How should a beginner learn Italian?

Italian is the second most widely spoken native language in the European Union with 67 million speakers and it is spoken as a second language by 13.4 million EU citizens. Including Italian speakers in non-EU European countries and on other continents, the total number of speakers is approximately 85 million. Italian is the main working language of the Holy See, serving as the lingua franca in the Roman Catholic hierarchy as well as the official language of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. Italian is known as the language of music because of its use in musical terminology and opera. Numerous Italian words referring to music have become international terms taken into various languages worldwide. Its influence is also widespread in the arts and in the food and luxury goods markets. It is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family. Italian is, by most measures and together with Sardinian, the closest language to Latin, from which it descends via Vulgar Latin. Italian is an official language in Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, and Vatican City. It has official minority status in western Istria. It formerly had official status in Albania, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Greece and is generally understood in Corsica by Corsican speakers. It also used to be an official language in the former Italian East Africa and Italian North Africa, where it still plays a significant role in various sectors. It is also spoken by large expatriate communities in the Americas and Australia. 

Italian is not a difficult language for a native English speaker. According to FSI [Foreign Service Institute], Italian falls in Group 1, which includes Afrikaans, Danish, Dutch, French, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Swedish. These are the languages that are closely related to English and therefore, would be rather easy to master.

Step1: Enrol into classes

As a beginner, I suggest you let the certified professionals guide you through the process of learning Italian. You can either enrol in physical classes or opt for online classes. As long as the classes follow the CEFR protocol, you’re good to go. These certified professionals can clear your doubts and help you learn the language as per your requirements. If you wish to opt for online classes, then given below are some of the platforms through which you can start learning Italian: 

1. The Italian Experiment
2. Preply
3. FluentU 
4. Multibhashi 

Step 2: Practice by yourself

Once you’ve enrolled in classes, you can’t just rely on them. Therefore, you must practice on your own as well. 

• Practice reading and writing different kinds of literature in Italian. 
• Practice speaking these kinds of literature on your own. 
• Watch Italian movies and shows with English subtitles. 
• Listen to Italian music and podcasts while working. 

Step3: Keep testing your knowledge 

Finally, you need to keep testing yourself on a regular basis to analyse how much you’ve accomplished as well as figure out your rather weak areas that need improvement. You can attempt quizzes, give written exams, attempt viva or if you have enough confidence, initiate or actively engage in a conversation held in Italian. 

Italian is an extremely beneficial language and a great choice for a beginner. Being one of the easiest languages to learn. Mastering Italian will be immensely beneficial for your career and your education in the future. On top of that, it is one of the Romance languages and is known as the language of music. For a beginner, any language can be a little bit tough to master, but once you get used to it, it will turn into a cakewalk. Especially due to how easy Italian is.

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