I love learning languages, and I’ve enjoyed this hobby since I was a child. During the years, I’ve developed tips and hacks to help me learn a new language easier, faster, and with more fun so I can stay motivated and focused on my goals.
The wonderful news is that you, too, can enjoy learning a new language like Italian while meeting your goals. Here are my best tips for learning Italian!
How to Learn Italian Effectively: Methods That Really Helped Me
You may think you need to dive nose deep into the grammar books, dust off dictionaries and thesauruses, engage in dry phonetic exercises, and do drill and repeat exercises until your ears hurt and tongue bleed to learn a language.
And sure, there is some value in doing that – to an extent. But we also live in the digital era that gives us so many ways to learn, and learning a new language can be fun and engaging. You can also immerse yourself in the language without traveling and playing catch up with the locals – though that is fun and beneficial.
I’ve been learning Italian since 2005 and I can speak the language quite well at a B1-B2 proficiency level.
Here are my best learning methods that have helped me achieve proficiency in Italian:
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Do Language Trips to Italy
As a language student, I spent 4 weeks in Rome and another 3 weeks traveling through Italy. This very immersive experience was an eye-opener. Interacting with native Italian speakers, eating delicious food, and experiencing the culture first-hand taught me this “new” language really well. It can help you, whether you are a newbie, intermediate, or more advanced student.
I already had a taste of the benefits of immersive learning when I lived in Germany and learned German, and my trip to Italy merely confirmed that this was a great way to learn.
These days, my family and I travel to Italy twice a year and I spend that time thoroughly engaged in the language and culture so I can practice my language skills.
Interested in other language learning apps? Check out my reviews:
Listen to Italian Music
A great way to learn Italian is by listening to music and songs in the language. I have a few playlists on YouTube and Spotify that I listen to as background noise when I’m busy cooking dinner for my family or as part of active learning.
My favorite Italian artists are Tiziano Ferro, Adriano Celentano, and Laura Pausini.
To get you started, check out:
Use Sites Like ImpariamoItaliano.com
Websites like ImpariamoItaliano.com offer practical and visual materials like videos, grammar, music, and proverb lessons and exercises to give you extra practice.
I regularly use Impariamo L’italiano in my Italian studies, and it continues to be helpful when I want to revise my language skills.
Watch Italian YouTube Channels
Whether I’m learning new Italian words or phrases to advance my skills or reviewing what I know, I like to watch Italian YouTube. Some channels, like OneWorldItaliano, are dedicated to teaching.
OneWorldItaliano has more than 180 videos and courses from A1 to B1 levels. There’s also the series on discovering Cagliari and Spring Has Arrived! I really love teacher Veronica’s jokes that make learning fun and memorable.
Use Online Platforms
The word wide web makes it easy to learn a new language. I really like the video courses ItalianoInFamiglia offers. You’ll learn all about the Fappani family in the video series, and then there is educational content and exercises so you can learn even more.
Find Italian Teachers on iTalki or Preply
There’s a lot of value when you learn a new language with a teacher or tutor by your side. If you are a beginner student, an Italian teacher can help explain concepts and grammar and give you individual feedback. They can also help you with quality resources so you can work on all your language skills.
And if you are an intermediate learner, a tutor can help you review and give you conversational practice to advance your language proficiency.
Check out italki and Preply if you want to find an Italian tutor to help you learn more.
Use Language Apps
Most language-learning apps offer Italian, so you are spoiled for choice. I regularly use Duolingo, Mondly, and Babbel to review my Italian skills. But you can also use these apps as supplemental resources when you start learning Italian.
While I have detailed reviews on each of these platforms, here’s an overview of each:
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Duolingo
Duolingo is a game-like app that was created in 2012. It’s a very popular language-learning solution with more than 500 million registered users.
The app makes learning fun and addictive with the interactive lessons, points, daily and friend quests, league challenges, and various achievements you can get.
Cost
Use Duolingo at no cost, or sign up to Super Duolingo or Duolingo Max for premium features.
- Super Duolingo – US$7.99 per month
- Duolingo Max – about US$30.00 per month (This plan is location limited.)
There’s also a family plan if your loved ones want to learn Italian.
Mondly
Mondly was created in 2014 and the company aims to make learning a new language fun. You can learn 40+ languages on the app via interactive lessons, conversation practice with an AI bot, vocabulary review lessons, and challenges. You can also learn via augmented reality (Mondly AR) or virtual reality (Mondly VR).
And if you have kids, there’s a special Mondly Kids app to teach them a new language.
Cost
For free, you can complete the 6 lessons in the Hello category, daily quizzes, and a chatbot lesson.
Or subscribe to Mondly Premium at US$9.99 per month.
With a subscription, you can learn one language (like Italian), or opt for Mondly’s Lifetime Access so you can learn all 40+ languages.
Babbel
Babbel is a German-based company that launched in 2008. You can learn 14 languages on the app.
The main aim is to get you conversational, so you mostly practice listening, understanding, and speaking skills via interactive lessons, videos, the review feature, and additional resources.
You can also sign up for live group lessons on Babbel.
Cost
Babbel Self-Study – US$13.95 per month
Babbel Live – US$99.00 per month
A subscription gives you access to learn one language (Italian was my first choice), unless you sign up for the Lifetime plan.
The 6 Best Hacks for Learning Italian
Even with the best language learning methods on hand, knowing some hacks to make learning easier is a must.
Here are my 6 best hacks to help you learn Italian:
1. It's Crucial to Keep Learning Italian
One of the best pieces of advice I can give you is to keep learning no matter how challenging it gets. Complete a lesson on Duolingo, Babbel, or Mondly. It’ll take you 5 minutes, but spending 5 minutes learning a day is better than not learning.
One of the best pieces of advice I can give you is to keep learning no matter how challenging it gets. Complete a lesson on Duolingo, Babbel, or Mondly. It’ll take you 5 minutes, but spending 5 minutes learning a day is better than not learning.
While you can spend 3-4 hours on a weekend or once a week learning Italian, it can be daunting. And let’s face it – we are all busy.
I know it’s easier to prioritize learning and fitting language learning into 15-minute sessions every day than carving out a couple of hours every week. Plus, you’ll progress more when you have regular lessons and engagement with Italian.
2. Start Speaking Italian from the Beginning
Don’t just focus on writing, listening, and reading skills when you first start learning Italian. Practice your pronunciation and speak from the start, whether you know 5 words or 10.
Greet your favorite barista, say thank you and please to your partner, and speak to yourself in Italian.
The sooner you get over being shy and scared, the better. And remember, don’t set the bar too high because you will make mistakes, but make them anyway and without apologies – it’s how you learn.
3. Overcome the “Language Barrier”
The language barrier refers to the challenges you face when you are learning a new language. While there are physical challenges to mastering an additional language, most of it is psychological.
You may be scared of what others (like Italian natives) will think of you and you may feel anxious about making a fool of yourself.
A new language is foreign – until it isn’t. It takes time for the new language to feel more like a friend than a stranger. And thinking that you can’t learn, that Italian is a difficult language, and worrying about mistakes won’t help you.
4. Immerse Yourself in All Things Italian
Immersive learning means you surround yourself with the target language. In this case, it’s Italian, and my language-learning methods are immersive.
When you’re a newbie, you can start watching TV shows and movies in Italian (set the subtitles to English or Italian if you’d like) and listening to Italian songs and podcasts. Even if you don’t understand a word, you’ll become more familiar with the sound and melody of the language, and as you learn more, you’ll start to pick out the words you do know.
For more information read my articles listed below:
5. Learn Active Words
It’s essential to learn active words, which is vocabulary you understand and can use. Learn how to greet people, introduce yourself, order food at a restaurant, and how to talk about colors and hobbies. And learn basic vocabulary that’s related to your job, home life, and life in general.
6. Find Your Motivation
You won’t get far in your language-learning journey if you aren’t motivated to learn. A lack of motivation makes it far too easy to quit.
Considering that you won’t be fluent in Italian in a short span of time (like a week or a month), you’ll need to be motivated to keep learning.
Stay motivated by:
Setting attainable and realistic goals
Making learning fun
Learning what appeals to you
Creating a vision board to visualize your success
Limiting distractions
Focusing on your successes
Rewarding yourself when you’ve reached a milestone or goal
Using various language-learning resources and materials
Finding a supportive community
Focusing on the process and journey, not the end destination
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Final Thoughts About Learning Italian
My final piece of advice: Don’t be afraid of learning and stay committed.
Italian is considered as one of the easiest languages you can learn, but you still need to put in the effort and maintain a positive attitude toward learning.
Use my learning methods and hacks, and most importantly, find what works for you and leverage those to reach the fluency mountain top.
You can do it!
If you enjoyed my article, please feel free to share it. Have any questions? Don't hesitate to email me!
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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