How to Learn Italian, Properly | Language

By HenriettaLaurenston
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Have you noticed how language courses these days are so concerned with speed and avoiding 'the boring bits' that the knowledge they offer you is usually sketchy at best? As someone who actually likes grammar, I find that frustrating - and slightly insulting. However, I'm happy to say I have finally found a course that suits me.

Back in the Eighties, when I was at school, we used to conjugate our French verbs out loud, we knew why the word for 'beautiful' is sometimes 'beau' and sometimes 'belle'; we were able to use the language because we understood how it works.

Of course, old-fashioned language-teaching methods have their faults but, to me, they are more effective than the dumbed-down courses that keep tumbling on to the market every day. The principal drawback to the traditional system is the emphasis on reading and writing; oral communication should be encouraged first.

Modern methods focus on speaking and listening, which is good, but what I find difficult and annoying is that the grammar is rarely presented in any systematic form. We tend to have the word(s) for "I am" on page 2 and "She is" somewhere further in. What I want is to see the whole of the present tense of the verb To Be conjugated in all its persons, in one table.

It is a manifestation of the current culture, craving instant gratification, that so many language courses offer Italian in a Week - or even a day! Learning a language is a considerable undertaking and it's simply not realistic to pretend it can be done in less than a few months. If your idea of 'speaking' Italian is being able to say "buongiorno", "grazie," and "gelato", then OK, you can achieve this in a day. However, if what you mean is being able to hold a conversation, even if only about what you did yesterday and what you like about Italy, then you need to settle down and study properly.

The first two or three weeks or so are a grind. We have to accept that. Committing to memory all those endings, not confusing verb endings with noun endings, getting to grips with genders and all the different words for "the" It's hard work. But it is SO well worth it!

After the first few weeks, it all gets more interesting but it's really no good trying to skip that initial phase. If your Italian has not got firm foundations, it will be shaky for ever. However, if you put in the effort at the beginning, you will develop into an accurate, confident speaker of this beautiful language.

Teaching materials, then, should provide clear explanations of how the language works, as well as lots of practice exercises, so we can check we have understood as we go along.

Three or four months ago, I bought an e-book called Italian for Beginners and I've just finished studying it. It's taken me to probably intermediate level and, while there's still more to learn, I'm confident that I really know what I've covered so far. Adesso parlo italiano abbastanza bene!

About the Author

If you are keen on Italy and want to learn Italian properly, visit Italy Info and download Italian for Beginners.

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