Learning Italian with podcasts: why?
Learning Italian with podcasts has several benefits.
First of all, a podcast is often more engaging than textbooks and makes language learning smoother and less stressful.
Sometimes, studying a foreign language can become boring because you spend too much time on the theory and don’t focus on the practice (which, in most cases, means listening and actively speaking).
With a podcast, you can skip the boring part and pour your energies into one of the best aspects of learning a language: listening to a native speaker.
When you listen to an Italian podcast, you enhance your grammar and vocabulary because you see how Italians use grammar constructs and words in everyday language.
What’s more, you improve your listening comprehension and learn the correct pronunciation of each word.
This also means that you get to listen to real Italian: you understand how Italians choose the words they use, and you become able to put each word in the right context!
Sometimes, when you learn new Italian words, you cannot place them in the correct place. A podcast helps you find the perfect context for the words you learn.
Last but not least, you can listen to an Italian podcast almost everywhere: in the car, when you wash the dishes or clean the room, or on your way to work.
This means that you can have the chance to practice Italian everywhere.
How to learn Italian with podcasts?
Podcasts are easy to use. All you have to do is to subscribe. If the podcast is free, you don’t have to do anything else. Otherwise, you need to pay a subscription fee.
Be sure to install a proper reader on your device to enjoy the listening activity to the fullest.
Learning Italian with podcasts: what’s my level?
Are you asking yourself whether you’ll be able to understand what you listen to?
Are you worried that you’ve chosen a podcast that is too difficult for you?
If so, how to avoid this?
The ideal podcast should make you hold attention while also challenging you a little bit to push your limit forward.
You should be able to understand the speaker without the need to stop the audio for every sentence.
The ultimate goal is to understand the speaker when he talks at his natural speed.
The best podcasts to learn Italian
What are the best podcasts to learn Italian?
It depends on many factors: your language proficiency, your needs, and also your interests.
There’s no doubt that listening to a podcast about art is pretty unuseful if you’re not interested in art at all.
On the other side, if you listen to something about which you’re passionate, you’ll be more interested in the content and learn faster.
If you love cooking, listening to a podcast about recipes can make learning Italian much more interesting. Similarly, if you’re a sports lover, try to find a podcast that talks about sports. The same goes for everything you’re passionate about.
Let’s see some of my favorite podcasts for Italian learners.
Quattro stagioni
The “Quattro stagioni” podcast is designed for a beginner who wants to start speaking Italian.
The main topics are recipes, travel, and stories (from biographies to interesting anecdotes).
There’s a great variety of topics, and you will likely find something interesting to approach Italian learning.
You can listen to the podcast for free. Otherwise, you can sign up for the premium version to access PDF transcripts, games, and exercises.
Coffee Break Italian
The “Coffee Break Italian” podcast is engaging because it is based on typical conversations you can have when you go for a coffee with a friend.
In each episode, the teachers give tips about Italian grammar and cultural information. They also explain how to use the Italian language in practical situations.
To access Coffee Break Italian, you can sign up for a free trial lesson, after which you need to pay a subscription fee.
News in slow Italian
The “News in slow Italian” podcast is a huge collection of news in Italian and is a great way to learn more about Italian society and lifestyle.
You can find episodes for all language levels: from beginner to advanced learners.
News in slow Italian allows you to learn the most common Italian expressions, expand your Italian vocabulary, and get lots of insights into Italian culture.
You can listen to the news at the pace you’re more comfortable with and read the English translation to understand the meaning.
Currently, this podcast is available for a small monthly fee.
Con parole nostre
Barbara, Elfin, and Silvia are three friends who decided to find the “Con parole nostre” podcast.
The format of each episode is based on authentic conversations between friends.
The concept is simple: the three friends meet and talk about many different topics in a very spontaneous way.
The conversations sound natural and engaging while being pretty detailed and using complex words. That’s what makes this podcast one of the best for advanced Italian learners.
You can access the Italian transcript if the pace is too fast for you.
Rai Play
Rai is the most popular TV and radio broadcast in Italy and offers a wide variety of podcasts.
The shows are addressed to Italians, so there’s no doubt that Rai Play is for an advanced learner who already has a good grasp of the Italian language.
There’s a huge variety of topics: movies, economy, music, history, interviews, and many more.
Ripeti con me!
“Ripeti con me!” is an online audio course designed to make you think in Italian.
It is one of the best online courses to learn Italian because it has been created to make you learn Italian in a short time.
All you need to do is to listen to the audio lesson for 20 minutes a day, and you’ll learn the language easily and effortlessly.
How can you do so?
Ripeti con me! Is based on the speech shadowing technique, which means that you will listen to a native speaker, repeat every word you hear, and use the same pronunciation and intonation.
In this way, you can absorb new words and phrases naturally and enhance your Italian pronunciation.
The format of the course is slightly different from a podcast, but it has some features in common: the stories are based on real-life situations, and you can access an Italian transcript and an English translation.
Ripeti con me! Is ideal for Italian learners who want to speak naturally in Italian and learn the language in an active and engaging way.
There are lessons for each level: beginner, intermediate, and advanced.
You can take a free trial lesson and then sign up for the paid audio course.
Learn more about “Ripeti con me!” in this detailed review.
Learning Italian with podcasts is possible
Listening to an Italian podcast allows you to:
- Improve your listening skills;
- Learn more about Italian culture and lifestyle;
- Enhance your pronunciation;
- Learn new words and put them into the right context;
- Speak as Italians do.
With constant practice, you’ll be able to speak Italian very soon.
The best way to learn Italian (or any other language) with a podcast is to listen to the podcast (even for 10 minutes a day), write down the words you understand and those you don’t, and try to write a summary.
You can combine the podcast with coaching or tutoring sessions to bring your Italian to an upper level.
A language tutor can help you place the words into the right contexts, understand the meaning of more complex sentences, and get an idea of the global meaning of what you hear.
Listen to the episode, stop it, repeat it, and practice with a tutor or a language exchange partner.
Learn more about how an Italian coach can help you master the language.
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