NoIt is not important how much you have studied it, how much you understand it or how much you listen to it. When it comes to speaking it, Italians always suffer from foreign language anxiety. And it’s not just an excuse or a cliché. Far from it. This is confirmed by theEF English Proficiency Index 2025 which places Italy in 59th place, last among European countries, for real English language skills. Despite ISTAT data stating the exact opposite. How is this possible? Why many Italians suffer from xenoglossophobia, or foreign language anxiety.
Foreign language anxiety, Italians suffer from xenoglossophobia
There is a clear discrepancy between ISTAT data from last January and those of the EF English Proficiency Index 2025, the most important world ranking that measures the level of English language proficiency in non-native speakers. In fact, if the Italian institute states that 91.1% of children aged between 15 and 24 know at least one foreign language, the highest figure ever recorded so far, the EF English Proficiency Index 2025 ranking is not so optimistic. Our country in fact ended up in 59th position, last among other Europeans. How is this possible? Very simple. Italians suffer from xenoglossophobia, that is, they are afraid of speaking in English, even if this anxiety extends to any other language.
In other words, although we study a foreign language perhaps since kindergarten, although we understand it, read it and sing it, when it comes to speaking it we freeze. The words don’t come to mind, suddenly anxiety overwhelms us so much that we can no longer understand even the simplest sentences and communication flounders. It’s not lack of competence but real fear. In practice, in Italy we are afraid of speaking any foreign language, English first and foremost, so as not to make mistakes and make mistakes. And this stops us: «From a psychological point of view, Italians often tend to have more difficulty speaking a foreign language, not so much due to a real lack of ability, but due to deeply rooted emotional and cultural factors. In our country the mistake is still experienced with great embarrassment and this leads many people to feel judged the moment they speak in front of others” explains the Dr. Lorenzo Giacomi, psychologist psychologistalso available on MioDottore which continues «Performance anxiety and fear of other people’s judgment, also added to excessive perfectionism, do the resthaving a huge impact.”
At the root of foreign language anxiety
But what is the cause behind foreign language anxiety? On a practical level it has been highlighted that in Italian schools of all grades and levels there is a excellent training for understanding but much less for conversation. Which makes us Italians good at understanding what is said but much less at carrying on a conversationeven in the most relaxed environment possible. This increases the already inherent xenoglossophobia: «It happens very frequently that one understands a language well, perhaps by reading or listening to it, but stops when the time comes to speak. This is because speaking means exposing yourself: it is not only a technical skill, but also an emotional and relational one. When we speak, you have to find the words quickly and simultaneously manage the fear of judgement. This is why anxiety can interfere with linguistic abilities that the person actually already possesses” explains the expert.
In fact, the moment you start speaking a foreign language, factors such as fear of making mistakes in pronunciation, grammar, accent. The result? You end up focusing so much on not making mistakes that you end up losing sight of the conversation, panicking and no longer remembering the words. “This it happens because we think that we always have to speak perfectly and that we have to know how to do it before we can really express ourselves. In reality, the best learning of a foreign language comes from the mistakes that are made and that native speakers correct. So errors, attempts, hesitations are absolutely normal things. However, when we activate strong self-control when we start speaking, continuously checking how we express ourselves, we create tension and become rigid.» explains the psychologist.
Negative anticipation plays terrible tricks
Another phenomenon that almost always happens? That of thenegative anticipation“that is to say let’s imagine making a fool of ourselves, being constantly judged negatively, not being understood and feeling embarrassed, perhaps even in a professional context. The result? You really get stuck, you have real memory gaps and you can no longer speak fluently.”
How to overcome fear
«To overcome this block it is useful work above all on tolerance for error and gradual exposure to real conversation. When the person stops seeing the mistake as a shame and starts focusing on communicating, anxiety progressively tends to reduce and fluency in speaking also increases. Even practicing in informal and pressure-free contexts can help a lot to build confidence” concludes the psychologist.