). Italian gets personal right away, and the subject is the person who "puts in a certain amount of time" to do something: metterci del tempo (to put in some time). If you think of it this way, the Italian makes more sense, since mettere means “to put”! 

Here's an example, with a literal translation, to show how the ci fits in: indirect object (with included preposition). 

Io ci metto tre ore (I put three hours into it).

In plain English, we'd usually say, "It takes me three hours."

In the example below, note that the plain verb mettere (to put) has been used as well, with its direct object pronoun lo attached to it.

Ma in realtà è nu [un] garage con un tatami dentro.

But actually it's a garage with a tatami inside.

Io e il mio maestro Lupo ci abbiamo messo una vita a metterla su.

It took my teacher Lupo and me ages to set it up.

Captions 5-6, L'oro di Scampia - film

 Play Caption

In the following examples, note that ci is part of a contraction, and so the i is silent, but still determines the "soft" pronunciation of the c.  

Enzo, c'ho messo vent'anni per insegnarti 'ste cose

Enzo, it took me twenty years to teach you these things,

e mo vuoi pretendere che Toni le faccia subito?

and now you expect Toni to do them right away?

Captions 38-39, L'oro di Scampia - film

 Play Caption

Here's another example, this time in the second person singular (informal). 

Papà ma quanto tempo c'hai messo? Avevi detto due minuti.

Dad, but how long did it take you? You'd said "Two minutes."

-E vabbuò [va bene], so' stati cinque, ià.

-OK OK, it was five, hey.

Captions 62-63, L'oro di Scampia - film

 Play Caption

If you’ve followed previous lessons, you know that the little word ci really does get around, and has different meanings depending on how it’s placed. That said, metterci del tempo is good to learn as a formula, and to practice. Once it becomes a solid part of your Italian repertory, it will be worth comparing it to other ways ci is used. 

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

Further practice:

Think about how long it takes you to do something and how long it might take someone else. Say it in Italian! No one's listening. Here's something to get you started.

Ci metto cinque minuti per fare il caffè. Mio fratello ci mette venti minuti per farsi la doccia. Ci mettiamo sempre tanto tempo per decidere quale film vedere, ma questa volta c'abbiamo messo due secondi. Ma quanto tempo ci mettete per salire in macchina! Non è possibile metterci così tanto!

It takes me five minutes to make coffee. It takes my brother twenty minutes to take a shower. It always takes us so long to decide what movie to see, but this time it took us two seconds. How long does it take you to get in the car? It's not possible to take so long!