April 2

24 comments

Learn Italian the Quick and Easy Way

By Rick

April 2, 2013


The best way to learn ItalianAfter living in Rome for two years, I can finally say with confidence that I speak Italian.  Maybe not perfectly, and certainly with an American accent, but I feel OK in stating that I speak the language.

People back in the U.S. often ask me, “What’s the best way to learn Italian?”  My answer is simple: Come live in Italy.

OK, I’m being sarcastic, because I realize what they really mean is, “What’s the best way to learn Italian without moving to Italy?”  That, as they say, is another story…

On the train to Assisi, March 2001

I had committed my plan to memory: get off the train at Assisi, find a taxi at the station, and take it to my hotel in the nearby village of Spello. I even had an Italian friend write out the directions on a piece of paper to give to the driver.  No problem, all set. I sat back on the train with my journal in hand and enjoyed the view of the Umbrian countryside slowly passing by my window.

Then the train unexpectedly stopped at a small station. I glanced out the window and lo and behold the large blue and white sign said, “Spello.”

Should I get off? I wondered. It seemed to make sense—why go 15 kilometers past Spello all the way to Assisi only to take a cab back again? Much easier to just jump off now and go directly to the hotel, no? I tried to ask random folks on the train, but alas, nobody spoke a word of English. And my handy phrasebook was buried deep in my backpack—not so handy after all. Damn it! I had 30 seconds to decide.

I grabbed my other suitcase and hopped down onto the platform just as the whistle blew. The train slowly pulled away and I turned around to gaze wistfully at the majestic Monte Subasio in the near distance.

Spello
Spello

And there: the charming town of Spello, about 6-7 kilometers away, tucked up high on the mountainside.  Ah…che bella! (using the full extent of my Italian vocabulary at the time).

After enjoying the lovely panorama for a minute, I turned back around to find the station and locate suitable transportation to the town center. On closer inspection, the “station” was merely an abandoned wooden building. Not even a building at that point in its history; more like 10,000 termites holding hands in the shape of a building.

“OK, don’t panic,” I told myself, “let’s appraise the situation. No station, no taxis, not another human in sight. Che bella!” I glanced again at the little town in the distance, now looking more like 60-70 kilometers away. The hike (or expedition) would require a significant quantity of mountaineering gear, a strong pack mule, and a well-trained guide. I strained my vocabulary for a more appropriate phrase. Che cazzo! (Why is it that the swear words are the first thing that people learn?)

Did somebody call an exterminator?
Did somebody call an exterminator?

Now what? Well, after a few intense moments of self-loathing, the first thing I did was resolve to learn Italian and come back to Italy with the skills to survive. For some reason, this became extremely important to me from that moment on. It was a way to recover my pride, I suppose.

The Best Way to Learn Italian

Whatever the motivation, when I got back to the U.S. I immediately purchased a software program to get me started. Everything I had read online said that this was the way to go. Books, tapes, DVDs—they’re all fine, and good supplements to help practice. But I found that the guided lessons of the software program gave me the structure and active participation that I needed.

Of course, a private tutor might have done the job, but I was working too many hours at the time and needed a platform that allowed me to dictate and adjust my study schedule. (Plus, private tutors are expensive–I know, because I used to be one!)

What I like about it is that it gets you using the language right away rather than just studying it. You learn in a method more similar to how you learned your first language, by trial and error, rather than memorizing verb conjugations and grammar rules.

Personally, I have enjoyed the challenge of learning a new language. Beyond the practical uses of communicating in a foreign country, it truly changes your perspective and opens your mind when you begin thinking in a language other than your mother tongue.

There’s a Czech proverb that says, “Learn a new language, gain a new soul.” I think there’s a lot of truth to that.

So to sum it up, the best way to learn Italian: 1) Move to Italy; 2) A good software program.

But if you’re not quite ready to dive into the deep end, then check out my free email course on my site: Talk Like an Italian.

And one last piece of advice: whether studying language or traveling by train, stick to the plan!

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About the author

Living in the Caput Mundi and trying to decipher Italian culture for the English speaking world.

  • I think living in Italy and not being fluent is kind of a norm from what I have witnessed. I have lived there for a long 15 years and now in London as an Italian tutor. People mostly travel to Italy for its great tourist venues, peaceful environment and amazing food.

    • Very true, Sarah. Most expats make an effort, but few follow through all the way to fluency. In the big cities, though, some don’t even bother. I once met a woman in Rome who, after seven years, couldn’t get beyond ciao and grazie in a conversation.

  • I personally read articles, study grammar, and I really enjoy Italki to put the rest into the conversational part. My biggest struggle is understanding Italians when they are talking at their normal (fast) pace. If I’m speaking with someone speaking clearly and at a decent pace I do a lot better.

    • For some reason, I always had the opposite problem. I generally understand (most) native speakers, but forming my own proper sentences was a challenge. I was always afraid of making mistakes, which paralyzed me. The only cure for that is total immersion. Once I HAD to speak Italian, my speaking skills improved rapidly.

  • Ciao,Rick I use LearnItalianpod.com which is very good for pronunciation also
    subscribe to L’Italo Americano, a west coast newspaper, half english and half
    Itaian.” Quel furto di qualita che minaccia i nostri prodotti tiptci” This subject
    seems to be large in Italy. Maybe it’s worth a BLOG. bouna fortuna Bob Giannetti

    • Thanks for the link, Larry. I always say that more different types of interaction that you participate in, the better. It’s great to have a mobile app when you’re stuck waiting somewhere and have some spare time to practice. Grazie!

  • I follow your blog posts and, as usual, I enjoyed this one. I’ve been studying Italian for over six years and, I too, started with RS and various other audio CD’s that I listened to while driving to increase my vocabulary. The RS was certainly a big help but it took me to the point where I knew that I had to do something more if I were to rise above my basic level. Even though your first suggestion was made tongue in cheek, I did the next best thing and went to visit a small city, Parma, for six weeks. I chose that city for two reasons: I had an Italian friend studying opera there and little English is spoken. You hear so much about immersion to learn a language and I can tell you that it works! When I went to a bar and ordered a caffe’, the barista looked at me, smiled, and said “spoken just like an Italian”! I was elated! Recently I started using Rocket Italian too and it’s a great program. I’m certainly not fluent but I can hold my own in a conversation. So how do you achieve a higher level of fluency? As the New York cab driver said to the tourist when asked how to get to Carnegie Hall, practice, practice, practice!

  • Hi Rick,

    I would probably be the exception as I have lived in Rome for 7 years and I am still not fluent haha. My husband is Italian and as we have always communicated in English, it was impossible to switch to Italian when we moved here. This is the same scenario with this family and at the moment, I only speak basic Italian to my nieces who range from 8yrs old to 1 yr and do do a few errands.

    I went to school for 6 months and passed every level! I understand when Italian is spoken but I think it is my need to speak “perfect” Italian that makes me hold back. So my advice would be just speak away. The more practice you get, the more fluent you would become.

    • That’s great advice and it’s also my biggest obstacle: overcoming the need to be precise. People who aren’t concerned about making mistakes seem to become fluent very quickly. For the record, I don’t consider myself fluent, but merely functional. Like you, I have an Italian spouse who speaks good English, so I that makes me lazy. 🙂 Thanks for the feedback and I love your blog! Ciao!

    • BrowsingRome, I don’t think you’re so unusual. My other half is Italian, but when we met I had no Italian at all so English is our language and Italian still seems unnatural with him. I also work in an English environment so progress is slow! I’m also the same too much of a perfectionist and I worry about being wrong and seeming foolish. It’s true the only way to improve is to practise and not to worry! Forza! Coraggio!

    • BrowsingRome don’t worry about “perfect italian”, “perfect italian” doesn’t exist when you speak with people. The expression “to speak as a printed book” is not casual, but it expresses the anomaly to hear someone who speaks in perfect form. It is more important the voice tonality and the hands movement, i think this is the main difference from the english language: where this one mainly employ grammar and words changes for express differences speaking (questions, sentences, negation, “please” everywhere) etc.. in italian you must remember to express this with your voice.

      • Davide, that’s an important point and one that’s not so easy for English speakers to fully incorporate. Our language is very homogeneous throughout the English speaking world. For example, the English spoken in California is really the same as the English spoken in London–of course there are very minor differences and the accent is not the same. But villages in Italy that are 20 km apart can often have completely different dialects–which I suppose is one of the reasons that tone of voice and gestures are so important in Italian, as you’ve suggested. Grazie!

  • Great story, Rick! I’m currently learning to speak Italian from “that” software that you probably used years ago (RS). It was such an investment that I hate to not use it. It has been quite a challenge. And on another note – What book? I’ll have to explore Amazon…

    • Ciao Carol! Yes, “that” software was Rosetta Stone and in fact, I’m grateful that it transported me from “zero” to “awkwardly functional.” However, when I bought Level 3, they had changed their interface and it no longer worked for me, so I jumped ship. But if you’ve already invested in it, stick with it and you’ll be fine–as long as you’re consistent, it will get the job done!
      Regarding the book(s), I have two: one that’s a free mini-guide to understanding the basics of of Italian society; and the other is available on Amazon which is a step by step program for Americans who want to expatriate to Rome/Italy. The first one is fun (and free!), you should check it out. The second is very useful once you’re actually ready to “make the leap,” and live abroad for a while.
      As always, thanks for reading and thanks for commenting, Carol. Ciao!

  • So…how did you actually get to Spello? I know…not the point of the story! 🙂 We actually got off on the wrong stop on our way to Pontedera…with ALL of our luggage. Somehow we figured it out and flung ALL that luggage back on the train and quickly got back on. It was dark and we were a few stops away from our destination. Thankfully I had my cell phone and even more…that we didn’t need it. Great story and I will definitely be checking out that software for our trip over next fall.

    • Ha, ha! Well, it IS sort of the point! I was totally stranded and eventually rescued by a kind elderly couple from Canada–the man spoke a bit of Italian and knew the town. This was before I had cell phone, too. Not that it would have mattered in my case since the phone operators don’t speak English either!

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