What's the best way to learn Italian?
A German novelist, Thomas Mann, described Italian as the most beautiful language in the world. If you are interested in learning Italian, resources to achieve just that abound online. While self-study is one option, having the support of native-level teachers (like those provided by Lingoda) really is a game changer. Whatever path you decide to choose, ultimately the one question to answer remains the same: ut what’s the best way to learn Italian?
Without further ado, let’s dive right in with these 10 top tips to learn Italian effectively.
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Is Italian easy to learn?
As for most challenges you put yourself up to, the answer is: “It will depend on your eagerness to learn and discipline”. Like any language, Italian has its fair share of features that might present a challenge to new learners. That said, it’s actually one of the easier languages for English speakers to pick up because it has similar sentence structures to English. Having an understanding of how Romance languages work could also be a plus and make your journey learning Italian much smoother.
Regardless, once you learn to apologize in Italian, making mistakes won’t feel as scary anymore and, on the contrary, you can leverage them to boost your learning.
9 tips on how to learn Italian
You are now positive Italian is the language for you. Where to start, though? Here are 10 practical and helpful tips on how to learn Italian in the most efficient of ways.
1. Begin with the Italian alphabet
When you were young, chances are you spent time in school learning the alphabet. Therefore, when learning Italian, it makes sense to begin the same way. The base alphabet in Italian consists of just 21 letters — J, K, W, X and Y aren’t included, although they do appear in ‘loan’ words and a small number of names.
Take some time to familiarize yourself with the Italian alphabet and the ways the letters are pronounced.
2. Watch some Italian TV shows and films
Practicing your listening skills will also prove valuable, especially with comprehension and pronunciation. An enjoyable way to achieve this is through Italian television shows and films.
When approaching these types of visual resources, a useful tip is to choose a movie or show you are already familiar with. This way, you’ll be able to focus on the linguistic side of it, rather than balancing your attention between understanding the plot as well as the dialogues.
Most films and shows nowadays are also dubbed or have subtitles available – use these tweaks to facilitate your learning process.
3. Start speaking out loud in Italian
When you start acquiring a second language, a reluctance to speak out loud is common. You might find that even as you start to become familiar with the language, you feel insecure about speaking it, perhaps due to fear of ridicule.
Find your tribe, a place and people where you feel comfortable making those unavoidable mistakes. Surrounding yourself of positive recipients will lower your anxiety levels when trying to speak. And a laugh at your mistakes will not only feel lighter on your ego but will also turn into a shared, positive experience.
4. Spend time around other Italian speakers
One of the best ways to improve your Italian is simply to be around Italian speakers. There are many possible options here, from visiting Italy to making friends with Italian speakers at home. Lingoda’s online courses are a perfect way to surround yourself with people who speak Italian.
The more time you spend around people having real conversations in Italian, the better.
5. Read Italian children’s books
As you start to get better at understanding and reading Italian words, you can take your learning to the next level by reading Italian books. Your best option is to start with some simple Italian children’s books. These books will feature basic language, making them highly accessible.
Once you feel like you can read and understand those books, you can consider progressing to longer children’s books before eventually progressing to young adult fiction or non-fiction.
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6. Focus on the most useful words and phrases
Expanding your Italian vocabulary is essential, but it can be difficult to know where to start. The best way to gradually build up your vocabulary is to focus on words and phrases you’d regularly use if you were in an Italian-speaking country. Examples of this include words related to food and the months of the year.
7. Play video games with Italian language settings
Video games aren’t just a fun way to kill time — they can serve as a tool for immersing yourself in a language. Many games have Italian voice settings, which you can combine with English subtitles. These allow you to follow the story while increasing the amount of Italian speech you encounter.
Our recommendation? Check out Assassin’s Creed: The Ezio Collection. Not only does the Italian language setting feature great voice acting, but the main narrative even takes place in Renaissance-era Italy.
8. Practice writing in Italian
Reading, listening to and speaking Italian are all really important, but the best way to learn Italian is to regularly practice writing, too. Take a few minutes out of your day to write a short note in Italian. Familiarizing yourself with writing Italian words is crucial and will help to reinforce your learning.
9. Start an Italian course with Lingoda
If you want to get better at Italian quickly, start learning with Lingoda. Our online Lingoda Teams course is the perfect example of how to learn Italian in a supportive environment, with the same native-level teacher for each lesson, the same small group of classmates, and the kind of structure that produces excellent results.
90% of learners find it easier to finish courses that are interactive and carried out with the same group.
So what are you waiting for? Start learning Italian with Lingoda.
So, can I learn Italian by myself?
When embarking on a language journey, options are countless. Regardless of your choice, though, how you learn Italian will come down to what suits your style and motivation best. In this article, we shared 9 tips that will come in handy when learning any language you choose. From starting from the basics, like the alphabet, to pushing yourself by watching or reading media in the target language, your progression will depend on your consistency. To help you achieve the best results, consider Lingoda too. They provide you with a flexible schedule and native-level teachers whose goal is ultimately to support you throughout your learning experience.
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Lingoda Team
This article was produced by one of the in-house Lingoda writers.
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