Learning Italian

Italian is a quickly-spoken language and it can be intimidatingly impenetrable at first. But bear with it and do plenty of practice and you will soon find yourself improving.

Teaching yourself

Although conversation practice is vital to help you properly master a language, you can make a start on learning Italian by yourself. The best way to do this is probably to start with a set that contains a book and a CD; stay away from the phrasebook-style offerings and go for something that will help you to understand the grammatical reasons behind the sentences you are learning. A good book of verb tables, while perhaps not the most exciting page-turner, will also come in very handy. The CD will help you to work out how the sounds are pronounced. You can find a couple of recommendations on our books page.

Italy also has a fine cinematic tradition, so a trip to your local DVD shop might also help. Watching films in Italian with English subtitles can be a good way to get used to listening to Italian speech, especially as you can pause, rewind, pause, rewind... For a guide to some of the Italian films set in Rome, have a look at our Rome on Film section. Lastly, try listening to Italian radio. The RAI network broadcasts its stations over the internet, so if you have high bandwidth, try listening to them.

Language schools

Rome is a particularly popular destination for foreigners, and there are plenty of Italian language schools around the city. If you're planning to spend some time in the city, Languagecourse.net has information on some Italian schools around Italy.

Language exchanges

For that all-important conversation practice, try hooking up with an Italian who wants to improve their English. Browse the classified ad sections of websites like Wanted in Rome, or place your own ad. If you're not yet in Italy, try putting up classified ads in your area; if you live in a large city, it's likely to have some sort of Italian community. You may also be able to find people for language exchange through internet messaging services like Skype.

External Links

RAI is the Italian state radio network, with facility to listen online. There's a directory of language schools at Languagecourse.net and
Skype is the free internet chat and VoIP software, which you may be able to use to find Italian language exchange partners.