Best ways to learn Italian - 4 learning tips

Italian is part of the Romance language family, and even though it has not too many speakers, it is charming due to its beauty, deep history, and culture. It may seem an easy-to-learn language, but sometimes it could be more challenging than you think.

Enriching the language learning through some fun tips related to the everyday life makes the learning process more interesting. Sometimes a perfect grammar is not the only aspect you need to speak a new language.

Would you like to discover all the formal and informal expressions? Are you wondering which are the linguistic and cultural secrets of the language? We will suggest some ways to learn or to improve your Italian knowledge and all the related benefits. Try to follow this advice to immerse yourself in the Italian language!

Learn Italian by podcasts and improve your vocabulary

If you have never used podcasts to learn a language before, you should start soon. And if you already have, you should just keep listening to them because they are very interesting and useful! What is a podcast and why is it useful for language learning? Podcasts are recorded audio shows created by people who discuss different topics: art, culture, cooking, fitness, languages, politics and even more.

Podcasts are useful for language learning since you can listen to native people talking fluently about the topic you are interested in. You also have the possibility to recognize expressions you already knew and improve your pronunciation, but also notice all the new collocations and learn them. Moreover, podcasts can always be with you: you could listen to them whenever you want and wherever you are, and this will make you learn through passive listening. So, the more you listen to podcasts, the more you will improve!

Are you ready to find your favourite podcast? We mention below some of the best podcasts you should listen if you want to improve your Italian.

• “News in Slow Italian” is perfect especially for beginners, since the hosts discuss general and international topics in an easy and slow Italian. Furthermore, there are transcriptions of each episode.
• “Learn Italian pod” is about topics which are introduced in English first and then developed in Italian. You will learn the everyday Italian, and you will also be able to understand how Italians think and live.
• “Coffee break Italian” won the most original podcast award because of its innovative teaching way. Each season is about different topics and if you decide to subscribe, you will have access to a lot of exercises, videos, and other interesting materials.

Learn Italian with TV shows for beginners, intermediate and advanced learners

Watching TV shows is always a fun and useful way to learn Italian or to improve your level. You can test your abilities on the comprehension of the language by listening to realistic conversations made by native speakers. You can learn new accents, new words or common sayings. Moreover, it will be possible to visit different places in Italy from your sofa and get into Italian culture. This will help you to remember more words and grammar.

We want to give you some suggestions about several TV shows and series you can watch according to your preferences and your level. Read the list and pick your favourites:

• “I Cesaroni” is a light-hearted TV show about some adventures of an enlarged family, made up of two different families coming together after a second marriage. Themes like love, friendship, brotherhood, and marriage are all nicely depicted. Moreover, in this series you will not only hear standard Italian but also Romanesco, the dialect of Rome. It is suitable for all levels.
• “I Medici” is an Anglo-Italian miniseries which is broadcasted on channel Rai. It is about the rise of the Medici family in Florence, Renaissance Italy, and its cultural, economic, and social consequences. It is particularly charming from an artistic point of view, because of the places that have been filmed in, mostly Florence and Rome. With this TV show, you will improve both your level of Italian and your knowledge of Renaissance Italy. It is suitable for an intermediate level.
• “1992” it is an Italian TV series set during the 90s in Italy. It is about the story of 6 people and their roles regarding Italian politics, especially on the major cases of corruption. It is recommended for an advanced level.

If you are a movie addicted, there are also some options for improving your Italian by watching films:

• “Il giovane favoloso” is a movie that tells the story of Giacomo Leopardi. You will learn something about his life, the historical period, and some special expressions. It is most suitable for an intermediate level.
• “La vita è bella” is an old comedy-drama movie set in a tragic historical period: World War II and Nazi concentration camps. The outstanding Roberto Benigni plays the role of a Jewish Italian bookshop owner. You will keep your eyes on the movie, enjoy it, but also think about a difficult historical period.

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Learn Italian by reading: some of the most recommended Italian books

Among the different ways you can use to learn or improve Italian, there is also the possibility to learn by reading. Apart from being a fun and engaging way to study the language, it is also a great way to learn new vocabulary and reinforce your grammar concepts, spelling and expressions. It is a good method for shy language students because it does not require saying anything out loud, you can take your time and learn at your own pace, and it helps to think in Italian.

If you want to take the most of this way of learning you should pick a topic you are interested in, choose a book that makes you want to read, and you will surely be motivated to finish it. We would like to recommend some of the most interesting books you should consider if you wish to improve your Italian:

• “Il giro del mondo in 80 giorni” is a very famous book with a lot of descriptions, and for this reason it is easy to understand. It could be read by beginners, and it is useful for the great variety of new words. You will improve a lot in your vocabulary.
• “Fiabe italiane” is a book with several Italian fairy tales. Some of them are well known and famous, while others are unknown regional fairy tales. They are translated and adapted by Italo Calvino. This book is useful to discover the culture of different regions of Italy, and it is more appropriate for an intermediate level because of some complex structures that the author may use.
• “Oceano mare” is a book composed by different stories of different people with an element in common: the sea. It is a descriptive book useful to learn new expressions, and it is mostly recommended for an intermediate-advanced level.  
• “Topolino” is one of the most famous comic strips. It is characterized by short dialogues, and it is easy to understand. The book is fun and very useful to know better some Italian expressions. It is suitable for all levels.

Learn Italian with music and have fun

Songs are an excellent resource for dealing with the study of Italian language because they are a source of everyday language, they are easy to remember, and they are catching. You can also learn different pronunciations based on the origin of each singer, and you will surely have fun while learning Italian through music.

Here are some of the many Italian songs you could listen to wherever and whenever you want:

• “Ma il Cielo è sempre più blu” – R. Gaetano, a useful song for the vocabulary and collocations
• “Caruso” – L. Dalla, the right choice to improve verbs, vocabulary, and dialects
• “La vasca” – A. Britti, is a song you should listen for verbs and music vocabulary
• “Marmellata #25” – C. Cremonini, is a catchy song that will teach you vocabulary, especially names of objects and adjectives, prepositions, and verbs
• “Tutto l’amore che ho” – Jovanotti, is useful to learn and improve your vocabulary and your grammar, especially the hypothetical period
• “Vieni a ballare in Puglia” – Caparezza, is a great way to learn something about Italian culture, verbs, vocabulary, and collocations

Are those ways useful?

Watching movies or TV shows, reading books, listening to podcasts and music in Italian are considered one of the most effective ways to improve your language skills. As it has been mentioned, you will learn how to pronounce a word, or the way in which it is spelled correctly. Do not forget to start with easy-to-understand books, movies, or podcasts accordingly to your level so that you will not be discouraged and overwhelmed.

Self-study, practice and feedback to boost your Italian 

For an effective learning, it is also important to compensate your self-study by practicing and getting feedback. Therefore, an online or in person tutor who will help you during your learning path has an important role. Your teacher will provide you feedback about your progress, and he/she will help you practicing. Are you wondering where you can find a perfect Italian teacher?

On coLanguage, the platform where your Italian classes will be totally personalized. Furthermore, if you would love to discuss and share your knowledge with other people, our group lessons are another effective way to improve your Italian on coLanguage. You will meet new people coming from other countries in the world, and you will enjoy an interactive and helpful lesson. And if you want to do more, you could also take part in Tandem Language Exchanges to practice your Italian and improve!

In conclusion, the combination of these three fundamental steps will make you enjoy your progress, reach your goals, and take the most of these captivating learning tips.