Bedeutung
Doing something wrong.
Kultureller Hintergrund
The phrase 'Errare è umano, perseverare è diabolico' (To err is human, to persevere is diabolical) is a very common proverb used to forgive a first mistake but warn against repeating it. The 'Negroni Sbagliato' is a famous cocktail born from a 'mistake' (sbagliato) at Bar Basso in Milan. It uses sparkling wine instead of gin. In Italian schools, mistakes are often marked with a 'penna rossa' (red pen) for serious errors and 'penna blu' (blue pen) for minor ones. Admitting a mistake quickly with 'Ho fatto un errore' is seen as a sign of maturity and helps maintain 'Bella Figura' by showing accountability.
The 'Fare' Rule
When in doubt in Italian, many actions that use 'make' or 'do' in English use 'fare'. Error is one of them!
Gender Trap
Don't add an apostrophe to 'un' before 'errore'. It's masculine!
Bedeutung
Doing something wrong.
The 'Fare' Rule
When in doubt in Italian, many actions that use 'make' or 'do' in English use 'fare'. Error is one of them!
Gender Trap
Don't add an apostrophe to 'un' before 'errore'. It's masculine!
Sound Natural
Use 'Ho sbagliato' for quick, spoken apologies. It sounds slightly more native than the full phrase.
Teste dich selbst
Complete the sentence with the correct form of the verb 'fare'.
Io ______ un errore ogni giorno.
The subject is 'Io' (I), so the correct present tense form of 'fare' is 'faccio'.
Which of these is the correct way to say 'I made a mistake' in the past?
I made a mistake.
Italian uses 'avere' + 'fatto' (past participle of fare) for this collocation.
Complete the dialogue between a student and a teacher.
Studente: 'Scusi Professore, ho ______ un errore nel compito.'
In the past tense (Passato Prossimo), we use the past participle 'fatto'.
Match the Italian phrase with its English meaning.
Match the following:
These are common variations of the phrase.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Aufgabensammlung
4 AufgabenIo ______ un errore ogni giorno.
The subject is 'Io' (I), so the correct present tense form of 'fare' is 'faccio'.
I made a mistake.
Italian uses 'avere' + 'fatto' (past participle of fare) for this collocation.
Studente: 'Scusi Professore, ho ______ un errore nel compito.'
In the past tense (Passato Prossimo), we use the past participle 'fatto'.
Ordne jedem Element links seinen Partner rechts zu:
These are common variations of the phrase.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Häufig gestellte Fragen
10 FragenIt is neutral. You can use it in almost any context, from talking to friends to writing a business email.
'Errore' is slightly more formal/technical, while 'sbaglio' is more common in everyday speech. They are mostly interchangeable.
Yes, it is a perfect synonym for 'fare un errore'.
You say 'Ho fatto un grande errore' or 'Ho fatto un errore enorme'.
In Italian, 'un' is used for masculine nouns starting with a vowel. 'Uno' is used for nouns starting with s+consonant, z, ps, etc.
Yes, especially for tactical errors or 'unforced errors' (errori non forzati) in tennis.
Yes, it's very common to say 'Ho fatto un errore con lei/lui'.
The opposite would be 'fare bene' or 'fare la cosa giusta' (to do the right thing).
They say 'Ops!', 'Ohi!', or 'Mannaggia!'.
Yes, it sounds more professional and polished in formal essays or reports.
Verwandte Redewendungen
sbagliare
similarto be wrong / to make a mistake
commettere un errore
specialized formto commit an error
prendere un granchio
synonymto make a blunder
fare una gaffe
specialized formto make a social blunder
