So you’re looking for tips on how to learn Italian fast?
You’re in the right place!
Just one caveat: we can’t promise you’ll learn it in 5 minutes or 30 days, because learning Italian does take time and effort.
But you can almost certainly learn it faster than you are now. In fact, traditional language learning methods might be slowing you down, precisely because they’re based on tradition, not science.
So here you’ll find a list of practical tips to help you learn Italian faster, backed by research and approved by our students!
1. Use the Italian You Already Know
If speaking Italian feels impossibile, it’s importante to know that a lot of words are very simili in Italian and English.
We can thank Latin for this! A study of the Oxford Dictionary suggests that over 60% of English words have Latin roots. Italian, being derived from Latin, shares many similarities.
Sometimes, these words even form groups to help you predict how to turn English ones into Italian ones.
| English | Italian | Pronunciation |
| Conversation | Conversazione | CON–VER–SAH–TSEE–YOH–NEH |
| Nation | Nazione | NATS–YO–NEH |
| Possibile | Possibile | POH–SEE–BEE–LEH |
| Impossible | Impossibile | EEM–POH–SEE–BEE–LEH |
| Animal | Animale | AH–NEE–MAH–LEH |
| Original | Originale | OH–REE–GEE–NAH–LEH |
So, how would you say “action”, “terrible” and “normal”? Follow the patterns in the table:
Azione – sounds like: ATS–YO–NEH
Terribile – sounds like: TEH-REE–BEE–LEH
Normale – sounds like: NOR–MAH–LEH
Perfetto! While this doesn’t work all the time, it works a lot of the time. Once you start to notice the similarities, they pop up like guiding lights to help you understand, remember vocabulary and speak Italian. It’s one of the reasons our student Neil enjoys learning Italian so much.
It seems so similar to English in many ways. You think “oh, of course!”, like how “pericoloso” means dangerous, which sounds like “peril”.
2. Stop Obsessing Over Grammar
Want to hear something ridiculous? For centuries, students have been rote learning la grammatica . Maybe you've spent countless hours doing it yourself.
Io sono… – I am
Tu sei… – You are…
It’s part of the “grammar–translation” method that Greek and Latin scholars have been using for centuries. But guess what? Language scientists agree: it‘s NOT effective!
This method was designed for analysing ancient texts, not everyday communication. The only reason we kept doing it with modern languages is because, well… it’s what we’d always done.
Instead of focusing on rote learning, we recommend approaching grammar as a side dish that helps you express yourself in Italian. For example:
Sono di New York – I’m from New York (sono = I am)
E tu? Di dove sei ? – And you? Where are you from? (sei = you are)
3. Master Italian Pronunciation
On the other hand, la pronuncia is more important than you might expect. It’s the difference between:
Ho 60 a nn i – I’m 60 (“I have 60 years”)
Ho 60 a n i – I have 60 anuses
But silliness aside, studies suggest that for native speakers to understand you, pronunciation often matters more than grammar or vocabulary. Here are the key Italian sounds to master:
You can improve your pronunciation by listening to Italian phrases and trying to mimic them closely. As a bonus, science shows that improving your pronunciation helps your listening, too!
That’s why in our online Italian school , you get access to our Speak Like an Italian pronunciation course before starting your main programme. Because when you get the sounds right, everything falls into place more easily.
3. Watch Movies in Italian (And Other Fun Ways to Learn)
In case you needed another excuse to put down the grammar book… Did you know you can learn Italian by reading and listening to things you enjoy?
Language scientists call this “extensive reading/listening” and it works! It helps you learn new words and grammar naturally and even improves your speaking skills.
Here are some examples of resources you can use, from low to high levels:
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Dialogues in your course book
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Podcasts for learners – try Learn Italian with Joy of Languages
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Short stories for learners
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Recipes in Italian
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Reading online in Italian (this google translate add-on is handy)
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Podcasts for native speakers
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Biographies or other non-fiction books
Note we didn’t recommend fiction or children's books. Why? In this literature, you’ll find “lush emerald forests” and “bearded dragons pulling wagons”… phrases you probably won’t need when chatting to a barista!
Which leads us to our next point: where possible, prioritise resources with everyday conversations, because these will help you develop the skills you need to speak to Italians.
This is something we focus on a lot in our Online Italian School:
I love the intuitive approach that without really realizing it, you absorb the grammar, but the focus is on colloquial language learning, you know, stuff that's gonna be useful to you when you're out there. – Louise
5. Get into a routine
The more time you can dedicate to learning Italian, the better! But did you know that not all time is equal?
Studies show that you remember things better when you study little and often, compared to cramming in one session (“distributed” vs. “massed learning”).
This means if you’re studying Italian with one, long lesson per week, it’s normal if you’ve forgotten everything by the next lesson! Instead, try learning a little everyday instead.
You’ll probably find you make faster progress, just like these students:
I like the fact that you get something daily, so it builds momentum – Valerie
I love the way that Italian seems to be constantly running around in my head, with this daily practice! – Lori
6. Know That Speaking Will Be Awkward… And That’s OK!
Do you ever feel nervous about speaking Italian? That’s understandable, because traditional methods can damage your confidence by overemphasising perfection.
But speaking Italian is like learning to walk as a toddler — awkward at first, with falls and scrapes! The more you practise, the more you’ll improve and the more confident you’ll feel.
Let go of perfection and try to have fun with it, because students who enjoy learning typically have lower levels of anxiety. And studies show that one of the best ways to do this is with a friendly teacher!
You know you’ve found the right teacher when you can relate to what our students say:
A lot of times when you're learning languages, it just feels punitive. Like “you said this wrong” and “your pronunciation is terrible” and this doesn't feel this way. This feels like you're trying to encourage everybody to communicate at whatever level you can and to give it a try. – Sarah
I really enjoy the teachers and the other students. You have really lovely people as teachers and they're just nice to spend time with and chat with. – Shelby
The teachers are interested in you and what you have to say. They really listen with their heart and with their head, and they’re always so positive, you know, encouraging: you can do it, you can do it! – Lisa
Join the School
If you’d like to learn Italian faster with a done-for-you option, we’d love to welcome you to our Online Italian School . We can help you speed things up because our teaching is based on research and student experiences. You’ll:
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Take advantage of the similarities between Italian and English
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Learn practical, conversational Italian
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Practice speaking with feedback from friendly teachers!
You can learn more about the Online Italian School here
K: Ciao a tutti e benvenuti! Hi everyone and welcome to “Learn Italian with Joy of Languages”.
M: Before we get started, we wanted to let you know that enrollment for our Online Italian School is open, but it’s closing soon! If you’re interested, you can find out more by clicking the link in the description.
K: But for now, we’re talking about how to learn Italian faster. So let’s get onto our first tip fast!
M: Numero uno. Use the similarities between English and Italian to your advantage.
K: If speaking Italian feels impossibile , it’s importante to know that a lot of words are very simili in Italian and English.
M: We’ll keep using them in this lesson to show you what we mean!
K: These simili words help you understand, remember vocabolario and speak italiano . It’s one of the reasons our student Neil likes Italian so much. He enjoys noticing links, for example “pericoloso” means dangerous, which sounds like “peril”.
M: Next, stop obsessing over la grammatica! With traditional methods, you spend a lot of time rote learning verb tables. You might have spent hours doing it yourself. Io sono, I am, tu sei, you are etc.
K: This is part of the grammar-translation method that Greek and Latin scholars have been using for centuries. But do you want to hear something ridicolo, ridiculous? Scientists agree that it isn’t effective! It was designed for analysing ancient texts, not everyday communication.
M: So why do we do it?
K: Apparently, when we started learning modern languages, we just kept doing it that way because it’s what we’d always done. That’s the only reason! Instead of wasting hours cramming rules, it’s better to learn grammar as a side dish that helps you express yourself in Italy. For example:
M:
Sono di New York (x2) – I’m from New York (here sono means “I am”)
Di dove sei ? (x2) – Where are you from? (here sei means “you are”)
K: Tip 3 is to focus on la pronuncia, because it’s more important than you might expect. In fact, there was an interesting study by Saito and Shintani (I hope I’m pronouncing that right) that showed that if you want native speakers to understand you, good pronunciation often matters more than perfect grammar or vocabulary.
M: So what are the main sounds to learn in Italian? We’ve got double consonants, for example, you want to make the double nn in the word anno, year, nice and long!
K: Yes, otherwise you’ll end up saying ano, with one short n, which means “anus”! So we’ve got the double letters. Then there’s gn , like in lasagne, which is like N but the tongue slides forward along the roof of your mouth: gn, gn, gn
M: Lasagne.
K: Then we have gl, like in famiglia, family. It’s like L, but the tongue slides forward across the mouth, gl, gl, gl
M: Famiglia
K: The rolled rr, like in errore. Error, mistake. If you can’t do it yet, start with the single R , which is actually the same as the T in the American pronunciation of matter and butter. Isolate it, r r, r, then put it in the word: erore, erore, erore.
M: Once you’ve mastered that, you can work on rolling it errrrrrore!
K: I’m very jealous of that rolled R! Next, we have the vowels, which you should really enunciate to get that musical feel of Italian. For example, musica (music)
M: Musica!
K: Next, you can learn Italian by watching TV, or reading books… basically spending a lot of time listening to or reading anything you find fun!
M: I know a lot of people who would think that’s cheating though! Don’t you think it’s cheating??
K: Nope! Scientists call it “extensive listening” and “extensive reading” and it works. It helps you learn new words and grammar naturally and even improves your speaking skills. Just like magic.
M: I actually know this works, because this is how I learned English. You’ll never catch me studying grammar rules or memorising a vocabulary list, I’d rather learn by playing computer games and watching TV series!
K: If you’re a lower level, you can try things adapted for learners, like the mini conversazioni you’ll hear in the usual episodes of this podcast. At any level, there are fun ways to immerse yourself, for example, by following recipes in Italian.
M: Or joining us for a cooking class in our Online Italian School. In the event we’re holding in a few days, I’ll be teaching everyone how to make pasta e fagioli, a special pasta dish with beans which is a speciality in my region.
K: It sounds a bit weird but it’s amazing – my friends and family love it when Matteo cooks it.
M: Next, get into a good routine. The more time you can dedicate to learning Italian, the better!
K: But did you know that not all time is equal? Studies show that you remember things better when you study little and often compared to cramming. This means if you’re studying Italian with just one long lesson per week, it’s normale, , if you find you’ve forgotten everything by the next lezione ! Try learning a little bit every day instead.
M: When our students do this, they make faster progress. For example, Valerie likes doing the daily lessons because she builds momentum. And Lori loves how it makes her feel like Italian is constantly running around her head.
K: Finally, know that speaking will feel a bit imbarazzante, embarrassing, and that’s ok!
M: I know what it’s like to feel nervous when speaking a foreign language. I used to feel like that with English – I blame school for making me try to be perfetto . Don’t make mistakes or you’ll get a bad grade!
K: A big part of our job is actually trying to undo the damage that these traditional, or should I say tradizionali, approaches can do to your confidence. Because learning to speak Italian is actually more like learning to walk as a toddler — very awkward at first. You have to embrace the falls and scrapes.
M: The more you practise imperfectly, the more you’ll improve and the more confident you’ll feel.
K: Let go of perfezione and try to have fun with it, because students who enjoy learning typically have lower levels of anxiety. And studies show that one of the best ways to do this is with a friendly teacher!
M: I really appreciate what our student Sarah said about this. She said that usually learning languages feels punitive: “you said this wrong” and “your pronunciation is terrible”. But she likes how we try to encourage everybody to communicate at whatever level they can and to give it a try.
K: Yes, our teachers are a very friendly bunch – they’re always very positivi, positive.
M: And incoraggianti, encouraging!
K: We hope these tips will help you learn Italian faster, whether you decide to join us in the Online Italian School or you prefer to go it solo .
M: If you would like a done for you option, you might find our school really helpful. We make things easier by pointing out similarities with English. Instead of rote learning grammar rules, we help you learn the things you’ll need in everyday conversations.
K: You improve a little bit every day by listening to fun, real-life stories and conversations. And you’ll practise speaking and get feedback from our friendly teachers.
M: Enrollments are closing soon, so if you think you might like to join us, you’ll need to be quick! You can find out more by clicking the link in the description. We’d love to see you there.
K: A presto!
Time to check your understanding and remember everything you just learned! Below you’ll find a mini-quiz and some vocabulary cards to help it all go in.
Quiz
How much did you learn? Find out in the quiz!
Click here to take the quiz for this episode: How to learn Italian faster
Vocabulary
Impossibile = Impossible
Importante = Important
Normale = Normal
Errore = Mistake
Il vocabolario = (the) vocabulary
La grammatica = (the) grammar
La pronuncia = (the) Pronunciation
Anno = Year (remember to make the “n” long!)
Sono di New York = I’m from New York
E tu? Di dove sei? = And you? Where are you from? (informal)
Nazione = Nation
Flashcards: How to learn Italian faster
Remember the vocabulary from this lesson by downloading the flashcards.
Not sure how it works? Click here to watch the tutorial
