Which Italian audio course works best?
When I developed my Italian audio course “Ripeti con me!”, I reviewed other popular courses to combine their best features into it. I’m sharing this little research with you.
Audio courses are an excellent way to learn Italian in your car.
Each review covers the following aspects of the course: concept, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, guidance, structure, price, pros, cons, and my advice.
I compared my course with the Italian versions of the audio courses that I use myself to learn other languages and which I recommend to any motivated learner.
I encourage you to check out the courses below and possibly take them in parallel with my course.
Here you will find a review of these Italian language courses:
- Ripeti con me!
- Pimsleur
- Glossika
- ItalianPod101
- LanguaTalk
Why this selection of Italian language audio courses? I cannot compare Italian online courses that I don’t know, and I don’t feel the need to consider those that I don’t find useful.
Apart from Italian language audio courses, I also recommend other kinds of learning resources, but they’re not audio courses. Thus, those resources are out of the scope of this review.
Now that there are also Italian readings available for subscription, you might also be interested in the review of other reading material: LingQ.
Ripeti con me!
Concept
Spaced repetition of comprehensible input balanced by variety and relevance in small daily doses.
Pronunciation
Acquired unconsciously by listening and repeating sentences.
Vocabulary
They are acquired unconsciously by listening and repeating sentences. Basic vocabulary is repeated throughout the course. Contents are kept practical.
Sentences are not related to each other.
There’s even a lesson about Italian swear words! It can’t be boring.
Grammar
Acquired unconsciously, straight from sentences. Grammar patterns are repeated intensively during each lesson, with occasional repetition from lesson to lesson.
Structure
Series of sentences in a set of 3 files per lesson. 15-25 min per lesson.
Guidance
No guidance at all. Only sentences in English and Italian. This might sound uncomfortable, but it’s the best way to learn Italian on your own.
Price
About 10 US$ / 10 lessons (discounts available)
Pros
- Useful vocabulary
- Enough variety to avoid feeling repetitive
- Enough repetition to be effective
- Not too much vocabulary to absorb in a day
- Clear and correct pronunciation
- Natural speaking rate
- Easy to use: 1 lesson a day, every day
- Economical choice
- Much better than a podcast
Cons
- Well, I sell it, so… 🙂
- Suggestions?
My advice:
Total beginners can take it without being either overwhelmed or bored. It’s the most effective among similar learning resources.
Pimsleur
Concept
Rigorous spaced repetition at the expense of variety, with guidance in English.
Pronunciation
Practiced consciously from phonemes and words by listening and repeating, with guidance in English.
Vocabulary
Very limited. Based on very short dialogues and variations. You end up listening and repeating keywords more than ten times in a lesson.
Grammar
Focus on mastering a limited set of basic sentence patterns.
Structure
Short dialogue, then drills from the previous lesson and new contents, all meticulously repeated at intervals. 25-30 min per lesson.
Guidance
Occasionally, given in English on pronunciation, grammar, word meaning, and usage.
Price
120.00 US$ / 30 lessons
Pros
- Meticulously timed intervals
- Reassuring guidance
- Clear and correct pronunciation
- Easy listening with a natural speaking rate
- Available in many languages (not only Italian)
- Easy to use: 1 lesson a day, every day
Cons
- Contents are repeated to the extent that many would find boring
- Very limited vocabulary
- Dialogues are in a formal speech from day one, which I’d spare for beginners and are not needed if not in a work context.
- Less fun than a podcast
- Expensive
My advice
Still more effective than traditional learning resources. Good for motivated total beginners in their first 1-5 months of study. There are better options for the intermediate level.
The best place to buy it is on Pimsleur’s official website.
Two versions are available: premium (app, more expensive) and audio-only (MP3s, cheaper, recommended).
Whichever you choose, use the code SAVENOW at checkout to save up to 25%.
For more information, check out my detailed review of Pimsleur Italian.
Glossika
Concept
Spaced repetition with an overwhelming variety of vocabulary and high involvement.
Pronunciation
Acquired unconsciously by listening and repeating sentences.
Vocabulary
Overwhelming, from day one, especially at normal playback speed. Sentences often sound unnatural. Sentences are not related to each other.
Grammar
Acquired unconsciously, straight from sentences. Grammar patterns are repeated intensively during each lesson, with occasional repetitions from lesson to lesson.
Structure
Raw sentences in a set of 3 files per lesson. About 30 min per lesson.
Guidance
No guidance at all. Only sentences in English and Italian.
Price
30.00 US$ / 30 lessons
Pros
- Variety of vocabulary
- Available in many languages (not only Italian)
- Relatively cheap
Cons
- The speaking rate is fast, even for a native speaker, to the point that I’d find it discouraging.
- The Italian speaker has a regional accent.
- One Italian speaker cannot roll her R’s (!), while another speaks like a robot.
- The English and Italian versions of the sentences don’t always match precisely.
- Vocabulary is not repeated enough
- Less fun than a podcast
- Many sentences are awkward, unnaturally phrased, or just unlikely
- The same English sentences are translated into all languages, including Italian, with no customization
- The recommended daily workload is off-putting even for the most motivated learner
- The booklet includes sentences in the international phonetic alphabet, which I find totally useless, distracting, and confusing (I’ve never learned it)
- There’s not enough silence left to repeat the sentence
- The repetition schedule is confusing
- Some sentences are too long
My advice
Still more effective than traditional learning resources.
Good for brave students starting from the lower intermediate level (A2) or intermediate level (B1).
Update: Unfortunately, Glossika has become an app and is no longer available as an audio course in MP3app and is not available as an audio course in MP3 anymore.
While an app can be more fun than an audio-only or audio + booklet, it can also be distracting.
For more information, check out my detailed review of Glossika Italian.
ItalianPod101
Concept
This Italian language audio course (podcast) is not based on spaced repetition, but it still has a structure I’d expect from a good all-in-one self-study textbook.
It’s more of a podcast to learn Italian.
Pronunciation
Acquired unconsciously, straight from dialogues and vocabulary lists. However, listening alone is not enough to learn.
Vocabulary
Based on dialogues and grouped by topic. Words rarely occur more than once in each dialogue, and no intentional repetition is noticeable throughout the course. Listening alone is not enough to learn.
Grammar
Grammar notes are given in English in a separate section. Listening alone is not enough to learn.
Structure
Dialogue, vocabulary lists, culture notes, and grammar notes, as in a podcast. About 10 min per lesson.
Guidance
A full translation is given during the dialogue. Each lesson (podcast) includes grammar and culture notes, all in English.
Price
8.00 US$ / month
Pros
- Variety of topics
- Grammar notes can solve many doubts
- Available in many languages (not only Italian)
- Very cheap
Cons
- No clear course plan
- Virtually no repetition
- The culture notes in this podcast format are useless from the point of view of language learning.
- Listening to all those explanations in English as in a podcast is distracting (I always skip them completely)
- The slow version of the dialogue is too slow
- The podcast format is distracting
My advice
Good choice from traditional learning resources. Good from level A2, to be taken occasionally as a plus.
LanguaTalk
Concept
It is an online language learning platform that offers personalized conversation practice with native speakers through video chat.
LanguaTalk’s concept is based on the idea that learners can improve their language skills through natural conversation practice with native speakers.
Pronunciation
They allow learners to practice their pronunciation with native speakers.
Tutors are trained to provide feedback on pronunciation and help learners improve their speaking skills. The platform also offers audio recordings and exercises to help learners improve their pronunciation.
Vocabulary
Languatalk’s structure is flexible and personalized to meet the needs of individual learners.
Learners can schedule sessions with tutors at their convenience. The platform offers a range of lesson formats, including conversation practice, grammar review, vocabulary building, and cultural exploration.
Tutors provide learners with vocabulary lists and help them practice using new words in conversation.
Grammar
They provides learners with personalized grammar practice.
Tutors help learners identify and correct grammatical errors and provide explanations and examples to help learners understand grammar rules.
Structure
LanguaTalk’s structure is flexible and personalized to meet the needs of individual learners. Learners can schedule sessions with tutors at their convenience.
The platform offers a range of lesson formats, including conversation practice, grammar review, vocabulary building, and cultural exploration.
Guidance
They provide learners with guidance from certified tutors who are trained to provide personalized feedback and support. Tutors help learners set goals, track their progress, and provide guidance and support throughout the learning journey.
Price
14 USD (€12/£10) to 40 USD (€34/£29) per 55-minute lesson.
Pros
- Personalized conversation practice with native speakers
- Flexible scheduling
- Personalized feedback and guidance
- Competitive pricing.
Cons
- Limited range of lesson formats
- The need for a stable internet connection to participate in video chat sessions.
My advice
As an Italian tutor, I would use Languatalk as a supplement to other language-learning resources.
While personalized conversation practice with native speakers can be incredibly valuable, it’s important also to incorporate structured lessons that cover grammar, vocabulary, and cultural context.
Languatalk can be a great way to practice speaking and listening skills, but learners should also focus on building a strong foundation of language skills through other resources.
Check what students say about learning via LanguaTalk.
The best Italian audio course: Ripeti con me!
Here are my conclusions to picking your Italian language audio course.
As with all learning resources, these Italian language audio courses have pros and cons.
That said, if I were a total beginner and I had to pick one single course, I’d go for Ripeti con me! Because you get to speak Italian every day – which is paramount – at a low price.
However, if you still feel like you need guidance and don’t mind keeping a slower pace, Pimsleur is your best friend – an expensive friend.
If you already speak basic Italian and want to boost your vocabulary, master new grammar patterns, and speak faster, both Ripeti con me! And Glossika can help.
More conventional Italian language audio courses like ItalianPod101 are not bad if used in concomitance with other courses focused on speaking or 1-on-1 tutoring, and are certainly a good deal for the number of lessons you get.
Still translating in your head? Wanna speak Italian for real? Check out Stefano's courses to think directly in Italian and become fluent fast!
