Learning Italian is easy for most people, but you still need to put in the work to develop your conversational and fluency skills. Having the best language-learning hacks at your fingertips makes the journey easier, and who would say no to that?
I’m a polyglot, and while learning new languages has come relatively easy for me, I know that I have to be strict with myself to study, review, and keep improving my skills.
With these beginner Italian learning tips, you’ll find that learning the language is easier, quicker, and way more fun.
Is It Easy to Learn Italian?
Italian is one of the easier languages to learn, but of course, that’s the simple answer.
How easy or difficult learning a language is depends on various factors, such as:
Your native language
How talented you are at learning a new language
Your reasons and motivations for learning
Your attitude
How you learn
According to the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), Italian falls in the first category of languages, which are the easiest to learn for English natives because of its similarities to English.
For Category I languages, you’ll need to spend at least 24-30 weeks (or 600-750 hours) to achieve a professional working proficiency in Italian. However, it may take longer or shorter, depending on how easily you learn Italian and how motivated you are.
Want to know more about learning Italian? Check out my articles below:
My Personal Journey to Rome and My Learning Methods
I started learning Italian when I attended Goethe University. I studied Turkology, American Studies, and Romance Languages with an emphasis on Italian. For the first semester, I actually studied French but then changed to Italian in the second semester because I found that the pronunciation was similar to my native Russian (and that intrigued me a lot).
Of course, my interest in Italian started much earlier. In the 90s, Italian movies with Adriano Celentano were very popular in Ukraine and that sparked my interest in Italian culture, history, art, food, and music.
I loved learning Italian, and I currently speak it at a B1/B2 proficiency level. I don’t want to lose any language skills I’ve built, so I spend time immersing myself in Italian social media reels and vlogs every day.
Here’s insight into my learning methods for Italian so you can improve your language skills:
Language Trips to Italy
I’m a huge advocate of immersive learning, and what better way to learn than experiencing Italian culture, people, and history in Italy?
When I was a student, however, I wanted to spend time in Italy so I could be surrounded by the language. I spent around 4 weeks in Rome and 3 weeks in Ravenna in total, and this gave me plenty of time to chat with the locals in Italian while I listened to Italian music, watched Italian TV, and ate Italian food.
These days, my family and I plan trips to Italy twice a year – the perfect opportunity for more immersive learning.
Playlist Featuring Favorite Italian Songs
I pick up a lot of the target language I’m learning when I listen to songs in that language.
There are benefits to listening actively or passively to music in Italian. Music in the target language helps:
You memorize new vocabulary since your brain remembers better when rhythm and melody is involved.
Improve your pronunciation, especially when you sing out loud and mimic the singer’s pronunciation.
You understand the culture better, helping you communicate better with the locals.
Improves your listening skills since you pay extra attention to the foreign words and sounds.
I’ve created a few playlists on Spotify with my favorite songs, and I listen to these on repeat when I do household chores.
Learning Platforms Like ImpariamoItaliano.com or ItalianoInFamiglia
In the digital world we live in today, there are various language-learning platforms you can use as supplemental resources. For learning Italian, I’m particularly fond of Impariamo L’italiano and ItalianoInFamiglia.
ItalianoInFamiglia offers a course on Italian. You watch and listen to learn about the Fappani family, and then there’s an educational section and exercises to complete. Plus, you can do 20 episodes if you’re new to learning Italian and a further 15 episodes if you want to learn more.
YouTube Channels Like OneWorldItaliano
YouTube opens a whole new world to learning Italian. There are many options, but one of my favorites is OneWorldItaliano.
The channel has 190,000 subscribers, and there’s nearly 200 videos you can watch.
You can discover Cagliari with the creator, Veronica, or complete the elementary (A1), pre-intermediate (A2), intermediate (B1), elementary lessons. There are also videos on the most common mistakes in Italian so you know what to avoid and you can enjoy the Spring Has Arrived! series.
Learning Italian With Tutors
When I can’t practice Italian with a local, a tutor is the next best thing. If you’re a newbie, a tutor can help you practice while giving you personalized feedback, and if you’re an intermediate student, a tutor helps you practice more and hone your language skills.
Tutors can explain grammar concepts, help you with your pronunciation, give you language usage tips and insights into the language and culture, and assist with conversational practice.
Consider getting an Italian tutor from Preply or italki.
Selecting the Appropriate Language-Learning App
A language-learning app (or using multiple ones like I do) is a great resource for learning and practicing Italian. I use Duolingo, Mondly, and Babbel to review my Italian skills.
- I love Duolingo’s game-like interface. It keeps me motivated to complete a lesson or two a day, and I like the rewards I get when I complete a daily or friend quest. Even the funny translations keep me entertained.
- Mondly is great because it has 250+ lessons, specialized business lessons, and AR and VR language lessons for immersive learning.
- I like the review feature on Babbel and the extra resources to help me learn.
For more insights, you can read my language learning apps reviews:
My 5 Insider Tips Achieving Quick Success in Learning Italian
In addition to my language-learning methods, follow these insider tips to keep going and achieve success:
1. Never Stop!
Language learning is like losing weight. You make progress (learning a lot and putting your skills to use while the number on the scale drops) until you plateau (it feels like your brain isn’t retaining information and you make the same silly mistakes again and again as the number on the scale remains constant).
It’s super frustrating when you hit that plateau on your Italian learning journey and you may even think it’s time to give up.
But don’t. Don’t stop
Keep pushing through by switching up how you learn, the materials you use, and when and how much you study. If needed, give your brain a break and review what you’ve learned. But keep on learning.
2. Set Clear Goals for Your Language Proficiency
It is sometimes good to start learning a language just for fun, but you may soon find that your motivation lags because learning is kinda pointless.
What’s the end goal? What do you want to achieve with the skills and language you’re learning? What motivates you to learn?
It’s essential to answer these questions so you can set clear and realistic goals for your language-learning journey. Have a big goal (attaining fluency) and smaller milestones that are easy to achieve.
The more milestones you hit, the more motivated you’ll feel to keep going so you can reach the next one.
I like to set SMART goals whenever I start learning and reviewing a language because it keeps me on track.
3. Stay Motivated to Learn Italian
Motivation plays a significant role in your learning journey. If you don’t feel motivated to learn, you won’t.
Sure, you’ll try, but it’ll be like dragging your feet because you don’t look forward to what you’re learning or how you learn. Soon, your perception of language learning will take a dive for the worst and you’ll stop learning altogether.
Ensure you stay motivated to learn Italian by making learning fun.
4. Learn From Mistakes
You’ll make mistakes as you learn a new language. You can even make mistakes when you are proficient in a language.
And you know what? That’s okay. It’s more than okay to make mistakes. They give you an opportunity to learn and improve.
I like to record the mistakes I make. It’s like a visual reminder of what not to do.
But I also make sure to tally up my successes as I’m learning Italian because these motivate me to continue learning and improving.
5. Progress at Your Own Pace
We are all unique and you’ll progress at your own pace. It’s you against you, not you against Student A or Tutor B or Native Speaker C, so don’t even try comparing yourself to others.
Stay focused on your journey and the progress you are making.
I get that it’s difficult when you’re on a deadline to learn a new language. Perhaps you want to be at an A2 proficiency before your trip or a B2 level before you and your family relocate.
But I also make sure to tally up my successes as I’m learning Italian because these motivate me to continue learning and improving.
Make peace with the fact that you may miss the deadline (and that’s okay as long as you keep learning), but you may also surprise yourself.
Dedicate yourself to your Italian studies by putting in the time and effort needed, using a variety of language-learning materials and resources, and staying the course.
Happy learning!
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Disclaimer: I select and review independently. If you buy through affiliate links, I may earn commissions that help support my testing at no extra cost to you. Please read my full disclosure for more information.
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