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As a fun and stunning language, Italian is really easy to fall in love with. Yet it can be a bit challenging for students who never learned a Romance language before.
If you want your Italian studies to finally take off so you can interact with locals on your next trip to Italy, tag along to discover the best way to learn Italian.
I’ve put together a list of the most valuable tips to achieve fluency in the language based on my own experience. Forza, andiamo!
1. Set learning goals
The first thing to do when taking your first steps in Italian, or any foreign language for that matter, is deciding where you want to get.
Of course, this may (and probably will) change as you study, but goals keep you inspired and motivated.
So ask yourself if you want simply to be able to order food in Italian, if you’d like to talk about deeper stuff with a native speaker instead, or if you’d rather go as far as writing an academic paper in Italian.
Then set tangible milestones (e.g., mastering a verb tense or reading a whole book in X weeks) and you’ll be surprised at how fast you’ll be speaking Italian.
2. Read short stories, novels, newspapers, and magazines
You’ll need to manage to read, write, listen, and speak to achieve fluency in Italian. In the hectic world we live in, folks are understandably reading less.
If you relate to that, you’ll have to make an effort to go against the trend and read as often as you can in Italian. The kind of content doesn’t matter much — though the more varied it is, the wider your vocabulary will become.
So pick your favorite literary genre, a newspaper section you’re particularly interested in, or even a gossip magazine and devour it. Do it silently to grasp the content more thoroughly and out loud to work on your pronunciation.
Also read: 11 Best Italian Novels and Storybooks for Beginners and Beyond
3. Be consistent
Sure, mastering a foreign language can’t feel like a drag — you need to have fun along the way and feel that what you’re doing is meaningful to you.
Yet it’s a process that involves memorization and repetition as well in order to be really effective. You wouldn’t expect to get jacked if you hit the gym every other week.
Likewise, the best way to learn Italian on your own demands some sort of regularity, as you need to train your brain — even if the best you can do is 30 minutes over the weekend.
Also read: Is Italian Hard to Learn? Here’s the Real Answer
4. Don’t shy away from grammar
I know some of you have cringed reading this tip. Grammar can come across as a nonsensical set of endless rules that you either memorize or you’re out.
While, in a certain way, that’s quite accurate, grammar is also the one structure that holds a language together, like the foundation of a house.
If one thing, you can try to get yourself to admire the importance of grammar to have an easier time with it. But if sugarcoating doesn’t work, just treat it like a bitter med — a necessary evil.
You might want to check out this list of Italian grammar books to get started.
5. Watch Italian movies and TV shows
Remember I told you learning Italian needs to be fun too? Watching movies and shows is one of the easiest ways of getting there. You won’t feel like you’re actually studying, yet you’ll be taking in new words and getting your ears used to how the language sounds.
If I can give a personal suggestion, start navigating the fantastic world of Italian cinema, as Italians are famous across the globe for their storytelling skills. Plus, falling in love with the culture will work in your favor as well.
In case that really isn’t your cup of tea, just rewatch your favorite movies and shows either subtitled or dubbed in Italian (or both). You’ll already be familiar with the lines, so you’ll learn all the new words a lot faster.
For a more active approach, you can use apps like Lingopie and FluentU. Both apps have huge collections of Italian TV shows, films, music videos, and more — all with clickable subtitles that give instant translations and pronunciation help. You can even save words into flashcards that you can go back to.
6. Study with audio-focused courses
This is hands down the easiest way to learn Italian, as audio lessons feel far less demanding than reading through a textbook and can be taken anywhere, anytime.
Learning through an audio course is especially recommended for time-pressed learners who need to communicate effectively in order to travel to or do business with Italy soon.
Italian speaking apps like Pimsleur, Rocket Italian, and Glossika offer free trials so that you’ll confirm how effective they are before committing to a plan.Â
Looking for something more free-flowing? These Italian podcasts can do the trick.
7. Revise what you learn
Although learning Italian is a cumulative mental process, you can’t expect to memorize everything the first time you came in contact with it.
Repetition is crucial to taking in new concepts and words, which is why Pimsleur makes it an essential part of its time-tested method.
You should also rely on textbooks to learn Italian like a pro. The best ones offer well-thought-out recaps at the end of each unit. Better yet, go hands-on and practice with Italian workbooks.
8. Play language learning games
It’s not a coincidence so many language apps now have a gamified interface: keeping learners engaged and excited about studying is the easiest way of ensuring continuous progress.
But apart from course-oriented apps, you can — and should — try some standalone games whenever you need a break from regular lessons.
You’ll find crosswords, word search puzzles, and tons of other free games on Play Italian. And don’t miss Ba Ba Dum, which will teach you vocabulary and pronunciation through impactful visuals.
Also read: Italian Learning Games: 15 Sites and Apps For Exciting Lessons
9. Don’t be too hard on yourself
While having goals and being serious about your studies is key to mastering Italian, you don’t want to turn it into a source of stress. I’m sure you have enough on your hands to worry about as we all do.
Try not to fret over silly mistakes; you’re bound to keep making them even after you’ve become fluent. More often than not, native speakers will be understanding and sometimes even feel flattered that you chose to learn their language.
So unless you’re on a tight deadline because you need to speak Italian for work, take your time and enjoy the ride.
10. Hire an online tutor
Studying with an Italian tutor comes with a bunch of benefits. First, they’ll develop a custom method that suits your learning needs.
What’s more, you’ll get an inside scoop on the culture and maybe learn a delicious recipe or get hooked on the song Italians are jamming to this summer.
You can find the right match on platforms like italki, Preply, and Lingoda, where you can select teachers according to price range, accent, and specialty.
Also read: 18 Best Italian Courses Online
11. Join an Italian learning forum
Belonging to a community is essential in virtually all areas of our lives, and language learning is no exception.
On a forum, you’ll help and get help from your fellow learners without being afraid of making mistakes. Better yet, you may even make new friends in the process.
I particularly love Reddit’s freewheeling style, where “asking a girl out” and “formal plural imperative” can be just a couple of threads apart.
12. Learn a few jokes in Italian
This tip is important for several reasons. First, humor is a wonderful aid to memory. Plus, you’ll need to pay closer attention to things like speech patterns and rhythm to crack a joke successfully. Then you’ll feel encouraged to memorize more complex jokes as you go.
Many jokes revolve around word plays and end up teaching you something in a fun way. Finally, making people laugh is a guaranteed way of breaking the ice and as such works as a marvelous conversation starter.
13. Record yourself speaking
Being confident about your progress is crucial throughout the process of learning Italian, and fine-tuning your pronunciation is key to that.
Don’t expect to lose your foreign accent — that’s your charm anyway — but do pay attention to how you utter words and compare that to how native speakers sound by recording your voice while speaking Italian.
That’ll work even better if you use an app that teaches with the voices of native speakers like Mondly and uTalk to make sure you’re on the right track.
14. Book a trip to Italy
Not a walk in the park, I know. Still, traveling to Italy works wonders for students of all levels. Beginners, though not able to communicate much, will fall in love with the country and know they’ve made the right choice.
Intermediate learners will test their progress and take in tons of new words like only a full immersion allows for.
And advanced students will get to smooth out a few rough edges — all while soaking up Italy’s breathtaking landmarks and gobbling up mouthwatering food.
15. Take an interest in regional differences
Over 30 regional languages are spoken across Italy, and that naturally has a huge impact on the pronunciation and vocabulary of natives in each of the country’s regions. Paying closer attention to that will ultimately help you fine-tune your own pronunciation and expand your vocabulary.
At first, you’ll struggle even to tell a northern from a southern Italian just from how they speak. Before you know it, you’ll manage to distinguish Roman, Florentine, and Milanese accents with your eyes shut, which will feel rewarding and keep you motivated.
16. Make Italian friends
This tip may seem hard to follow, given that becoming friends with someone shouldn’t feel forced or hide an ulterior motive — unless you join a language exchange community like Tandem, where everyone is in the same boat.
Making a new friend will be the end result of creating a deeper connection with someone on the platform. Until that happens, you can have interesting and meaningful interactions with strangers as you learn Italian from them and teach them your native language in exchange.
Also read: 14 Best Language Exchange Apps and Websites for Conversation Partners
17. Take a language course in Italy
Like setting off on an Italian vacay, taking an on-site course is an investment that takes a lot of planning and budgeting for most of us.
Still, the rewards you’ll reap will be priceless, especially if you’re at that tricky stage where you need to bridge the gap between intermediate and advanced Italian.
That’s because you’ll be forced to let go of shame and interact with locals. You’ll realize you can actually understand them and make yourself understood — which will be a groundbreaking confidence boast and get you hyped to keep studying the language.
Final thoughts
If you’ve set up your mind to learning Italian, I must tell you that you’ve got what it takes to master the language. When you have the right mindset, all you have to do is surround yourself with the best Italian learning tools. Then it’s only a matter of time till you become fluent.
My personal takeaway is that the absolute best way to learn Italian is simply to focus on your main goal. But there are of course many things you can do to shorten that learning path and achieve fluency faster, as I’ve detailed above.
If you’ve learned a foreign language before, let me know below which tips you’d give someone who’s just started studying Italian!
Tips to learn Italian – Pin it!
