Best Ways to Learn Italian

With all the different language learning methods out there, it can be hard to know the best way to learn Italian. But if you’re one of the millions of people interested in learning Italian, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, you’ll find out how to learn Italian, how to build a habit that’s easy to stick to, and how mastering a new language can be beneficial.

Read on to discover the best ways to learn Italian and how Busuu can help you achieve your goals.

Discover the best ways to learn Italian

Create a study habit you can stick to

Consistency is key when learning Italian. Building a habit you can actually stick to helps you be consistent. Busuu’s bite-sized lessons and videos fit into your busy life. You learn at your own pace and on your own schedule without a huge time commitment.

Join a worldwide community and master Italian

To really master Italian, you need people to practice with. And you need feedback and support. Busuu’s online community has millions of members. Get help and support from native Italian speakers, and find people to connect and communicate with.

Learn the Italian you need to achieve your goals

Busuu Premium has the Italian course to help you reach your goals. The Complete Italian course takes you from beginner to advanced and teaches everything from greetings to expressing your emotions. The Italian Travel course teaches you the basics you need for a memorable trip to Italy.

What are the best ways to learn Italian?

Here are five of the best ways to learn Italian.

1) Use an app

To master Italian, you need to be consistent. This means regular study over a long period – this may not sound exciting, but it is effective. Luckily, apps make being consistent super easy. Apps are convenient and accessible ways to learn a language. You can take them with you on the go, so you can squeeze in a lesson when possible. No matter how busy you are, the convenience of language learning apps means you’re less likely to skip lessons and miss out on progress.

You can make real progress with the Busuu app. Take your Italian study with you wherever you go. Busuu’s bite-sized Italian lessons and videos are perfect for busy people. You can fit them into your life alongside all your other responsibilities. With Busuu, you can make progress no matter how much time you can commit to studying. You create a habit you can stick to. Being busy is no excuse for skipping Italian lessons with Busuu.

2) Read and listen (a lot)

To learn a language, you need a lot of input. This comes from reading and listening to a lot of content. There are two proven methods of using reading and listening to learn a language. Extensive reading or listening means reading or listening to a lot of simple and fun content with a focus on meaning, while intensive reading or listening focuses on fewer, more complicated texts with a focus on language form.

When you’re starting out, reading is easier. You have time to look words up. You also have more access to content because the natural-speed Italian you find in videos, for example, will be too difficult to understand. When listening to Italian, be careful not to choose content that’s too difficult. Listen to simple, short content talking about a topic that interests you. And do it as much as possible.

3) Practice speaking and writing (a lot)

You might be noticing a pattern here. Learning a language doesn’t happen automatically. You need to spend a lot of time practicing the skills. Get out there and communicate in Italian. Find language exchange opportunities. Join groups. Take part in Busuu’s worldwide community of millions of language learners and native Italian speakers.

Communicating isn’t just effective for learning a language – it’s also fun because you get to speak with interesting people. 

4) Get feedback and support

Learning a new language is a long – and sometimes bumpy – process. Having a support network helps you get past any obstacles and keep making progress. Italian isn’t an especially difficult language, but gendered nouns and prepositions can still be tricky. 

By joining the Busuu online community, you can meet Italian speakers and other language learners who are happy to give you feedback and support on your journey. With millions of members in the Busuu Community, you get the support and feedback you need to get over the bumpy parts of your Italian learning.

5) Use the most advanced language learning tools

Nowadays, you can use technology to make learning a language more convenient and effective. Automatic personalization saves you time and helps you progress. The Busuu app remembers what words and grammar you’ve studied and reminds you to review them. The words and grammar you struggle with will appear more frequently in reviews, helping you memorize the trickiest Italian words and understand the grammar.

Why Busuu is the best app for learning Italian

Smash your Italian goals

Want well-rounded Italian skills and knowledge? Take the Complete Italian course to go from beginner to advanced. Want Italian for your next vacation? Take the Italian for Travel course. Busuu Premium courses help you achieve your goals, no matter how much time you have to study.

Get personalized learning experiences

Busuu uses advanced learning tools to personalize your learning experience so you can overcome any difficulties you face. Busuu’s spaced-repetition algorithm helps you memorize words and grammar. It reminds you to review language at the right time to stop you from forgetting. And it does all this automatically.

Join a worldwide community of language learners

The best thing about learning a language is getting out there and communicating with other speakers. In the Busuu Community, there are millions of language learners and native Italian speakers looking for people to connect with. You get real feedback on your speaking, pronunciation and writing skills from real Italian speakers. Mastering Italian is a long process, but when you join the Busuu Community, you don’t have to do it alone.

What are the benefits of learning Italian?

Here are the top four reasons you should learn Italian.

1) Travel to Italy

Ever dream of driving down the Amalfi coast or spending time in Rome wandering around the backstreets near the Colosseum? Learning Italian will make the dream even more memorable. Sure, you don’t need Italian skills to travel around Italy. Many people there speak English. But understanding the language and connecting with the locals will make the trip even more amazing.

2) Appreciate Italian culture

Italy has a rich history and culture. Italian is the international language of classical music. Some of the greatest examples of Western literature are written in Italian (for example, Dante’s The Divine Comedy). And some of the world’s most famous artists – like Michelangelo and da Vinci – were from Italy. Let’s not forget the world-renowned food and wine culture in Italy.

Learning Italian helps you enjoy these things even more. You can visit the opera and understand what they’re singing. You can read Dante’s poetry in its original form. And you can have authentic food and wine experiences.

3) Get significant cognitive benefits

Learning Italian (or any language) is great for your brain health. Your memory improves, your attention span increases, and you delay cognitive decline and dementia.

It’s also a fun activity. You get to learn something new, meet new people and enjoy yourself, all of which reduce stress – making language learning another great way to keep your brain healthy.

4) Get a head start on other Romance languages

Italian is very similar to the other Romance languages – Spanish, French and Portuguese. After learning Italian, mastering these other languages shouldn’t be too difficult. Learning Italian might be the first step for you to become a polyglot.

Basic Italian phrases

Here are 15 basic Italian phrases that you’ll encounter in Busuu’s Complete Italian course. Memorize and start using them today.

15 basic Italian phrases you need to know