Italian Self-Study: Learn Italian on Your Own
You can definitely learn a new language like Italian on your own, at least at some point in your learning process.
You should set some schedule and stick to it.
Ideally, you should study for at least 20 minutes a day.
A great starting point is to find a good online dictionary.
You could also use resources like Reverso or Linguee. They are contextual dictionaries that offer a wide range of language combinations.
You could also consider taking an audio course, which is the best Italian class, to get used to listening to spoken Italian and practice without getting bored.
You should also learn some Italian grammar.
Make sure you focus on all skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing, as well as grammar and vocabulary.
Read more about how to study Italian on your own.
How to Learn the Italian Language by Myself?
First of all, you have to be realistic about how much you want to spend on learning Italian.
If you set a schedule, make sure you stick to it!
Otherwise, it’ll be frustrating for you to see that you’re not achieving your unrealistic goals.
Also, try to find good material to study and practice. This means that you have to be happy with the material that you chose.
If you don’t like it or find it boring or repetitive, change it.
Usually, a mix of various resources is the best combination to learn quickly and to keep yourself motivated.
Use online resources and grammar posts, and perhaps a good language app for practicing and revising Italian words and grammar rules.
Also, make sure you watch movies or the Italian tv, listen to Italian news and music, and read in Italian, even if you don’t understand everything.
Not understanding at the beginning is absolutely normal. Your brain is definitely working hard! And one day, suddenly, you’ll find yourself understanding better.
Learn more about how to learn Italian by yourself.
What’s the Best Way to Learn Italian on Your Own?
There are many good ways to learn a foreign language on your own.
The best one is a combination of all of them.
This means learning with the help of a language app as well as with a good movie, podcast, song, or book.
You could also add to that a book for Italian learners, with good explanations, grammar tips, examples, and Italian vocabulary in context.
Don’t forget to take notes about those aspects that you find very interesting or very hard. And make sure you do exercises.
Writing can also be a great way of learning. You can start by writing a simple song and developing your writing skills.
Then, why not sing the song you wrote? This way, you’d practice the right Italian pronunciation.
Find out what is the best way to learn Italian on your own.
How to Learn Italian Fast?
You could start with simple steps: reading aloud, building your vocabulary with a good dictionary, listening to conversational Italian and repeating what you heard, and observing and imitating Italians.
However, if you can afford it, the best way to learn Italian is to immerse yourself in the culture, which means going to Italy and avoiding your mother tongue.
You should take Italian lessons and surround yourself with Italian speakers.
If that’s not an option, though, but you are willing to spend some money, another option to learn the Italian language faster is with 1-to-1 lessons, at least 3 times a week.
Ideally, your teacher should be a native speaker or have a very good level of Italian.
As you can see, learning Italian quickly is possible. All you need is motivation and a good choice!
Learn about how to speak Italian fast.
Learn Italian While you Sleep
Learning Italian while you sleep is possible to some extent.
This technique is called subliminal language learning or implicit language learning.
This type of learning refers to the ability to learn without even trying. It’s basically how children and teenagers learn their native language and end up with perfect language skills.
Learning some Italian while you sleep is possible if you put on a set of headphones with words and phrases of a language playing during the whole night but quietly enough.
Of course, this has to be done not just once but many times over a long period of time.
However, it’s too optimistic to conclude that you can learn a new language while you sleep.
You’ll probably recognize some words and expressions you heard while you were sleeping, but you won’t be able to read and write really good content.
Find out how to learn while you sleep.
How to Learn Italian in the Car
Learning Italian in your car is definitely possible.
Of course, you won’t be learning to read or write. But you can definitely listen and speak (or sing!) in Italian.
You can try out our amazing audio Italian course. This online course is a great option to learn Italian phrases while driving because you’ll hear a native speaker speak Italian, and you’ll be repeating expressions in Italian.
And repeating is a necessary step in the learning process.
You could also listen to some Italian music or Italian podcasts.
Don’t worry if you don’t understand every single word.
At least your brain will be working on the language while you’re driving.
Check out how to learn Italian in the car.
Spaced Repetition for the Italian Language
You might have heard this concept.
If you haven’t, we’ll explain it to you.
Spaced repetition is a learning method where you space out your study sessions to better commit information to your long-term memory.
Basically, you learn a new word, you study it in strategically-timed review sessions and you’ll end up memorizing it.
You’ll see this word a few minutes after the first time, then a few days later, then a few weeks later, etc.
This way, you’ll make sure it is constantly fresh in your mind.
If you review information too early, you’ll waste your time.
If you review information too late, you will forget it and will have to re-learn it.
In fact, the best time to review information is just before you’re about to forget it.
10 to 15 minutes a day is all it takes to sustainably memorize new foreign-language words and phrases.
Read about spaced repetition for Italian.
Speech Shadowing – Italian
This technique is great to practice speaking in Italian, which means pronunciation and intonation.
You basically listen to someone speak Italian, you repeat exactly what they said, and imitate the pronunciation and intonation.
This way, you’re also practicing vocabulary and using grammar.
As you can see, this doesn’t require much active effort.
In fact, listening is a relatively passive skill.
However, when you practice speech shadowing, your brain is processing a lot of information. It’s absorbing new words, grammar rules, and sounds.
So, in the end, it’s being very active and productive.
The great thing is that you don’t need to have an advanced level to practice speech shadowing.
Find out more about speech shadowing in Italian.
How not to Learn Italian
Now, let’s focus on how not to learn Italian.
First of all, you should never start your language learning without a goal.
Instead, just think about why you’re learning and what level you want to achieve as an Italian student.
Also, don’t think learning is a boring task that has to be carried out. This will make you hate learning Italian.
Instead, try to find the motivation so that you can learn while having fun at the same time.
You shouldn’t rely too much on your teacher. They’re there to teach you and support you but you’re the one who’s learning so you should try your very best!
Don’t focus on passive learning. This means you should be proactive and active. Instead of only listening and reading, practice your other Italian skills like speaking and writing. Don’t focus on just one aspect.
You shouldn’t just learn a new language. Try to learn about the Italian culture, traditions, and people.
Read more about how not to learn Italian.
Gift Ideas for Italian Learners
Last but not least, if you’re learning Italian and you’re loving it, consider convincing a loved one to learn Italian or to do something related to Italy.
You could offer them one of our plans.
It could be a subscription for one, three, or six months which includes full access to premium resources.
If they like films, you could gift them a season ticket to a local cinema or organize a movie night.
If they prefer reading, you could gift them a book or a collection of poems.
You could also offer them something related to arts, music, or fashion, if this is what they’re into, like an afternoon at a museum full of Italian art, a concert, or a replica of a painting by an Italian artist.
You could also take them for dinner at an Italian restaurant or even go to Italy.
This way, you’ll make them very happy and they’ll end up loving Italian.
Learn more about gifts for Italian learners.
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