Culture, as many as 7 out of 10 Italians fail grammar: here is the top 10 list of blunders

Pronouns (52%) are another big mistake made by Italians living abroad. "I told her that she was very beautiful". In this case, in reference to a female person, the pronoun "le" should be used: "I told her that she was very beautiful".

A very common error in the Italian language, both in spoken and written language, concerns the declension of verbs (50%), especially with regard to the use of verb tenses and the choice of auxiliary.

These errors are not just simple grammatical oversights; they are often a sign of a departure from language mastery, reflecting more superficial speech or the influence of local dialects and jargons that simplify or alter the complex rules of Italian conjugation. Such inaccuracies, although tolerated in informal speech, become obvious indicators of sloppiness or lack of care in more formal or written contexts.

Another big classic is the use of C or Q (48%). If in the spoken language the error is not noticeable, in writing it is a different story. It is not written 'evacuate the building', but 'evacuate the building'. Similarly, 'my income is profitable' is wrong. It is written 'my income is profitable'. 'Ne nor' (44%) is another one of those 'red pen' mistakes. The accent on 'nor' is used when it is to be used as a negation. Punctuation (39%) then claimed many victims. Commas, semicolons, colons are never to be used lightly. Everyone has their own rule.

Among the main doubts related to the written language, the dilemma between "un po, un po' or un pò?" emerges (37%). The word 'pò' with an accent is becoming increasingly common. The correct spelling is 'un po' with an apostrophe, because the form is the result of truncation: 'Un po' di formaggio grazie'.

Many are in doubt as to which conjunction to use between 'E or ed' and 'A or ad' (35%). The simple addition of the euphonious 'd' should only be done if the word that follows begins with a vowel. Thus: "I am going to Hamburg" or "He was happy and enthusiastic" are correct sentences. Finally, 'agree' (31%) is very difficult if one does not spell 'agree'. There are those who even 'sometimes get angry' (25%) and 'sometimes let it go' forgetting that 'sometimes' it is better to stay at home 'wrapped up in blankets'. 'Unfortunately' (22%) is another mistake that is unfortunately often noted in people's comments. Similarly, many times one happens to read 'just fine' (19%) instead of 'just fine'.

But if those just mentioned are the most common mistakes made by Italians, what are the most original ones? A 'curious' example comes from the beauty sector. Being a beautician can sometimes become a real stress: in fact, one of the mistakes made by customers that annoys female employees the most is this: 'I must wax the tongue' (13%) instead of the correct form 'I must wax the groin'.

An error that angers the literati, on the other hand, is the disproportionate use of K (38%) instead of C/CH: 'Ke cosa facciamo?', 'Ke cosa fai? But the 'mispronunciation' of the Italian language includes many other abbreviations: 'mi piace tt questo' (35%) instead of 'mi piace tutto questo' or 'nn sopporto chi scrive così' (34%) instead of 'non sopporto chi scrive così'.

There are those who even 'wrap themselves up in anger' (27%) and 'wrap themselves up' forgetting that 'sometimes' it is better to stay at home 'wrapped up in blankets'. 'Unfortunately' (23) is another mistake that is unfortunately often noted in people's comments. Similarly, many times one happens to read 'just fine' (19%) instead of 'just fine'. "Let's go eat a sausage" (17%). The correct form is 'sausage' because the word comes from the Latin salsicia. And to cut it many times the 'cortello' (15%) is used instead of the 'knife'. Finally, 'X conclude', the inappropriate use of 'x conclude' should be abolished and the more correct form 'to conclude' found.

But what can be done to promote the correct use of the Italian language and to be more 'familiar' with its rules? According to the experts, reading regularly (66%), a habit that parents and teachers should pass on as early as adolescence, is the first 'antidote' to grammatical ignorance.

This is followed by resuming the ancient but indispensable habit of writing by hand (43%), a tradition that with the advent of technology is unfortunately diminishing but which instead represents an indispensable exercise to become more familiar with and master the rules of the Italian language.

Other elements capable of 'defusing' the risk of committing gramamical errors are avoiding the frequent use of artificial intelligence chatbots (55%), which are also not exempt from gross errors, and decreasing the abuse of neologisms and foreign words (51%), which can contribute to the onset of some gross errors.
Among the most effective suggestions, experts recommend training the mind by 'playing' with the rules of the Italian language (47%): several studies confirm that the brain is an organ that, like a muscle, needs training, with the question-and-answer game representing one of the most effective methods of consolidating learning and knowledge.

The so-called retrieval practice, the practice of active information retrieval, strengthens memory, stimulates neuronal connections and makes knowledge more durable (Roediger & Butler, 2011). Thus were born books dedicated to the concept of "training the mind by playing" such as "501 quizzes on the Italian language" the book-game to discover and defend the Italian language by playing and training the mind, a way to "review" rules and history of the Italian language in a simpler, more attractive and playful way.