The Best Way to Learn Italian | Language

By RosannaLingard
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For most of us, learning a foreign language is quite a challenge. It has taken me several New Year's resolutions and a lot of research and determination to achieve the reasonably advanced level of Italian I've got now and I'd like to offer you a few shortcuts.

The main thing is that you really need a teacher. While teach-yourself materials can be useful as back-up, they are no substitute for someone to talk and listen to you, to correct your mistakes and to explain why you should say it this way and not that. I spent a couple of years with a book and CDs but I didn't get to grips with the language until I enrolled on a course (or rather, the right course).

When you are studying maths or history, you can learn a great deal from just listening to a lecture. This doesn't work with language: you need to be speaking. For this reason, it's really important that your class is very small - ideally, just you!

I attended an Italian evening class for about 18 months. I had fun and I made some new friends but I learnt very little. There were too many of us and most people didn't take it seriously, coming more for the social side than the actual study.

When I discovered a language school that specialises in one-to-one courses, I decided to give it a go - and I'm so glad I did! In just over a year, I've reached a level I never dreamed I would. The course goes at my speed and we talk about things I'm interested in, not just whatever is in the next chapter of the book.

Apart from the fact that it's the most efficient way to learn, a one-to-one course is also much more convenient because you can arrange the lessons for times that suit you. With my childcare and work commitments, I really like this flexibility.

We've gradually spoken more and more Italian and now we hardly ever resort to English. It's such a buzz communicating entirely in Italian - it's no longer an academic exercise; it's exchanging ideas. It's challenging sometimes but I wouldn't have it any other way.

The best way to learn Italian, then, is to have one-to-one lessons with a native speaker who is also an experienced teacher. Stop struggling by yourself, don't bother with a big class. You and the right teacher, that's the way forward. I've surprised myself by making such quick progress and you might too!

About the Author

If you are interested in speaking Italian, call the JMJ language school in Manchester and enrol on a one-to-one Italian course.

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