How to Learn Italian: A Step-by-Step Journey from Basics to Fluency

When you think of Europe’s famous Romance languages, one of the first that comes to mind is Italian. Nearly 75 million people across the globe speak Italian – mostly in Italy, but millions scattered elsewhere. And since you’re reading this, you’ve at least thought about how to learn Italian.

We’ve put together this article to help inspire and enlighten your language-learning journey – and also provide a few tips to learn Italian fast. For native English speakers, the Italian language is ideal for beginners. Even though English is an Indo-European language and Italian is considered a Romance tongue, there are enough similarities (including the Latin alphabet and some shared words) to start learning Italian right away!You want to know how to learn the Italian language, and Pimsleur’s Italian language courses are the best way to get off the ground running. Before you dive in with our scientifically-proven instruction method, this guide will provide some quick, helpful strategies on how to learn the Italian language on your own time. Let’s get started!

How to Learn the Italian Language: Tips and Strategies

The best way to learn Italian is to take action. Sure, you want a plan and roadmap of sorts for how to learn Italian. But the best course of action is – of course – action! We recommend Pimsleur’s Italian course as the best way to start, but you can supplement your education with fun activities like these! Here are some tips to learn Italian fast:

• Make some Italian meals. One of the best ways to learn Italian is to cook your way to fluency. And Italian cuisine is the ideal gateway to a broader knowledge of the language. Cook some authentic recipes at home – bonus points if you get your ingredients from an authentic Italian grocer! On the beverage side of things, here’s how to order coffee in Italy, just like a local would.
• Immerse yourself in Italian media & music. Italy’s cinema and theatre culture is world-renowned for its richness of expression, high human drama, and interesting character development. Italy, after all, is where the modern world was born, with the Roman Republic, and eventually the Roman Empire. 8½ (1963), Voyage to Italy (1954), The Conformist (1970), and La Notte (1961) contain a veritable who’s who of legendary Italian directors and actors. Want to go beyond the theatre or movie house? Take in an Italian opera, online or in-person. And for music lovers, the Italian language is hard to beat!
• Stay current with the Italian news. As you’re learning Italian, apply your newfound knowledge to current events. Many Italian newspapers are free to read online and have seamless English-to-Italian translation capabilities. And you can always watch Italian news stations online, or if you’re really into that upcoming Roman mayoral race or Florentine happenings, purchase an Italian add-on station with your cable or streaming service.
• Get serious and subscribe to a learning platform. Informal initiatives like the ones listed above are perfect as a supplementary strategy for how to learn Italian, but nothing beats a comprehensive learning platform like Pimsleur. Our Italian course is available solo (as our Premium subscription), and it’s just one of the many languages in the entire library of languages (All-Access subscription).

Use the internet to your advantage. Don’t forget to get online! There’s plenty of free instruction available on the internet, including a great collection of “how to learn Italian” channels on YouTube. In fact, we already compiled a list of the most helpful instructors here!

Overcoming Common Challenges in Learning Italian

Native English speakers may have some difficulty adapting to the noun-verb structure of the Italian language. Plus, variation in word order can be a bit daunting for learners coming from non-Romance language roots. The Italian language for beginners will present complex individual words and phrases with a unique lyrical quality and more verb usage. And even the consonants have challenges, as well; you’ll have to learn how to pronounce the rolling “r” sound prevalent in many Italian words.

Even those “tried and true” Italian rules for elements like gender have exceptions. For example, Italian nouns end in one of three letters: a, e, or o. Most Italian nouns ending in a are feminine, and most ending in o are masculine. But a handful of nouns buck the trend, so you’ll have to keep up with this somewhat haphazard grammatical gender system.There are also the tricky double consonants to be aware of, along with sophisticated verb expressions, and even certain slang and idioms to learn. But don’t worry – with enough persistence, you’ll eventually know how to learn Italian!

Achieving Fluency: Your Path Forward in Learning Italian

The Italian language’s lyrical linguistic quality – common Italian words and phrases like piazza, buona sera, and grazie mille roll off the tongue like few other languages – makes it one of the most popular second languages to acquire.

Taking the tips & tricks we covered in this article is a start. But to truly begin learning Italian from the ground up, regardless of your previous exposure to the language, give Pimsleur a try. Pimsleur has the resources, tools, and expert instruction to get you speaking Italian like a native. The Pimsleur Method, our proprietary, scientifically-proven method has helped millions of people speak and listen their way to success. If you’re interested in how to learn the Italian language the right way, Pimsleur provides the expertise and know-how. As long as you bring the effort, curiosity, and time commitment, you’ll discover how effortless the Italian language is for beginners.The best way to learn Italian is to have world-class instruction like Pimsleur combined with hard work. As the Italian idiom says, “Chi dorme non piglia pesci,” which means “One that sleeps does not catch fish.” The rest is up to you – and it’s more fun, interesting, and educational with Pimsleur in your corner. Buono fortuna in your quest to learn Italian!