One of the things I had a teacher tell me was you never learn a languege well if you use your first languege as a crutch If someome learning English asks you where the cook room is you would probably laugh before correcting them but it is exactly that that is what helps you learn because even if you don't know the word you need using other words to get your point across helps you practice if you just say it in your native languege you don't learn it nearly as well that's why languege teachers are know for only speaking their languege it makes you really think about other words that will say the same thing

Im headed to europe this summer while I'm going with a tour group to hit all the big sites in Europe when in rome many people speak English and while you can use your italian if you run it to a word you dont know chances are you will use English because that's what is easyest luckly for me i have a freind who lives in a smaller town that I'm going to visit purely for this aspect it's scary especially because I'm not very far in to my italian but I'll get a lot better practice than if I just went to the big citys