When you think of speaking Italian, what comes to mind?
Chatting with a barista over your morning caffè? Buying local treats at the mercato? Discovering your taxi-driver’s favourite non-touristy spots?
Speak Italian, and Italy changes – in the best way!
But how do you go from "nervous to speak" or "learning my first words" to having real conversations?
We've guided many students through this. Here we’ll share their questions (perhaps similar to yours!) and the answers that got them talking.
No sugarcoating or wild claims of fluency in 14 days. Just real people, and what they actually did to speak Italian.
When Can I Start Speaking Italian?
How about right now? Buongiorno… Grazie… And you’re away!
Of course, you’ll keep learning phrases to take your conversations further, but why wait?
Even a bit of Italian can make locals smile and appreciate your effort – it’s the best way to show them you care. Wendy, one of our beginner students, tried this in Italy and it made her trip. She told us:
“You do such a good job with the small everyday stuff like real replies to 'thank you.' They made such a difference in my enjoyment of interacting with people and connecting.”
You don't need months of intensive study. With just a few everyday phrases, you can start making genuine connections with Italians.
Which Vocabulary Should I Learn?
If you want to speak Italian quickly, prioritise practical vocabulary for everyday conversations. A lot of methods have you wasting time on non-essentials – you end up knowing words like "ironing board", before you can have a basic conversation!
We suggest focusing on the things you’ll say a lot. Like phrases for meeting, greeting and being polite. And doing the things you want to do in Italy, like shopping or ordering a gelato.
Learning the practical things will help you speak Italian a lot sooner. This approach seems to work really well for our students – we were so proud when Tony sent us this update, straight from Puglia!
“I can talk to the locals. I can order lunch and dinner, drinks and a taxi, train tickets, buy food at the market, copy documents, and much more.
How Important is Italian Pronunciation?
More than you might think! A lot of people overlook pronunciation when speaking Italian, but getting it right will give you confidence by making you easily understood.
Luckily, Italian pronunciation is mostly straightforward; you say what you see. However, sounds like the Italian R or the "gn" in "lasagne" can be a bit tricky. And to get that musical Italian tone, remember to fully enunciate your vowels.
As well as focusing on individual sounds, you use podcasts or videos to refine your overall pronunciation. Repeat the words or sentences, trying to imitate the original speech patterns.
Our student Andrea has been making great progress with this:
“I've been focusing on pronunciation by listening to you guys and practising. I feel more confident now. Before, I never did that, and my pronunciations were terrible. But it's helped a lot. It's all about practice”.
How Can I Learn Italian Grammar?
We’ll start by answering how not to learn grammar! Most people spend too much time obsessing over repetitive (and tedious!) exercises in books. But after a while, they all merge into one and you still can’t use any of it in conversation.
We find it works better to learn little chunks of grammar, then practise using them in conversation. That way you know how to, well, use them in conversation!
Our student Adam had previously attended schools that focused heavily on written grammar exercises, which didn't help him much. With us, when he began applying the grammar regularly in conversation, he surprised himself (and his Italian friends):
“I had some interesting feedback while staying with friends in Veneto a couple of months ago. I was explaining a bad experience I'd had in a restaurant and they were gobsmacked by the grammar I used. The drills that you’ve done with me have embedded a very accurate and spontaneous way of speaking Italian”.
How long will it take me to speak Italian fluently?
The honest answer is that becoming fluent in Italian might take a few years. But there’s good news! You don’t need to be perfect to enjoy speaking Italian.
In fact, aiming for native level perfection can cause you to lose sight of your main goal: to talk to Italians and make connections with them. Luckily, you can achieve this well before you become fluent! Becky, one of our lower intermediate students discovered this recently:
I recently visited Naples, Ischia, Procida, Capri and the Amalfi Coast. I was able to have conversations with native Italians that spoke little to no English. Speaking Italian was honestly the highlight of my trip!
By using what you know to communicate and finding ways to practise that you enjoy, speaking Italian becomes a hobby you can take pleasure in at every level.
What if I Don’t Feel Ready to Speak Italian?
Here's a secret: no one ever feels fully ready to start speaking Italian!
But hiding behind textbooks is a bit like trying to learn how to drive by memorising the rules of the road – at some point you need to get behind the wheel.
Even if you’re no good at speaking Italian at first (that’s normal) and your nerves are getting in the way (also normal). With practice you get better, and it gets easier.
As our student Sarah said:
It’s hard to learn a language when you just focus on grammar rules. You need to start speaking it as soon as possible. Before I joined I had not spoken any Italian and now I feel like I can.
She’s practising, getting better over time, and making the most of Italy!
We went to a tiny little village called Ranzanico, where my husband's grandmother was born. There were some people that didn't speak any English at all and we were able to talk to them. It was very rewarding.
What if I Make a Mistake When Speaking Italian?
“Oh god what tense is it in?” “And is that masculine or feminine?” It’s natural to fear mistakes when you speak Italian, but everyone makes them!
Our student Louise was hesitant and apologetic about her mistakes, until she got this lovely response from an Italian:
We got a taxi in Italy and I was speaking in Italian to the driver and I apologised for my mistakes. He said “No thank you for actually speaking Italian!”
Italians typically appreciate your efforts, even with mistakes. And making them helps you learn. Our student Jim calls it "learning from bumping your head" – when you get it wrong, you’ll know for next time!
What if I Get Stuck When Speaking Italian?
This might be the scariest thing about speaking Italian – that long, long, long silence while you search for your words!
Luckily, this situation is easier to overcome than you might think. Usually, all you need are a few Italian phrases to get unstuck.
We also recommend taking the pressure off by telling people you’re learning Italian: “sto imparando l’italiano”. This technique is a student favourite, as shared by Valerie and Leta!
Most people I've tried speaking to, I've told them, "sto imparando l’italiano". They've been really encouraging. In hotels and restaurants, the staff made an effort to chat with me. The more I'm able to do that, the more confident I feel. – Valerie
I just returned from my dream trip to my mother’s hometown, where nobody spoke English. Joy of Languages gave me confidence to use my Italian and not be nervous or sweat the mistakes. Katie and Matteo said to start conversations with ”Sto imparando l'Italiano '' and it would open doors. It worked! – Leta
Can I learn to speak Italian with apps?
Apps can be a fun introduction to Italian and even help you pick up some words and phrases to use when travelling. But in our students’ experience, there are limitations when it comes to actually learning to speak Italian.
Phil, who started learning Italian with apps in lockdown, told us:
“There are only so many times I want to learn that "the apple is green" or "the baby is drinking". I want help with conversational Italian that I can use when we go out to dinner or into a shop or take a cab. Does that make sense?
Shelby had a similar experience:
“It just didn't help me learn how to speak Italian, which is really what I want to be able to do”.
Our students and teachers believe that the best way to learn to speak Italian is to practise speaking it.
Can You Help Me Speak Italian?
Of course! If you decide it’s right for you, we’d be thrilled to welcome you to our Online Italian School. Our supportive methods are designed to help you enjoy learning to speak Italian, even if you don’t feel confident yet.
You’ll:
- Learn useful phrases and grammar for everyday conversations
- Practise speaking in a supportive environment (it’s ok to make mistakes!)
- Get personal feedback from our friendly Italian teachers
- Find a lovely community of like-minded friends who love Italy
To find out more, check out our Online Italian School here.
How to Speak Italian: Quiz and Vocabulary Cards
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 Speak Italian (Even If You’re Not Confident Yet)
Vocabulary
While we didn’t share specific phrases in this lesson, here are a few you can use with Italians to encourage them to help you practise speaking!
Sto imparando l’italiano = I’m learning Italian
Preferisco l’italiano, vorrei praticare = I prefer Italian, I’d like to practise
Provo in italiano, va bene? Mi aiuta? = I’ll try in Italian, is that OK? Will you help me?
Grazie per la pazienza! = Thanks for your patience
Grazie per l’aiuto! = Thanks for your help
Grazie per la lezione! = Thanks for the lesson
Flashcards: How to Speak Italian
Remember the vocabulary from this lesson by downloading the digital flashcards
Not sure how it works? Click here to watch the tutorial
Transcript: How to Speak Italian (Even If You’re Not Confident Yet)
Please note, this is not a word for word transcript.
K: Ciao a tutti e benvenuti! Hi everyone and welcome to “Learn Italian with Joy of Languages”.
M: Today we’re talking about the most important thing: speaking!
K: Going from knowing bits of Italian, to having real conversations.
M: We've guided many students through this, so today, we’re sharing the common questions they had, because if you’re listening you might have similar ones! And of course, the answers that helped them start talking.
K: So no crazy claims of speaking Italian in a week you sometimes find when you look for tips on this topic. Just real people, our lovely students, and what they actually did to speak Italian.
M: And just a quick note – if you’re interested in joining our online Italian school, enrollment is open, but it’s closing soon! Click the link in the description to get the details.
K: Let's tackle the first question: “When Can I Start Speaking Italian?”
M: Right now! Even a simple "Buongiorno" or "Grazie" is good! Starting with what you know now makes Italians warm to you – it shows you care about our culture.
K: Of course, you’ll keep learning so you can take conversations further, but don’t wait. Our student Wendy sent us a lovely message about how she managed to do a lot with the little things in Italy. She appreciated how we teach the everyday stuff, like real replies to 'grazie' and said that they made a big difference to her enjoyment of interacting and connecting with Italians.
M: Brava Wendy!
K: Next, Which Vocabulary Should I Learn?
M: Prioritise, prioritise, prioritise! Focus on practical things you’ll say a lot in conversation. Don’t waste time on words you’ll never use, like kitchen appliances.
K: Yes! For example, small talk phrases to start conversations are better than “sink” and “dishwasher”.
M: Our students get a lot out of this “practical stuff first” approach – do you remember Tony?
K: Sì, ciao Tony!
M: He sent us a lovely email from Puglia telling us how he was doing everything in Italian, talking to the locals, ordering lunch and dinner, drinks and a taxi, train tickets, buying food at the market, copying documents… we’re very proud – grande Tony.
K: Next, how important is pronunciation?
M: I think it’s very important. A lot of people overlook it, but it improves your confidence by making sure that Italians understand you easily.
K: Luckily, with Italian pronunciation you mostly say what you see, but there are a few tricky bits, like the Italian R and GN. And you’ll need to enunciate those vowels!
M: We have past podcast episodes on these: number 6, 16 and 87.
As well as focusing on individual sounds, you also use Italian podcasts or videos to refine your overall pronunciation. Repeat the words or sentences, trying to imitate how they say it.
K: I was really pleased to hear Andrea talking about this. She said she’d never focused on pronunciation before so she felt like her own was terrible, but she’s been doing a lot of listening and pronunciation work with our audios and now she’s feeling a lot more confident.
M: She said it’s all about practice, and she’s right!
K: Next, How Can I Learn Italian Grammar?
M: This is all about practice, too! If you just do exercises in textbooks, after a while they all mix up in your mind and they’re hard to use in conversation.
K: We think it’s better to learn little grammar chunks, then practise using them in conversation, this helps you, well, use them in conversation!
M: Our student Adam had done classes with written grammar exercises before and didn't find them useful. But after practising grammar in our speaking club lessons, he found himself using it spontaneously.
K: Yes I remember chatting to him about that – he impressed the Italian friends he was staying with in Veneto. Bravo!
M: Next question: How Long Until I'm Fluent?
K: Here it’s important to be realistic. Becoming fluent might take years, but that's okay. It's not about waiting in frustration. In fact, aiming for native level perfection can cause you to lose sight of your main goal: to talk to Italians and make connections with them. Luckily, you can achieve this well before you become fluent. For example, Becky, one of our lower-intermediate students, just got back from the Amalfi Coast. A lot of the locals didn’t speak English, but she was able to speak Italian with them, and that was the highlight of her trip. When you use what you know, speaking Italian can be a fun hobby at every level.
M: A lot of students also worry: What if I Make a Mistake?
K: I loved the conversation Louise had with an Italian taxi driver. She apologised for making mistakes, and he replied, “no, thank you for actually speaking Italian!”.
M: And we need mistakes to learn.
K: I like how our student Jim explains this, he calls it “learning from bumping your head" – when you get it wrong, you’ll know better next time!
M: We also recommend taking the pressure off by telling people you’re learning Italian. Sto imparando l’italiano (x3). That way no one expects you to be perfect.
K: This is becoming a student favourite! Valerie said that when she used it in hotels, the staff were really encouraging and made an effort to talk to her. And Leta sent us a message to say that it opened doors for her – she’d just got back from her dream trip to her mother’s hometown, where no one spoke English, and said that overall, we’d helped her gain the confidence to use her Italian and not be nervous and sweat the mistakes.
M: Valerie said something similar: “the more I’m able to do that, the more confident I feel”. That’s what it’s all about!
K: Finally, the million dollar question… Can I learn to speak Italian from apps?
M: I think they’re ok for an introduction to the language, and maybe to learn some vocabulary. They work for some people, but they’re probably not the best for learning how to speak.
K: Yeah, a lot of our students talk about this. I remember Shelby telling me that he’d been learning lots of random word lists like jobs and pets that weren’t useful in conversation. And he said that the app didn’t help him learn how to speak Italian, which is what he really wants to do. Our students and teachers think that the best way to learn to speak Italian is to practise speaking it.
M: If you’d like to do that with us, doors are open to our Online Italian School for one more day.
K: Our whole goal is to help you enjoy learning to speak Italian, even… or especially! … if you don’t feel confident yet. So you’ll:
- Learn useful phrases and grammar for everyday conversations
- Practise speaking in a supportive environment (where it’s ok to make mistakes!)
- Get personal feedback from our team of friendly teachers
- And learn with a community of like-minded amici, friends, who also love Italy.
M: To find out more, click the link in the description. We’d love to see you there.
M - See you soon.
K - Or as we say in Italian.
A presto!
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