Learning Italian Ideas

By Richard Greenbury
24 Mar 2020

If you’re planning to move or have just moved to Italy, picking up some of the lingo is a must. Having even a basic grasp of Italian could help you to land a job, make friends and just make your everyday life a little bit easier. Here are the best ways to start learning!

Low-Budget Options

duolingo italian language app

If you’re short on time or maybe you just don’t have the budget to invest in lessons, here are some ways that you can build a solid base in Italian!

Duolingo

As we’re in the technological age, it seems only fitting that apps should play a big part in your learning journey! Duolingo is a favourite among expats throughout the world thanks to its bitesize, interactive lessons that make learning fun. Here’s why you should give it a try!

You can do it anywhere at any time!
It adapts to your learning style and gives you more of the exercises that work for you
You can keep track of your progress and see your results immediately – it really motivates you
According to Duolingo, 34 hours using the app is the same as one university semester so you’ll definitely improve quickly

YouTube

Finally, a use for YouTube that goes beyond watching cute animal videos! On YouTube, you’ll find a huge range of Italian lessons that are easy to access and free. Let’s look at why it’s worth trying!

You can go at your own pace and find lessons that interest you!
There’s so much choice that it’s easy to find a teacher and method that you like
You can do it anywhere at any time – just pop in your earphones and start learning

Here are some Italian courses that you should check out!

Language Exchange

If you want to go beyond the virtual world, you could find a language exchange! Thanks to Facebook, there are no shortage of native Italian speakers looking for tandem partners. Here’s why it’s a great idea!

You can get real Italian conversation lessons without the price tag!
It gives you the chance to go beyond the basics and learn colloquialisms and everyday Italian
You might find that you learn faster!

Everyday Resources

Learning a language isn’t easy but incorporating it into your daily life can really make it feel more natural. Here’s how to do it!

Read!
- Start off with some children’s short stories that have simple vocabulary and an easy to understand story line – it’ll make it easy to keep up with
- Once you’re feeling more confident, start to read some short news articles!
- Just remember to keep track of any new vocabulary so that you can learn it
Listen!
- No matter if it’s music, radio, podcasts or the news, listening will help you to start understanding how the Italian language and the different accents sound
Watch!
- TV shows and even movies can help you to improve your language skills!
- Start watching with English subtitles and as you get more confident, challenge yourself with Italian subtitles

Below are a couple of useful links for reading and listening!

Mid-Budget Options

learn italian textbook

If you have some money to spare and you want to invest it in learning, here are some ways that you could spend it wisely (and improve your Italian)!

Audiobooks

This is an item that really varies in terms of price but it’s a great one-off purchase that you can use again and again to help you grasp the basics. Let’s see why it’s worth picking up!

The course is carefully planned and designed by professionals, so you know that you’re getting the best!
You can learn a lot quickly from wherever you are – you don’t need to worry about internet connections or being available in person
It’s easy to follow and you’ll feel satisfied that you’re learning something

Here are a couple of audiobooks that might be worth exploring!

Textbooks

Learning via a book isn’t the best option but if you want to grasp the grammar and be able to read over it, a textbook is the perfect option! Let’s look at why it’s worth picking up one.

As much as grammar isn’t the be all and end all, it is important to know the grammar dos and don’ts – textbooks offer you a simple and effective way to learn it
They usually come with exercises to help you practice – these can really help to cement the grammar points
It’s something that doesn’t require too much effort! You can take it anywhere and do it at any time!

Below, you can find a couple of suggestions of useful textbooks:

Big-Budget Options

italian classes on skype

If you have a bigger budget and are prepared to splash out, here’s a couple of ways that you can learn Italian!

Skype Lessons

If you aren’t ready for the conventional classroom or maybe you don’t have time to squeeze it into your busy schedule, then maybe a virtual one will be a better fit for you!

You can do it from anywhere! You can be on holiday or at home in your PJs and you’ll still be able to have your Skype lesson
It makes you speak – with other resources, you might just forget to use them but when you’re paying good money for lessons, you’ll want to push yourself harder and invest more time in learning
Having a teacher, who can tailor lessons to you, can really help you to improve the things that you’re struggling with
It keeps you motivated – with the encouragement from your teacher, you won’t be tempted to give up!

The real question is: where should you go for great Skype lessons? There are lots of options out there but here are some of the best!

Italian Schools

There’s no shortage of language schools in Italy, it’s all about finding the right one for you! Why is going to a school so great?

You can go somewhere that has a school environment and doesn’t have any distractions!
You can set goals and ask your teacher to help with specific aspects of your learning
It keeps you motivated – language schools are usually pretty expensive so what better motivation that getting your money’s worth?

Here are a few great schools that are well-known around Italy:

https://www.scuolaleonardo.com/
http://www.koinecentre.com/en/ (only in Rome)
passepartout-italia.it (only in Milan)

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Richard

Richard is the founder of Cribmed. He was born and grew up in New Zealand. In his twenties, he traveled and backpacked extensively before finally settling down in Rome, Italy in 2011.