How To Use ‘CI’ and ‘NE’ in Italian
Have you been learning Italian for a while? Then, I am sure you have been faced with the quirky usage of the Italian particles ci and ne (also known as particelle pronominali, in Italian). And you’ve been wondering dozens of times...
Italian Indirect Object Pronouns: A Simple Guide
Yes, pronouns are not easy to grasp, but they’re worth mastering. Why? It’s simple. We use them all the time. We use them to avoid repeating things and be concise, typically in a conversation. It’s the same in English and in many other languages....
21 Great Short Stories in Italian for Beginners and Beyond
What’s a short story in Italian? A short story, also known as a graded reader, is a book or story written in easy-to-understand Italian with Italian learners in mind. These books are helpful for learning and retaining new words, phrases, and expressions in...
11 Short Stories in Italian For Intermediate Learners
If reading in Italian has become too challenging for you, you might not have been using the right content and should consider making a change. There are countless ways to learn new vocabulary and grammar at an intermediate level of Italian, but the most important...
7 Great Italian Textbooks to Expand your Vocabulary
Having a good vocabulary in Italian is a strong indicator of your ability to comprehend new material or listen to Italian conversations. That’s why, based on my over 10 years of experience as an instructor of Italian as a foreign language, I have compiled the...
Mastering Italian: Comprehensive Guide to Conjunctions
Italians are quite wordy and love stringing together long sentences. To put them together they use conjugations (or connectors) A conjunction in Italian is a small word that joins information together within a sentence. I am sure you have already...
Teacher’s Guide: Find the Best Italian Language App
The use of apps for learning Italian is on the rise. It isn’t easy to pick just one Italian language app. Each App takes a different approach to learning and may be better suited to one type of student over another. Learning a language, especially as an adult,...
What does “Stare per” mean in Italian?
What does “Stare per” Mean in Italian? The phrase “stare per + infinitive” is used in Italian to indicate that an action is about to happen or is imminent. The verb stare means “to stand” or “to be,” and when...About
Ciao! I'm Serena, and I'm the creator of Smart Italian Learning. I am the head teacher of a small language school. We offer online, in-person and video courses for Italian learners, with a focus on adult English native speakers. Our courses are based on our passion for teaching and our experience as long-term adult language learners. You can meet us online, or in person in Rome.