This desk is how my brain feels

The other day my host mother commented on something I say that isn't really used in Italian that much: 'non è troppo ...' It means 'it's not too ...' and I use it all the time in English. It was just the first time that I'd realized how much I rely on how I say things in English to form Italian sentences. For the most part that works, but here and there are different ways of saying things, which take me a while to wrap my mind around. For instance, I said 'fortunatamente' (isn't that a mouthful?!?) for ages, till I realized that NO ONE ever actually says that. Instead they say 'meno male' a lot, or other little phrases which more or less mean the same as fortunately. But it was definitely an eye-opener to realize that it's not just a matter of switching vocabulary; it's learning a whole new way of saying a lot of things. I wonder if I should have realized this before now... I guess I knew it, but didn't really get it until my host mother teased me about my apparent misuse of the word 'troppo.'

Fair enough, I'm ready. Bring on the Italian!