9 Steps to Learn Italian On Your Own: The Self-taught Method That Made me Move to Italy

After choosing your foundational book, you’ll need a dedicated space to jot down the most important points you’ve learned and to follow each of the lessons.

My advice is to use 2 different notebooks so you don’t get lost when reviewing the content: one main Italian notebook and a smaller one for vocabulary and exercises.

2.1 Use the main Italian notebook for rules and exercises from the book, as well as general notes. Use o Caderno de Italiano principal para regras e exercícios do livro e anotações em geral

In this notebook, you will follow the book’s lessons, jot down the rules from each chapter, create summaries, and complete exercises.

This will be your main Italian notebook for following the chosen foundational book. Here are some tips:

• Large notebook: Opt for a larger format notebook (A4 size) as it allows you to record more notes on fewer pages, making it easier to review topics.
• Organization: When starting any page, always write down the date, the topic studied, and the reference chapter from the book for easy review.
• Visual schematization: Whenever possible, use colors and highlighters, underline, and emphasize. It greatly aids in visually assimilating the studied content.

2.2  Use the small notebook to record vocabulary and practice verb conjugation.

This small notebook will be your support notebook, used for daily verb practice and recording new vocabulary.

Before you begin, divide the small notebook into two sections: the first section for Vocabulary (which will be used the most) and the other for Verb Conjugation.

I) Vocabulary Section::

Whenever you come across new words in your studies, you should jot them down here alongside their translation, creating an endless list.

• Technique for practicing Italian vocabulary: Cover the row of Italian words with one hand and read only the Portuguese side. Try to recall the corresponding Italian word, pronouncing it aloud. Note: When making the list, I recommend keeping the Italian words slightly separated from the translations so that you can cover them with your hand when practicing.

II) Verbs Section

For every new verb tense you learn, you will use this section to conjugate verbs by hand (just as we did in school when learning our mother language).

• Technique for practicing Italian verbs and conjugation: Each time you learn a new verb tense, conjugate several verbs in your notebook. For example, if you learned the Present tense in the book, take your Verb notebook and conjugate (without cheating) some verbs in all persons.

3. Study Italian by always reading aloud, imitating the Italian intonation

One of the most challenging aspects of learning Italian on your own is having limited opportunities to speak. In other words, spending little time opening your mouth and pronouncing words and forming sentences out loud.

One technique that saved me from this and helped me become fluent more quickly was my method of “always studying out loud.” It works like this:

3.1 Learn and memorize the pronunciation of each Italian phoneme from the beginning

To be able to study aloud, it’s essential that you first dedicate a significant amount of time to the initial lessons in the book, which will teach you how to pronounce each phoneme correctly.

If you feel that’s not sufficient and you need more details, look for videos on YouTube to get a better understanding.

This is because, when you are self-taught, it’s extremely important to learn in the beginning how to pronounce each letter in Italian correctly.

Without mastering the correct sounds, you may cement incorrect pronunciation in your mind, making it very difficult to correct later on.

3.2 Study out loud and use the role-playing technique consistently

Once you’ve learned the phonemes well, you can start putting into practice the method that involves ALWAYS, absolutely ALWAYS, whenever you’re studying on your own, pronounce OUT LOUD EVERYTHING you read and write, literally opening your mouth and speaking.

My technique involved pronouncing the phoneme as accurately as possible based on what I had learned about phonemes and, at the same time, imitating the sing-songy rhythm of Italians (mamma mia!).

It may sound silly, but I even applied the role-playing technique. While studying, I would get into character as if I were an Italian named “Giulia.”

Literally: open your mouth, pronounce everything out loud, and immerse yourself in the Italian character.

Everything I read or wrote, I also pronounced out loud, imitating an Italian (based on what I was picking up from audios, movies, and videos with natives) and feeling like a Giulia!

Of course, in the beginning, you will make MANY mistakes, but by listening to audios from the book, songs, and movies, your pronunciation of phonemes, intonation, and rhythm will become more and more natural.

• Pronunciation exercise: The exercise that will help you with Italian pronunciation involves listening to the dialogue from the book at least 3 times and then recording your own pronunciation on your phone, repeating the same dialogue and getting into character. Then, simply compare your pronunciation recording with the original audio, looking for mistakes and correct pronunciations. If you have doubts, check the same word on Google Translate to confirm the correct pronunciation.

This is a crucial tip to unlock your Italian because it gets your mouth and tongue used to this new experience.

When you need to speak with someone, it will be a fluid and natural thing.

4. Learn to listen to Italian songs actively

We all know the importance of listening to music when we’re learning a language, and the same applies to Italian.

But simply listening to a song won’t get you far if you’re just enjoying the rhythm or mimicking the sounds, like a parrot learning to sing.

The golden tip that will turn the key to your Italian learning is learning to listen to music actively.

4.1 Use the Musixmatch app to learn Italian on your own

Listening to music actively means engaging cognitively with the song, attributing real words to the lyrics, and understanding their meaning.

To do this, you need to listen to music while reading the original lyrics and their translation.

It might seem complicated to organize, right?

But fortunately, there is an app that does all of this automatically: it’s “Musixmatch,” a free app available on the App Store or Google Play, which will become your best friend in the mission of learning Italian on your own.

When you download it, simply connect it to the Spotify on your phone, and you’re ready to go. Every time you start a song with Spotify, just open the Musixmatch app, and it will automatically display the original lyrics with the Portuguese translation and, even better, sync verse by verse with the music in real-time.

 

 

With Musixmatch, you can follow the Italian lyrics along with the corresponding translation already synchronized with the music.

When I started studying, this app was the biggest factor in speeding up my listening comprehension. I consider it essential on the journey to learning Italian on your own.

So, remember to listen to music actively using Musixmatch every day. Don’t skip this activity, and soon you’ll notice how much easier it becomes to understand the songs.

4.2 Best Songs to Learn Italian on Your Own

But what should you listen to? Fortunately, that won’t be a big problem.

The Italian music scene is very diverse, and you will certainly find several bands that suit your musical taste.

For beginners, the best songs to learn Italian are the classics from Laura Pausini and Tiziano Ferro.

Some may consider them cliché, but the diction and vocal projection of these two singers are excellent, making it much easier for beginners to understand Italian.

Tiziano and Laura, undeniably the king and queen of perfect songs for the goal of learning Italian on your own.

Besides, both of them have little to no regional accent, ensuring that you’ll be learning standard Italian and not parts of a dialect.

The lyrics are also easy to sing and understand, with few abstractions, which contributes to quick assimilation in the beginning.

That’s why I believe the best songs for learning Italian on your own (i.e., clearer and easier to assimilate) are their biggest hits:

• Laura Pausini: Benvenuto, La solitudine, Non c’è, Incancellabile, Vivimi, Invece no, Non ho mai smesso, Bellissimo così, Simili, Primavera in anticipo, Speranza, Strani Amori, e etc;
• Tiziano Ferro: Il regalo più grande, Potremmo ritornare, La differenza tra me e te, Non me lo so piegare, Perdono, Imbranato, Sere nere, Ti scatterò una foto, Ed ero contentissimo, Incanto, L’amore è una cosa semplice, e etc;

I strongly advise starting with them (exactly what I did) and dedicating yourself to learning them well. If you already know all the songs or are familiar with them all, you can venture into other artists (but remember that you’ll likely encounter more complex Italian).

Some additional suggestions:

• Rock:  Negramaro, Ligabue e Vasco Rossi e Maneskin.
• Pop: Jovanotti, Zero Assoluto, Marco Mengoni, Alessandra Amoroso e Fedez.
• Alternativa/indie: Pinguini Tattici Nucleari, Coez e Calcutta.

5. Watch at least 1 Italian movie per week and gradually increase the difficulty with subtitles

Another fundamental activity to assimilate and learn Italian faster is, of course, watching Italian movies and series.

Movies have the power to expose you to both formal and informal dialogues that not only stimulate your listening comprehension but also introduce you to the cadence, rhythm, and speed of everyday spoken Italian.

But it’s not helpful to watch just any movie without purpose, only when the mood strikes you. You need a strategy for watching films with the goal of learning Italian.

5.1 Prepare a list of the first 10 Italian movies or series to watch, and set a fixed day of the week to watch them

So, the first step will be to create your personal list of the 10 movies or series that you will watch first on your journey to learn Italian.

• Prepare a list of 10 movies: List in advance on a spreadsheet or sheet what you’ll watch first so you never waste time looking.
• Set a fixed day: Choose a day of the week, for example, Wednesday night, and nickname it ‘Italian Night’ (Serata italiana). Commit to dedicating that night every week to immerse yourself in the world of an Italian movie or series.
• Clear the list: As you watch, gradually eliminate items from your list, and when you’ve finished them all, create a new list with another 10 movies and start over from scratch.

Feel free to choose the criteria that suit you best: the greatest Italian movies, the best dramas, the most successful Netflix series…

I can start by suggesting 2 movies that I love: “Perfetti Sconosciuti” and “Non ho paura,” but the other 8 are up to your personal taste!

The important thing is to prepare your initial list of movies and series, remember to stick to the Italian Night, and as soon as you finish the first list, prepare a new one with more options! And repeat!

5.2 Don’t rush your progression with movie subtitles

Many people believe that watching movies with Italian audio and subtitles from the beginning of their studies can speed up comprehension.

However, this is a hasty tactic that will only frustrate you and give you the feeling of little or no understanding, eliminating all the pleasure of watching the movie and listening to the language.

Therefore, your progression should be gradual and structured. I suggest you organize it like this:

• Take it easy:  At the beginning, watch movies in Italian (or dubbed in Italian), but always with subtitles in your mothertongue.
• Enjoy the learning process:   You will start to hear familiar words, notice the cadence and rhythm of Italian, and all of this contributes a lot to your learning, even with subtitles.
• Know when to advance: Only after completing your first Italian book, consider gradually switching from Portuguese to Italian subtitles. Even then, choose movies you are already familiar with to facilitate the transition to Italian subtitles.

6. Talk to native Italians using the free language exchange app

Okay, we’ve already discussed Italian books, music, and movies, but language learning is never complete without interacting with other people.

The problem is that if you’re studying Italian on your own, you’ll encounter the challenge of finding people to practice with.

Fortunately, there’s a free app that’s perfect for this because it puts you in direct contact with native Italian speakers!

This app helped me immensely during my studies, and that’s why this is one of the most valuable tips I’m sharing with you today!

6.1 HelloTalk App for Speaking with Natives and Language Exchange

The most practical and easy way to find and speak with Italians is undoubtedly through the HelloTalk app.

HelloTalk is an amazing free app (available on the App Store and Google Play) that gives us the unique opportunity to chat with native speakers of the language we’re learning!

It works like this: you register your native language and the language you want to learn, and the app will find native speakers in your target language who also want to learn your native language.

So, you download the free app and create your profile, indicating that you speak English (for example) and want to learn Italian.

Once you’ve completed this step, the app will simply show you a list of all potential language exchange partners, which means native Italians registered on the platform who want to learn your native language!

Isn’t it amazing? Just a few clicks and you can find several native Italians who probably love your language to chat with!

The best part is that it’s an app focused on language exchange and healthy friendships without spam or harassment (if it happens, just report it, and the app will block the offender).

6.2 Advantages of HelloTalk App for Those Who Want to Learn Italian on Their Own

The advantages of the app to learn talian on your own are numerous:

• Find native Italians interested in learning your language and passionate about your home country.
• Chat by text and send voice messages to practice pronunciation.
• Correct each other’s messages in case of errors.
• Divide the conversation time between each language.
• Start up to 10 new conversations per day on the free plan.

This app is an excellent way to practice your Italian conversation skills, get feedback from native speakers, and make new friends in the process. It’s a valuable resource for anyone learning Italian on their own.

 

 As features of being able to correct text and send audio freely are very practical for language exchange. 

That’s why I suggest you download the app and practice your Italian every day by actively talking to the natives you’ll find on the platform.

It will not only help you practice your written and spoken conversation but also give you the incredible opportunity to make many Italian friends, as happened to me. 

I must confess that this app is so powerful that it ended up changing my life forever: it was there that I met Peppe, my Italian boyfriend and life companion since 2017!

Our complete story is for another chapter, but I’ll always be grateful to HelloTalk for allowing us to meet ;D

 

 Me and Peppe in Rome doing what we love the most: exploring every corner of Italy together! From HelloTalk to real life… Who would have thought, right?

7. Consume content from Italian pages on social media

To complete your immersion and increase your exposure to the Italian language, we can’t forget about the place where we spend so much time… social media.

7.1 Best Italian Instagram profiles to follow for learning Italian on your own

I suggest you start by following ALL 15 profiles on the list below and interact whenever you like their content. This way, the algorithm will recommend more and more new Italian content to you.

• 6 Italian IG profiles about travelling: @acchiappamappa , @matterizzi , @travel.mati, @ilsignorfranz , @ireneccloset , @gabdetails , @littletravelsbiglove ;
• 3 Italian IG profiles about news: @ilsole_24ore , @focus_ita , @larepubblica ;
• 3 Italian IG profiles about curiosities: @will_ita, @geopop, @focus_ita ;
• 3 Italian IG profiles that teach Italian: @lets.be.italians , @theitalianlizard, @lucreziaoddone ;

 

 The @acchiappamappa profile talks about family travel in a very light-hearted way, using a lot of stories and reels.

If you don’t really like one of the profiles, you can simply unfollow it, but remember to replace it with another Italian profile so that you always follow at least 15 Italian pages.

This will help maintain a high level of exposure to Italian on social media. 

7.2 The top 10 most followed Italians on Instagram in 2022

For the curious ones, I’ve also compiled a list of the top 10 most followed Italians on Instagram in 2022.

I must warn you that these are all profiles of celebrities and VIPs, and not all of them may be considered “constructive” content pages.

Therefore, I recommend that you evaluate what’s worth following based on your own personal taste:

• Top 10 Italians most followed on Instagram: @khaby00 (79,9 M); @chiaraferragni (27,7M); @gianlucavacchi (22,5M); @iammichelemorroneofficial (15,3M); @fedez (14,1M); @valentinorossi (14,1M); @belenrodriguezreal (10,5M); @mb459 (10,5M); @gianluigibuffon (9,9M); @andreapirlo21 (9M);

8. Create a study plan that combines Active Study from the book and Language Exposure 

With the book, notebook, and all the techniques in hand, you’re almost ready to take your first steps with Italian.

But before you start studying the book, you need to create a study plan to complete it from start to finish.

Here are 3 tips for building an efficient and achievable study plan to learn Italian on your own from scratch:

8.1 Start by defining the Active Study period (book study)

The biggest reason people give up on studying Italian is starting to study without a plan.

They buy a book, and as soon as it arrives, they try to complete one, two, or even three chapters. But the next day, they already feel tired and do one chapter, then none on the following day, until they eventually give up on the book altogether.

If you want to learn Italian on your own, you need to create a balanced and sustainable study plan, dedicating real Active Study time to complete your book and minimizing the chances of inconsistency leading to quitting.

First, organize your weekly schedule in a spreadsheet or on a piece of paper

On a sheet of paper or an Excel spreadsheet, jot down all your fixed commitments, personal or professional, that repeat throughout a week.

This step is crucial for you to understand how much free time you have to dedicate to studying Italian without disrupting your daily commitments. By organizing a personalized schedule, it will be easier and more enjoyable to follow it from start to finish.

Next, determine the days and times for Active Study and fit them into the weekly schedule you prepared

After defining the schedule for your fixed commitments, you need to establish the times for Active Study in your week (steps 1-3 of the step-by-step guide).

This is the moment when you should sit down at your desk or workspace, open the foundational book, and notebooks to actively engage with studying from the book.

I know it might seem boring, but without a well-defined study time, it’s extremely difficult to learn a language on your own.

For me, it only worked when I started having fixed times to actively study at my desk. It was like having my own language school at home.

Remember that the planning for Active Study in Italian also depends on the book you’ve chosen.

So, when you buy the book and receive it at home, spend the first day examining its structure. How is it divided? Are the chapters long or short?

This information will help you determine the best way to fit the lessons from the book into your week.

For example, if the book is divided into long chapters, you can decide to break it down into two or more days of study. On the other hand, if the book has shorter chapters, you might feel comfortable doing one (or even more) chapters per day.

Suggestion for Frequency and Time Allocated to Active Study

Set a frequency and duration for each active study session, taking into account your personal schedule and the structure of the book you purchased.

With experience, I’ve learned that there are ideal minimum and maximum limits to optimize the goal of learning Italian on your own:

• Suggested Frequency:
  • MIN: 3 times a week, to space out your assimilation and maintain constant contact.
  • MAX: 5 times a week, because I believe at least two days off are essential to prevent burnout and quitting. Beyond that, you might start to feel a bit exhausted and inclined to give up.
• Suggested Time:
  • MIN: 30 minutes, as it’s the time needed for you to start immersing yourself in the content. If you finish the day’s chapter before that, continue practicing verbs, vocabulary, and exercises until you’ve reached at least half an hour.
  • MAX: 1 hour. I recommend respecting the 1-hour limit so you don’t get tired and become less motivated the next day. Of course, if you’re in a good rhythm, you can continue, but don’t overdo it. It’s much better to preserve consistency than to increase study duration.

8.2 Enhance Your Study Plan by Adding Italian Exposure Activities

After setting the active study time, you also need to include time in your study plan for activities that expose you to the language (topics 4-7 of the step-by-step guide).

I recommend:

• Listening to music actively: at least 10 minutes per day (3 songs)
• Watching Italian movies or series: at least once a week
• Conversing with native Italians on the app: at least once every 2 days
• Consuming content from Italian pages on social media: daily

I suggest you first define the day for “Serata Italiana” (Italian night), which is the activity that requires the most time and effort. 

You can manage the other activities autonomously, but you need to add them to your study plan in any case to have a reminder and daily motivation to do them and not end up neglecting them.

9. Put Your Plan into Action to Learn Italian on Your Own and Develop Self-Discipline

The most important aspect of this Italian learning journey will be putting your created plan into action and developing self-discipline to allocate time for active study and all the language exposure activities outlined in this guide.

4 Tips for developing self-discipline to study Italian on your own:

Recap: the 9 steps to learn Italian on your own

Now you have the roadmap: exactly the same step-by-step process I used to learn Italian on my own.

1. Start by choosing a self-study book as your foundation and follow it from beginning to end.

2. Have 2 notebooks: one large one to follow the book and a smaller one for verbs and vocabulary.

3. Study Italian by always reading aloud, imitating Italian intonation.

4. Learn to actively listen to Italian songs.

5. Watch at least one Italian film per week and gradually increase the difficulty with subtitles.

6. Chat with native Italians using the free language exchange app.

7. Consume content from Italian pages on social media.

8. Create a study plan that combines Active Study from the book and Language Exposure Activities.

9. Put your Solo Italian Learning Plan into action and develop self-discipline.

Don’t postpone it: START TODAY! 

GO BACK ABOVE AND CHOOSE YOUR FOUNDATION BOOK.

And remember: regardless of what happens, stay steadfast in your purpose, and never be discouraged if someone tells you that Italian is a “useless” language.

Languages are NOT tools to be judged by their “usefulness.” They are living elements that change over time and also change us!

In my case, learning Italian ended up changing my entire life!

Follow me on Instagram to keep up with my daily life in Italy

Hello, I’m Julia from Querida Itália. I’m a curious carioca, graduated in marketing from Bocconi, and I’ve been living in Italy since 2017.

My goal is to help everyone who is on a journey with Italy, no matter what it may be: traveling, studying, working, or living here!

I share the experiences I’ve accumulated over these years to help people encounter fewer challenges and have more time to be amazed by the wonders of our beloved Italy.

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