I speak English and a little French.
'Un po'' = oon POH — very short. The apostrophe signals an elision of 'poco'. 'Francese' = fran-CHEH-zeh.
Mention languages when introducing yourself in a multilingual or language-learning context. In Italy, English proficiency is always relevant. A modest disclaimer like 'un po'' shows humility.
'Parlare' (to speak) is a regular -are verb. Languages in Italian are lowercase and usually have no article when used directly after 'parlare.' 'Un po' di' + language means 'a little' — 'un po'' is a fixed expression from 'un poco.'
La mia madrelingua è l'inglese.
My mother tongue is English.
'Madrelingua' (mother tongue) — formal but commonly used when the context is linguistic.
Sono bilingue italiano-inglese.
I am Italian-English bilingual.
Precise term for native or near-native fluency in two languages.
Sto imparando il portoghese.
I'm learning Portuguese.
Present progressive structure — use for languages you're currently studying.
Italy has historically had lower English proficiency compared to northern European countries, but this is changing rapidly among the younger generation. Italians deeply appreciate when foreigners learn Italian — it is never taken for granted.