Un errore comune è parlare troppo in fretta.

to be

Breakdown of Un errore comune è parlare troppo in fretta.

• in fretta: quickly
• troppo: too
• parlare: to speak

Questions & Answers about Un errore comune è parlare troppo in fretta.

Why is it un errore and not uno errore?

Because errore is a masculine singular noun that begins with a vowel, so Italian uses un before it.

• un errore = a mistake / an error
• uno is used before certain consonant sounds, such as:
  • uno studente
  • uno zaino
  • uno psicologo

So errore takes un, not uno.

Why is comune after errore?

In Italian, adjectives often come after the noun, especially when they are simply describing it in a neutral way.

So:

• un errore comune = a common mistake

This is the most natural order here.
Italian can sometimes place adjectives before the noun, but that often changes the tone or emphasis. In this sentence, errore comune is the standard, natural combination.

What does the accent in è do?

The accent shows that è means is.

• è = is
• e = and

This is a very important spelling difference in Italian.
So in this sentence:

• Un errore comune è... = A common mistake is...

Without the accent, it would be a different word.

Why is parlare used instead of a conjugated verb?