How to Learn Italian
Wondering how to learn Italian?
There are many ways and they will all get you there but it depends on what you want or need in learning Italian.
Start with the easiest or cheapest way if that is most important - a book or a local course. Or buy a flight to Italy and immerse your self in Italian language and culture - jump in at the deep end!
The best way for most people is obtain one of the many excellent courses that are available, that not only teach you basic phrases and conversation, but help to master the pronunciation as well while you are learning about words and their meanings.
This is so important - if you can’t pronounce properly when you speak, you will be frustrated and misunderstood. Italian is a beautiful language - you don’t want to mangle it!
There are several tips on how to learn Italian quickly, without sacrificing comprehension and quality. Approximately 62 million people in 30 different countries are already speaking Italian, so there is no shortage of experts in the population.
Expose yourself to the culture and traditions of Italy. Exposure and immersion to a local culture and traditions is one of the best way to learn the language. If it is possible, travel to Italy and stay there for a while.
Although, it is encouraged to learn basic Italian first, before venturing to Italy. If travelling is not an option, then there are many different ways we can immerse ourselves to the culture, like knowing Italian artists, food, and culture. Joining an Italian conversation groups also is a great option.
Listening to Italian music or Italian opera is also a great way of being exposed to the Italian culture. Opera recording often comes with the libretto, a text in both English and Italian in a booklet form. It would be great practice to listen and read the popular works of Puccini such as “La Boheme”, “Madame Butterfly”, or “Tosca”.
Also watching Italian movie classics like “La Dolce Vita”, “Ladri di Biciclette” and “Il Postino” will enhance vocabulary and comprehension. Reading novels, travel guides and books will provide the great information. Some students who have already learned the basics of Italian move on to reading authors like Boccaccio or Petrarch. They even read Umberto Eco’s “Name of the Rose” in its original Italian manuscript.
Of course, taking a formal course at your local university or college will enhance your knowledge of the language. In enrolling, students get to practice speaking and writing Italian. It also enables the students to meet other people who are in the same page as you are.
If physical classes would be too much and may affect your work schedule, then there are several online classes offered. This links would provide flexibility. It is important to choose sites that have audio links where students can hear the words and would be able to help with the pronunciation.
Practice, as they always say make things perfect. In learning any other languages, practice is always encouraged. When travelling to Italy, practice the language and speak Italian. Italians may smile over your mumbling or exchanging Italian words, but locals and natives express appreciation to those travellers who exert effort in learning the foreign language.
Speaking out loud in Italian is entirely different from reading silently in Italian. With silent reading, visual memory is enhance while with speaking or reading out loud, the speaker would have the chance to listen to the words if they are pronounced and enunciated properly.
Think Italian! To speak fluidly in Italian, then think in Italian. Translate not the words into Italian but the concept and ideas the person would like to convey. When studying or enrolled in Italian class, never use the vernacular language or English. Never fall back into the comfort zone. Regularly test your Italian conversational skills.
Learning an entire new thing or any language is of course difficult, some people may find tips on how to learn Italian do not work for them as it does for other people. But the important thing with learning any other language, is thinking and talking in that language. Play with it, have fun!
We use an interactive audio course from Rocket Italian, which helps to fast track learning. We like the way you can replay the words and phrases at your own pace until the sounds become familiar, and easy to pronounce properly.
Learn more here - Rocket Italian.
Don’t know whether an interactive audio ‘How to Speak Italian’ course is right for you ? Rocket Italian have a special offer at the moment of a free 6 day course.
