Italian 102: How to order an espresso

Given recent linguistic errors at the Questura, I have been traveling less and spent most of October focusing on improving my Italian. As far as language learning goes, it seems that I take one step forward and twelve steps back. I learn something new -- maybe a new phrase or a colloquial expression, and think to myself, "I am a genius! I finally getting it!" Then I order a simple espresso at the bar and I start to crack under the pressure. Let me just tell you that remembering the basic grammar is not like riding a bicycle. One forgets certain things. Often times, my errors involve the present tense of a verb.... i.e. I want, you want, he/she/it wants.... an espresso, please. Yes, sad but true.

In case you are wondering: Voglio un caffe espresso per favore.

Voglio - I want
Vuoi - You want
Vuole - He/she/it wants OR if you are speaking to someone and want to be very polite this is the "you" formal use
Vogliamo - We want
Volete - You(plural) want
Vogliono - They want

But really people, if you are going to place an order at the bar you should be more polite, and actually I prefer cappuccino: Vorrei un cappuccino per favore.

Vorrei - I would like
Voresti - You would like/ or would you like? get it? there's an interrogative here too!
Vorrebbe - He/she/it would like
Vorremmo - We would like
Vorreste - You(plural) would like
Vorrebbero - They would like

And it only gets worse. There are approximately 90 different ways to express a single verb. Actually, the pure knowledge of this fact alone makes me feel better about myself.

Sometimes, I enjoy thinking of my brain and my ability to learn Italian in terms of Perugia's topography. The Etruscans who first inhabited Perugia built this giant wall around the city. Take a look:

In addition to being very tall, it's incredibly thick  - like my skull. It's impenetrable - like my brain. Frankly, it's not very pretty - no resemblance there of course. And since it's ancient, it's kind of falling apart (read: as is my mental health when worrying about why I am not improving). I swear, I can hear a word 39 times and still not remember it. I can write it down, create sentences, use it in context and still, I will forget that slippery little word, invariably.

Sure, there's the periphery of the city, which is beautiful (obvious resemblance), but really, it's the center of the city, inside the Etruscan wall, inside my sad little brain, where life bustles and it just doesn't bustle quite as quickly as I would like these days... Nonetheless, school continues into November which will be my last month studying here in Perugia. I'll try my best and try not to drown. At the end of everyday, it's always worth it. Heck, I am in Italy people, life isn't that bad!

One last thought: Maybe if I understood English grammar my Italian would improve.... when was the last time you thought about a subject and predicate? Do you have any idea what that is? I don't.