Italian is a language deeply connected with the culture it is part of. Whether you are interested in style, arts, and history or passionate about food, you can use plenty of topics to dive deep into Italian culture. So, the easiest way to learn to speak Italian is actually to immerse yourself in it.
But don’t worry—you don’t need to move to Italy to learn Italian! Choosing a solid learning method that helps you deeply understand the language in its context is what you need. Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion method taps into how you learned your first language as a child: a proven mix of techniques that will help you speak Italian like a native. To help you even more, we have put together seven easy tips for speeding up your language-learning process while having fun.
Table of Contents
1. Speak Italian every time you can
Take every opportunity to practice your new language. Finding native speakers or other students to speak Italian with will train you to understand different accents and pronunciations. It will also help you explain your thoughts and build confidence to engage in complex conversations.
Practice at home
Practicing alone at home is also very helpful. It may feel weird, initially, but try to build a conversation (even if it’s a monologue), explain a complex matter, or tell a story out loud when no one is around. This way, you can hear yourself speaking Italian without fearing judgment, and you might spot the words you struggle to pronounce.
Find your local Italian community
Go to Italian cafes or restaurants and try to order in Italian. If the waiter also speaks Italian, they might love being able to help you say a few other helpful words. You can also find an Italian local market where you can chat with people, or you can practice with another Italian learner in a local school.
Travel to Italy
If you visit Italy, always try to speak with the locals. Italians value connecting with people and will try their best to talk to you even if they are not fluent in English. Conversely, they absolutely love it when someone makes the same effort, and they will praise you for it.
Common Italian greetings are a fantastic icebreaker. Be bold and don’t hesitate to ask them to slow down or repeat when you engage in a lightning-fast Italian conversation. Here are a couple ways you could ask them to slow down:
- Potrebbe parlare più lentamente, per cortesia? = Can you speak slowly, please?
- Mi scusi, potrebbe ripetere? = Sorry, could you repeat?
You can also use common Italian phrases to keep the conversation flowing and speak Italian more confidently.
>> Check out the top cities to visit in Italy!
2. Build a vocabulary in the things you are passionate about
All of us have one or more topics we are passionate about. You may know everything about a specific sport; you might love how wine is made; you could be passionate about skin care or bird watching. Whatever you love most, make the most of it! Read, study, or watch content in Italian about the topic you’re passionate about.
Familiarity with a topic that you enjoy will help you fill the language gap and quickly pick up the specific vocabulary. Also, it’s a great way to trick your mind. Your attention will switch from a homework state of mind to one of eagerness to discover more about your passion.
Not to mention, it’s exciting to spot differences and similarities of words between the US and Italy in the specific field you love.
3. Build the habit of reading in Italian
Reading in Italian will help you widen your vocabulary over time. Start easy and slow with some children’s books but try to be consistent. Setting a 15-minute reading time daily will be more effective than reading hundreds of pages occasionally.
Kids’ books are an excellent way to build this habit. They are usually simpler and shorter, and you will enjoy reading them without getting overwhelmed.
If you want to read the news, Ansa.it is the website of the Agency of Publishers dedicated to providing local and international news written in Italian, along with some videos that help you hear people speaking the Italian language.
Social media is also an exceptional source for reading and listening. Look for Italian creators like writers, poets, or book reviewers. You may discover your next favorite writer!
4. Improve your listening abilities while having fun
Understanding native speakers in another language can be tricky at first. Every language has a characteristic inflection and speed that you need time to get used to. In the case of native Italians, their accents change significantly from town to town, and, in some cases, they may use dialect expressions that are hard to understand.
In fact, there are about 30 indigenous languages spoken in Italy! But learning how to speak Italian (as opposed to Sicilian or Fruilian) will get you the farthest in conversation.Here are some useful tips to help you:
Watch Italian movies
Watching movies is an excellent way to get your ears used to the Italian language. Pick a selection of classic and modern Italian films with English subtitles to get comfortable with different speech registers. Remember to set your starting point depending on your confidence in the language you are learning.
If you struggle following the subtitles, watch reruns of your favorite shows you’ve seen but change the language to Italian. Knowing the context of the conversations will help you a lot. If you already have an intermediate level understanding, try to skip the subtitles and see how much you understand.
Step up your game by watching talk shows and interviews
Talk shows and interviews are also a top choice to learn how to speak Italian, but they may be more suitable for an advanced learner. This kind of speech is usually faster and more complex because it may feature people with different accents using a more conversational and spontaneous tone. The topics are also more complex than regular conversations, but it’s a great way to push your knowledge.
Listen to Italian music
Music is also an easy way to immerse yourself in Italian language and culture because you can listen to it during the day. Which music genre suits you the best? Traditional, rock, pop—you have a lot of options to dive into.
Live lessons at Rosetta Stone
If you prefer more guidance with a dedicated tutor, Rosetta Stone’s Live Lessons allow you to get real-time instructions from a native speaker. Just choose the topic you want to practice and have fun while expanding your knowledge.
5. Speak with your hands
There are no surprises here: Italians speak with their hands a lot. Understanding and using this nonverbal communication technique is like unlocking the secret code of the Italian language.
Hand gestures can highlight a message or even completely replace it when used as a reaction. Also, we are very physical, so don’t be surprised if hugs and pats on the shoulder are a part of greetings.
Watch locals as they communicate and you’ll quickly pick up on specific hand gestures that seem to have a specific meaning. Sometimes they’re paired with a quick word like dai (come on) that’s often used to try to convince someone to do or agree with something.
6. Learn a few tricks about Italian pronunciation
Do you know that Italians never participate in spelling competitions? This topic doesn’t exist in schools. And that’s good news when you want to learn to speak Italian!
You see, Italian is a phonetic language, and its pronunciation is straightforward compared to English where there are many exceptions and variations. Generally, every letter has a specific sound, and you pronounce a word exactly as it’s written. However, there are minor exceptions to this rule that you should keep in mind if you want to speak Italian confidently from the beginning.
The powerful letter “h”
The “h” is silent in Italian, even when you pronounce a non-Italian word such as “hotel”. However, it is a powerful letter. It can change the meaning of a word, like hanno (they have) and anno (year). In conversation, you know which word it is based on the other words in the sentence.
Also, the “h” changes the way you pronounce vowels. The letters “e” and “i” have a soft pronunciation, except when they follow “ch”. For example, the “i” in Ci vediamo più tardi (See you later) sounds like a soft “chi,” but in the sentence Chi sei? (Who are you?), it sounds like “kee.”
Consonants with soft & hard pronunciations: C, G, S, and Z
Four consonants in Italian switch their pronunciation between soft and hard depending on the word they are in. “C” and “g” have a smooth sound if they come before the vowel “i.” But when they precede the vowels “a”, “o”, “u”, or a consonant, they switch to a hard “k” sound, like in casa (house), gallo (rooster), criticare (criticize), and grattare (to scratch).
The letter “s” assumes a soft pronunciation between vowels, like in the word casa. Last but not least, “z” is pronounced “ts” when doubled, like in the word pizza, but it sounds like “dz” when it’s at the beginning of a word, like zanzara (mosquito).
7. Making mistakes is the best way to learn
The famous Italian writer and pedagogue Gianni Rodari wrote: Mistakes are necessary, useful as bread, and often beautiful, like the tower of Pisa.
Be patient! The more mistakes you make, the better, as long as you learn from them. For example, many Italian words have multiple meanings that fit the context but may trick a non-native speaker. Check out how many meanings the Italian word prego has! Or read up on Italian idioms that have some funny meanings that don’t translate as well into English.
Learn how to speak Italian efficiently with Rosetta Stone
When learning a new language, consistency, patience, and curiosity must be your everyday mantra. It is crucial to choose an efficient method that adapts to your learning path while keeping your confidence high.
The Rosetta Stone app has six features to accelerate your learning. Whether you are a traditional and methodic student, a visual learner, or you need to immerse yourself entirely in a language to learn it, Rosetta Stone’s immersive method is for you.
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