In the span of only five years, the online dating app called Tinder has been taking over the globe. Singles with access to a smartphone from every corner of the globe have the privilege to the swipe right or left with the intentions of finding the man or woman of their dreams (or at least we hope that's what's it's for).
During my year abroad in Italy, I decided to leave my Tinder open for the pure entertainment of glancing at hot European boys. However, as I began to receive messages from a few fairly attractive foreign men, I realized that there was a significant language barrier between us. Tinder boys greeted me in German, French, Italian, Spanish, and even Greek.
Since I was living in Florence, most of my messages were in Italian. And despite my lack of knowledge to understand them, I still found them all slightly romantic. However, after my first month of staring at meaningless messages that I couldn't comprehend, I decided to push myself to learn Italian.
How did I plan to do this?
I was going to go on dates with gorgeous Florentine men that I matched with on the app.
Disclaimer: Learning another language is a difficult and long process and it surely does not happen overnight. I grew up in a family that spoke a dialect of Italian, therefore this process was a tad bit easier for me than it would be for others. However, I came to Florence unable to understand, write, or speak the actual Italian language. Therefore, after eight long months of using this process, I can claim to have redeemed complete fluency.
Subject #1: Francesco
How it began:
Let's begin with Florentine boy number one. I actually met this boy at a pasta stand at the Mercato Centrale.
He was the "main" chef at the stand and honestly, he makes some of the best gnocchi I have ever eaten in my life. He offered me some complimentary wine with my meal, but like an idiot, I said: "Nah a water would do."
Later that week, as I was swiping through Tinder, I spotted this so-called "pasta guy". I swiped right for the hell of it. Within 5 minutes of matching, he sent me a message in Italian. I thought he was a cool guy so using translate, I attempted to have a conversation with him.
I asked if he recognized me, and he did. He kept boasting about his work as a chef and begged (literally) to take me out to dinner.
I wanted to accept, but I was afraid of the language barrier and I did not want to seem ignorant. But after glancing at some Italian phrases in my Parliamo Italiano textbook, I decided to accept his offer.
The First Date:
So as a chef, our boy had some pretty good connections. On our first (*spoiler alert* and only) date he took me to the most expensive and romantic restaurant in the city. I even looked it up on Yelp and the ratings were all 5/5s. Also, you know their food is legit when they hang pictures of Robert DeNiro and Will Smith stuffing their faces with pasta at their establishment.
Our conversation, to my surprise, went really well. I was able to use phrases from the book to get a good conversation going at the table. Additionally, he spoke slow and clear and he knew enough English to teach me a lot of terms.
How it Ended:
One night, one week after the date, he decided to call to me. No not on the phone. BUT FROM MY WINDOW.
"Anna! Anna!"
I was a little creeped out and I pretended I wasn't home. Well, that wasn't a great idea, I got a message from him on Facebook later that night. Turns out he "decided" he wasn't interested in me anymore and before I could respond he completely blocked me.
Subject #2: Daniele
How it began:
Three months later, I tried again. By this time I had already made it through 3 chapters in my Italian textbook and I was ready to test out my knowledge with another date.
Meet Daniele. Young, gorgeous, wealthy, and enrolled in medical school. I had to slap myself a couple of times to prove that he wasn't a dream. He invited me to a date near the university and I quickly accepted.
The First Date:
The best date of my life. Hands down. This boy was an absolute gentleman.
He took me to this cute "corner in wall" pizzeria. When we walked in he led me to a table that had been reserved under his name for two.
He ordered us almost everything on the menu. Different wines, appetizers, pizzas, and desserts. We ate so much that I swore I gained a solid 5 pounds.
Our conversation was amazing. I understood him very well and I did not feel restricted by the language barrier.
What I found to be helpful was to learn basic verbs and nouns that can be utilized to replace the vocab that I had not yet learned.
After paying for the whole meal, Daniele did not let the night end. He walked me to the center of the Uffizi Gallery and under the statue of Dante Alighieri, he pulls out a bottle of white wine and two champagne glasses.
And that's how the night ended. We sipped on sparkling white wine and talked about life while sitting in the middle of one of the most famous art museums in the world.
How it Ended:
We went on two more dates after that. However, with each encounter, we lost that original spark. By the time I left for my trip to Barcelona, we completely stopped seeing each other.
Subject #3: Matteo
How it began:
He began like the others...Tinder. I met him a month after I came back from Barcelona. The thing that attracted me to him was not his looks, but his Vespa. Luckily for me, he promised to give me a ride through the city.
The First Date:
Our first encounter occurred at the corner of my street and from there we walked to the nearest piazza (a square with restaurants and shops) where he bought me a drink.
His Italian was the definition of Tuscan "slang" and thanks to him I picked up a few slangy terms and even a bit of the accent. After we had our drinks he took me on his Vespa through Florence and I swear in that moment I felt like Lizzie Mcguire.
Even though we were riding through the city on his Vespa, I was still able to get a full-on conversation going. At this point, I was 6 chapters into my Italian book, but thanks to these dates and the texting through Tinder I felt like I finished the book months ago.
How it Ended:
We hung out a couple of times after that. However, he turned out to be an absolutely boring guy who happens to have the Vespa of my dreams.
But, thanks to him I learned more of the Italian typical to the region in which I lived. And from him, I obtained a regional Tuscan accent which really set me apart from the other Americans trying to learn Italian abroad.
So...
At the end of my year in Florence, I've gained complete fluency in another language.
How did I do it?
Well, 20% of my success came from studying the textbook.
The rest was all thanks to Tinder.
Even though I only went on a total of 6 dates from the app, each encounter introduced me to a whole new array of vocab and even culture. Texting on the app also strengthened my writing skills immensely.
So my wonderful readers...
Go ahead and drop that elementary French class you're taking this semester.
Instead, just download Tinder, change your location and prepare to open yourself up to a brand new world.
