How to give advice in Italian
Se fossi in te, ci penserei ancora un attimo prima di decidere.
“If I were you, I'd think about it a little longer before deciding.”
When: Giving your honest opinion on their problem
The moment
Over a coffee at the bar in Rome, your friend tells you they are about to quit a job they hate and asks what you think. You suggest, recommend and warn them gently.
B1 · Unit 2 · Stories & feelings
The lines
Se fossi in te plus conditional
"Se fossi in te" is the Italian "if I were you", and the second half always goes in the conditional. "Se fossi in te, ci penserei ancora un attimo prima di decidere" hands over an opinion instead of an order.
Se fossi in te, ci penserei ancora un attimo prima di decidere.
“If I were you, I'd think about it a little longer before deciding.”
When to use it: Giving your honest opinion on their problem
What you’ll hear back: Forse hai ragione, ci devo pensare. (Maybe you're right, I need to think about it.)
Advice disguised as a question
Turn a suggestion into a question with "hai provato a" plus an infinitive. "Hai provato a parlargliene con calma?" proposes the solution and still leaves them the last word.
Hai provato a parlargliene con calma?
“Have you tried talking it over with him calmly?”
When to use it: Suggesting something they may not have tried
What you’ll hear back: No, non me la sono ancora sentita. (No, I haven't felt up to it yet.)
Words for this scene
| Italian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| ti conviene | tee kon-VYEH-neh | you'd be better off, it's worth your while |
Ti conviene aspettare la fine del mese, fidati. You'd be better off waiting until the end of the month, trust me. Tip: Practical, not preachy: the standard Italian nudge between friends. | ||
| La cosa migliore sarebbe | lah KOH-zah mee-LYOH-reh sah-REB-beh | The best thing would be to |
La cosa migliore sarebbe parlarne direttamente con lui. The best thing would be to talk about it with him directly. Tip: The conditional "sarebbe" keeps a strong recommendation from sounding bossy. | ||
| occhio a non | OHK-kyoh ah NOHN | watch out you don't |
Occhio a non prendere una decisione a caldo. Watch out you don't make a decision in the heat of the moment. Tip: "Occhio" is for friends; with strangers say "faccia attenzione". | ||
Your objective
Ask a question to understand the problem, suggest one thing they could try, and gently warn them about one risk.
- a question about the problem
- a suggestion
- a gentle warning
Lines that get it done
- Hai provato a parlargliene con calma?
- La cosa migliore sarebbe parlarne direttamente con lui. · The best thing would be to talk about it with him directly.
In the live scene the objective stays on screen, and the Replay afterwards says whether you got it done.
Check yourself
1. You want to say: if I were you, I'd wait.
- Se fossi in te, aspetterei
- Se sarei in te, aspetterei
- Se ero in te, aspettavo
- Se fossi in te, aspetterò
Show the answer
Se fossi in te, aspetterei
This pattern needs the imperfect subjunctive "fossi" in the if-half and the conditional "aspetterei" in the other.
2. You want to ask: have you tried talking to him about it?
- Hai provato a parlargliene?
- Hai provato di parlargli di questo?
- Hai provato parlarne con lui?
- Hai provato che gli parli?
Show the answer
Hai provato a parlargliene?
"Provare" takes "a" plus the infinitive, and "gliene" packs "to him" and "about it" into one word.
3. You want to tell a friend they'd be better off waiting until the end of the month.
- Ti conviene aspettare la fine del mese
- Ti convieni aspettare la fine del mese
- Ti conviene di aspettare la fine del mese
- Convieni ad aspettare la fine del mese
Show the answer
Ti conviene aspettare la fine del mese
"Convenire" stays in the third person with an indirect pronoun and takes a bare infinitive, with no "di".