You're probably learning Italian because you want to speak it one day. Even if you’re not aiming for long conversations yet, maybe you just want to get by with a few words or chat with your Italian relatives.
But here’s the thing: a lot of learners struggle with the very skill they’re aiming for: speaking.
Why is that? We’ve got a few ideas.
…because you just need the chance to practice listening
If you want to get better at speaking Italian, you also have to make sure you listen to Italian. That way you can listen to the most common words, phrases and sounds.
You can start by just having Italian on in the background. Then, as you get better, start actively listening, picking out words and phrases you can use yourself.
Here’s how to get better at understanding Italian:
✅ Listen to Italian daily . Even a few minutes of practice can make a difference.
✅ Use transcripts . Look up new words to improve your vocabulary.
✅ Start with slow audio . With the Joy of Languages podcast , you can listen to natural conversations at a speed adapted to your level. And if you find certain Italian phrases or concepts confusing, these episodes explain it all for you.
✅ Listen and repeat . Practice pronunciation by copying what you hear.
✅ Find enjoyable content , so learning feels less like a chore. Here are some fun videos with subtitles from our YouTube channel.
...because you rely too much on apps
If you’ve hit a 100-day streak on your language learning app but still struggle to speak Italian, you’re not alone.
Apps are designed to be fun to keep you using them, but they’re not always the best method.
We’re not saying you shouldn’t ever use apps to learn Italian . But to actually improve, here’s how to use them the right way:
✅ Use the app's speaking features. That way, you can get tons of that very important speaking practice.
✅ Combine apps with listening, speaking, and reading . This makes sure you’re using a range of study methods, not just one.
✅ Read blog posts for explanations the app misses . Apps don’t always go into detail on how things work.
…because you’ve been told the wrong things
If you’ve heard promises like “fluent in Italian in just three weeks” they sound fantastico , but language learning doesn’t work that way.
The trouble is, when you’re promised quick results, it can make you feel frustrated when fluency doesn’t happen overnight.
Here’s what you should do instead:
✅ Celebrate the small wins . Like understanding a conversation better than you did last week or picking up a new phrase you can actually use.
✅ Embrace reality Your life is busy, and you probably can’t spend 8 hours a day studying Italian. Instead, focus on enjoying the process! Have fun while learning, be patient, and don’t stress too much about achieving fluency overnight.
…because you hate being a beginner
Being a beginner can feel frustrante . You’re speaking Italian, but it’s not perfect. And there’s often a gap between what you want to say and what actually comes out.
But it’s important to give yourself permission to be a beginner. Don’t let it hold you back from valuable practice. Mistakes are just part of the learning process, and you’ll learn so much from them.
Here are some phrases to help take the pressure off when you’re just starting out:
| Sono principiante | I’m a beginner | SOH-noh pree-chee-pyan-teh |
| Sto imparando | I’m learning | Stoh eem-pah-RAHN-doh |
Here are more phrases and tips on how to chat to Italians even when you’re a beginner.
…because you’re learning words you’ll never actually use
When you’re learning Italian, textbook phrases like “the cat is under the table” might teach you a thing or two about grammar, but they don’t help you get around Italy.
Instead of memorizing phrases you’ll never use, learn practical, everyday vocabulary, including words which are relevant to you personally. Like learning the Italian word for the job you do, or what country you’re from.
Here are some practical tips on how to focus on the right words in Italian:
✅ Personalize your vocabulary. Learn words that are important to you personally, like your job or hobbies.
✅ Keep a journal in Italian . Write about your day so you can practice phrases which relate to your experiences.
✅ Focus on practical phrases . Learn things that you’ll actually need in Italy, like how to order food or ask for directions.
...because you need a simple plan
If you’re not speaking Italian yet, it might be because you don’t have un piano , a plan.
With so much to learn, it’s hard to know where to start. A clear plan breaks down your learning into smaller, manageable steps, so you can stay motivated.
Having a plan also saves time. Instead of jumping from topic to topic, you can move forward in a more logical and structured way.
Here’s how you can use a plan to get better at speaking Italian
✅ Set realistic goals . Make sure your goals are achievable to avoid feeling discouraged.
✅ Include plenty of speaking practice , but also include other skills like listening.
✅ Make it enjoyable . Who said your plan had to be boring? How about learning some Italian songs or watching some fun TV series .
✅ Practice a bit every day . Instead of spending long, grueling hours that put you off studying every again, set aside half an hour a day so that it fits better into your routine.
With our language school , you follow a ready-made plan, so it takes all the thinking work out for you.
…because you’re avoiding the one thing that makes you improve: speaking!
All the tips we’ve seen so far will help you get better at Italian, but the best way to get better at speaking is Italian is... parlare, to speak!
Speaking uses lots of skills at once: recalling vocab, getting the pronunciation right, even building muscle memory.
We know speaking to actual Italians can be scary at first, not to mention not always practical.
But don't worry, here’s what you can do instead:
✅ Talk to yourself in Italian. Even though it might seem a bit silly, it’s one of the best ways to practice because you don’t have to worry about someone waiting for you to form a sentence.
✅ Repeat words and phrases you already know or have written down somewhere. It’s great for pronunciation practice.
✅ Practice forming sentences in your head. Basically, have a chat with yourself! It’s a really effective way to see what words you can remember.
✅ Find a language partner. Practice with someone else learning Italian, so you can also make friends with people who enjoy learning Italian like you do.
Eventually, you can then get to the point of practicing with real Italians. And you don’t even have to wait until you’re in Italy, you can start already with apps like Hello Talk , Tandem and Conversation Exchange .
Why Can’t I Speak Italian Yet? (And How to Fix It!): Review
Now that you know what might be holding you back from speaking Italian, let’s go over some of the simple fixes so you can get chatting.
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Practice listening. Regular listening helps you pick up common words and phrases and good pronunciation.
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Don’t rely on apps. Apps are fun, but combine them with other methods like speaking and reading.
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Misleading Expectations: Fluency takes time!
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Embrace Being a Beginner. Mistakes are part of learning!
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Learning Practical Words. Focus on useful, everyday vocabulary for real-life conversations.
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Need a Simple Plan. A clear plan helps you stay motivated and improve faster.
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Speaking is key . Practice by talking to yourself or finding a partner.
K: Ciao a tutti e benvenuti! Hi everyone and welcome to “Learn Italian with Joy of Languages”.
M: In today’s episode we’re looking at why it’s so common to find it difficult to speak Italian.
K: We’ll also give you some practical tips to overcome these challenges, including methods you won’t find in textbooks or apps that will help you start having real conversations in Italian.
But before we get started, can we ask you a quick favore? If you’re listening to this on your podcast app, could you hit the subscribe or follow button? This way you’ll get notified when we release a new episode and you’ll help our podcast grow so that we can keep making free lessons like this. Grazie!
M: At the start of this episode, we asked the question that a lot of learners have: perché non parlo italiano? - why can’t I speak Italian? Literally:
Perché - why
Non - not
Parlo - I speak
Italiano - Italian
One of the answers to this question might be: perché non fai pratica - Because you don’t practice. Literally:
Perché - Because
Non - Not
Fai - you do
Practica - practice
Perché non fai pratica
K: We’re not just talking about any practice, but the kind of practice that will actually be effective.
M: To learn to speak Italian, the most effective practice is, of course, actually speaking. It might sound obvious, but often you don’t get much chance to have real conversations when you’re learning a language.
K: And speaking to Italians can feel scary! You can take the pressure off by practicing alone at first. Try repeating phrases you already know, or even practice forming sentences in your head by putting words together. It’s really effective because you’re not only recalling important words, but you’re also getting your mouth moving and building muscle memory.
M: Then, once you become more confident, you could try practicing Italian with someone who’s also learning Italian.
K: Don’t worry if there are a lot of gaps in your knowledge when you’re speaking. If you practice saying a sentence, but don’t know all the words, give it a go anyway. You can always learn the missing words later. The key is to keep practicing. And practice lots.
M: Eventually, you can then get to the point of practicing with real Italians. K: Another way to improve your speaking is to do lots of listening. At the beginning, you can do it without paying too much attention to what the different words mean. Just get a sense for the sounds of the language.
M: To start with audio at your level, you can keep listening to episodes like the ones from this podcast, which include slower, simpler dialogues. Then, as you get more comfortable you can start to listen to more natural paced conversations. You can find these on the Joy of Languages YouTube channel in the intermediate section. The link to this is in the description of this episode.
K: Make sure that the video is on a topic you enjoy. That way it won’t be white noise, but something that you’ll want to listen and pay attention to. M: You might also be held back from speaking Italian because odi essere un principiante - you hate being a beginner.
Odi - you hate
Essere - to be
Un - a
Principiante - beginner
Odi essere un principiante
K: Being a beginner can be frustrating, as there's often a big difference between what you want to say and what actually comes out. You have to try things, even though you might not get it perfect right away. It's easy to feel like there's something wrong or awkward about being a beginner, but don’t worry! Making mistakes and taking your time are completely normal parts of the learning process.
M: And mistakes are really important. They’re what will help you learn. Italians aren’t going to be judging you for not speaking perfect Italian. They just want to try and communicate.
K: If you do want to lower the stakes, you can tell an Italian that you’re learning.
M: Sto imparando - I’m learning.
Sto - I am
Imparando - learning
Sto imparando
K: Or you can use that word we say principiante to tell them you’re a beginner.
M: Sono principiante - I’m a beginner. Literally:
Sono - I am
Principiante - beginner
K: Learning Italian is a continual process, you’ll find you’re always learning new things. All of the “become fluent in 3 weeks” that you might have heard are mostly marketing ploys that lead to unrealistic expectations and frustration. You have to give yourself permission to be a beginner for a while so you can practice without being too hard on yourself.
M: Another reason that you might not be speaking Italian yet is: Perché impari parole inutili - because you’re learning useless words. Literally:
Perché - because
Impari - you learn
Parole - words
Inutili - useless
Perché impari parole inutili
K: Learning a textbook phrase like “the cat is under the table” won’t really help you get around Italy. When you focus on learning words in another language that mean something to you, they’re more likely to stick.
M: So you can concentrate on learning phrases that will be useful generally, like asking for directions or ordering in a restaurant. And then also learn words that are useful to you personally, like your nationality or the job that you do.
K: One way to practice everyday phrases and things that are personal to you is to keep a journal in Italian. You could write down phrases about what you’ve done that day. Try not to look up the words to see what you can remember, but you can if you get stuck.
M: Another reason you might not feel confident speaking Italian is perché usi troppo le app - because you use apps too much. Literally:
Perché - because
Usi - you use
Troppo - too much
Le - the
App - apps
Perché usi troppo le app
K: You may even have a one hundred day streak on the app you’re using. But the trouble with apps is that they’re designed to be fun and gamey to keep you using them, so you end up just tapping lots of buttons, but not practicing any speaking.
M: And most of the time, apps aren’t tailored to your specific needs or what you actually want to learn.
K: That’s not to say don’t use apps ever, they can be useful. But relying on them alone won’t get you to speaking Italian, so make sure you use them alongside lots of speaking and listening practice.
M: Lastly, you might not be speaking Italian yet perché non hai un piano - because you don’t have a plan. Literally:
Perché - because
Non - not
Hai - you have
Un - a
Piano - plan
Perché non hai un piano
K: It can feel like there’s so much to learn when it comes to learning a language, that it can be hard to know where to even begin. That’s why a plan can really help. It breaks down what you’re studying into smaller, achievable chunks, so you can stay motivated.
M: Plans also mean you don’t waste your time and we know that time is precious! Rather than jump around from topic to topic, you can move forward in a logical, structured way.
K: A plan that we use in our online Italian school—and that seems to work very well—is setting aside around 30 minutes a day for Italian from Monday to Friday. If you'd like to try doing something similar for yourself at home, the most important thing is it should include lots of listening, useful words and phrases and some speaking. Over on the blog you'll find some practical tips and suggested resources that you can use.
M: You can click the link to the blogpost in the description, or visit italian.joyoflanguages.com/podcast and search for episode 179.
M: See you next time.
K: Or as we say in Italian.
Alla prossima!
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: Why Can’t I Speak Italian Yet?
How much did you learn? Find out in the quiz!
Click here to take the quiz for this episode: Why Can’t I Speak Italian Yet?
Vocabulary
Sto imparando = I’m learning
Sono principiante - I’m a beginner
Le app = The apps
Un piano = A plan
Parlo italiano = I speak Italian
Un principiante = A beginner
Flashcards: Why Can’t I Speak Italian Yet?
Not sure how it works? Click here to watch the tutorial
