Learn Italian in 10 Tips

 

Learning Italian – as well as any foreign language – is always a commitment that requires perseverance and determination. Even though it has been announced that a “translator” will soon be commercialized that could perhaps make language learning obsolete, learning a foreign language will never be outdated by technology. In fact, it has been amply demonstrated that learning foreign languages ​​is very useful for keeping our brain fit and more flexible and protecting it from neurological diseases.

Here I would just like to give you some tips to improve the study and learning of a foreign language: Italian!

1 – Listen to spoken Italian

The first piece of advice I give you is to listen to the language you want to learn. The radio is definitely a great way to listen to Italian. With the internet you can easily listen to any Italian radio station that broadcasts in FM. In fact, many stations have a corresponding website. I usually listen to Montecarlo radio, but if you want to listen only to Italian music better Radio Italia which broadcasts only Italian music. 

2 – Listening to Music in Italian

Secondly, I advise you to listen to music tracks with Youtube, possibly with subtitles as singers often use slang that is not easy to understand. It is useful at the beginning to go looking for the lyrics of the song: here you will find a collection of lyrics of Italian songs.

3 – Read in Italian

The third thing you should do to learn Italian is certainly to read a lot. Read anything, obviously books, newspaper articles, texts on the internet, read whatever happens. The use of texts with the dual language is very useful. However, they are not always available, an alternative is obviously to buy two texts.

4 – Watch movies in Italian

The fourth tip is to watch films in their original language, initially with subtitles in the language. It's best if you watch films that are in a genre that interests you particularly and that you already know. Which I advise you to do when your level of understanding of the language is quite advanced, to avoid disappointments and discouragements which could be negative.

5 – Study Grammar

In fifth place I will put the study of grammar and syntax. A basic knowledge of the grammatical rules of the language is useful, above all to be able to speak it correctly and to write. I therefore recommend that you get a good book of grammar rules, with a few exercises. In Italian you have to pay special attention to verbs, their tenses and their correct use.

6 – Write in Italian

As a sixth piece of advice I would say that writing in Italian can also be important. Sometimes, not always, how one writes one speaks. If you can write well it will be easier to learn to speak correctly.

7 – Using the internet and apps

Another thing you should do is to use the internet with some sites and applications : Babel, Duolingo can help you. They are platforms on which you can get some practice at the beginning even if they are cold and boring in the long run.

8 – Visit Italy and learn about Italian culture

Eighth tip: when you go abroad, take advantage of your stay in the country to speak the local language as much as possible, with native speakers if possible. If you come to Italy, try to talk to the Italians!

9 – Attend Italian courses

Try to attend some language courses to learn Italian. There are many but they must be chosen carefully. Sometimes the presence of many people can be detrimental and decrease its effectiveness. If you want advice on the best courses you can write me a comment below.

10 – Learn Italian on italki

Last advice is to buy lessons on Italki or look for language partners to converse with, even if it is not always easy. It is a site where many teachers and tutors are available for private lessons which can be very useful. The course can in fact be customized according to your skills, experiences and attitudes.