What’s the Best Way to Learn Italian?

8 Practical Tips That Will Help You Learn Italian Quickly

1. Flirt with Italian 

Familiarize yourself with the language: it is possible to learn a foreign language as an adult, but it takes time and patience.  Make sure you get a sense of the language and, more importantly, what language learning feels like before committing to learning a whole new culture, vocabulary, and way of expressions yourself. To begin, I recommend using an app like Duolingo or a language self-paced method like Michel Thomas or Assimil to learn and familiarize yourself with the language’s logic, grammar, and sounds. If you still enjoy it after a few weeks of being exposed to it, it’s time to step up your game and take Italian language learning seriously.

Examples of a few fun apps to study Italian 
Examples of Italian learning methods for self-study

2. Step up your game 

If the prospect of speaking Italian fluently excites you, it makes sense to devise a practical Italian learning strategy. Let’s say you’re a complete novice in Italian. What’s the next logical step? Well, taking the necessary steps to go from complete beginner to lower intermediate (elementary), as simple as that. Competence in a foreign language is defined in Europe by a six-level framework.  

A1 – beginner

A2 – elementary

B1 – intermediate

B2 –upper-intermediate 

C1 – advanced

C2 – proficiency

You can read more about the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages here 

When you’re first starting out, I recommend sticking to this framework. In the long run, learning in bits and pieces (via Youtube, language learning apps, or any other unstructured learning method) will lead to a platea,  which is when you don’t know what you need to learn and how, and what gaps have remained unfilled. From the first day, make sure you stick to an Italian language itinerary. This will save you a lot of time in the long run, and it will also help you become a better and more confident Italian student and speaker.

 

3. Identify your favorite learning method 

Before you commit to learning Italian, you must first determine what type of student you are. Ask yourself how you learn the quickest and most effectively. Are you a visual learner who needs to see things to understand them? If you prefer to learn by reading, or if you prefer to use colors  to represent different concepts and do grammar drills for hours on end, then a podcast or an audio-based course may not be for you (even though the method proved to be great for many others). 

If you don’t know what your learning style is yet, you take a test for free here. 

 

4. Create a consistent learning habit 

Create a habit of learning – the majority of successful students of Italian are not gifted or born with the language gene. Instead, they have excellent time management skills and have learned to be consistent in their language learning for a period of time. You can’t learn Italian or any language effectively if you only do your homework once in a while or in a haphazard manner. If you’re a complete beginner, I recommend beginning with an intensive course or planning an intensive learning flow to help you get into the habit of learning and progressing. It can be difficult to learn Italian as a complete beginner with limited time. I always tell my students to start fast, work their way up, get a good grasp of the language, and then slow down.

Using Italian textbooks will help you develop a learning habit by allowing you to follow a learning itinerary tailored to your level, stick to a structure, and avoid the confusion of not knowing or remembering what you have already learned or what you still need to learn.

Best Italian Language Textbooks for Beginners 

 

5. What types of Italian courses are available for beginners? 

  • If you live in the United States, try a community college or another Italian language institution. This is an excellent way to hold yourself accountable in your Italian learning style while also serving as a social activity. Consider that cheap means classes with a large number of students and intensive group lessons when choosing a course. If at all possible, look for schools that provide small-group Italian lessons. It may cost more, but if you value your time, this is the way to go. 

  • Use a private tutor. Hiring a private Italian instructor is similar to hiring a personal trainer. A great Italian teacher will adapt to your needs and learning style, allowing you to achieve your goals more effectively and quickly.   It’s easy to find tutors online these days (I’m one of them), but not all of them deliver the same results. Try out two or three different teachers and make sure that they follow a structure, they’ll create a learning plan for you and assign weekly homework. Avoid learning “informally,” which I define as picking up bits and pieces from various sources, such as teachers or YouTubers. You’ll never be able to learn properly. 

 

6. What is the best way to get real-world exposure? 

But learning isn’t fun unless you put your new language superpower to the test in a real-world situation. That’s easier said than done, but even as a beginner, you can gain real-world experience with the Italian language, and that’s how.   

 

7. is learning Italian easy?

It is simple to learn Italian. There is a wealth of  material for learning Italian available to purchase or access for free online. The most difficult part is getting started and getting started in the right direction. How long will take you to learn Italian?  Time is relative. The more efforts you put in, the faster the you will see the resutls.

 

8. Is it necessary to know the grammar in order to learn Italian?

Unlike English, Italian, as a romance language, is highly structured and regular: that is, the language follows predictable patterns.
In layman’s terms, you learn a grammar rule and can apply it endlessly, with only a few exceptions.
What you’ll need most as a beginner is a framework of simplified Italian grammar patterns to which to attach bits and pieces of vocabulary you’ll learn along the way.  So, yes, learning Italian grammar in small and digestible doses will be right up your alley as you embark on your journey as an Italian language learner.

Finally, my suggestions are for those who want to learn Italian without having any prior knowledge of the language. It goes without saying that someone who speaks Spanish or another romance language will find learning Italian to be much easier. Those are the same people who will tell you that you can learn Italian in no time 🙂