If you’re unilingual, learning another language is uncharted territory – it’s daunting. The good and the bad news is, there is no clear path. Communication is a personal trek. What works for others may not for you – therefore, to give a “blueprint” on mastering Italian is aimless. Instead of a rigid curriculum where you’re forced to colour inside the lines, it’s very much a freestyle linguistic artwork.
Discover my seven recommended strategies for improving your Italian.
How to improve Italian: 7 strategies to apply now!
1) Understand your learning style
You should have the self-awareness of knowing what your successful study habits are, but there is one more thing to consider: is it fun? Don’t burden yourself doing mundane, yet effective tactics because it worked at school. Use the learning method (aural, visual, kinesthetic, etc.) as a starting point, then vary the tasks to keep things fresh.
2) Invest in quality and fun products
The keyword is quality. Review Amazon ratings (from verified buyers) and accredited product endorsements, affirming your investment as a practical tool.
Here are two recommended products and methods that improve your Italian:
- Use flash cards to take full advantage of your visual memory.
Buy here Everyday Words Flashcards: Italian Cards >>
- Stick stickers/post-it around your home to become more familiar with Italian words.
Buy here FlashSticks Italian Intermediate Post-it Notes >>
3) Practice makes perfect
Like all things in life, daily repetition (as few as 10 minutes a day!) make it more likely you will retain the knowledge; otherwise, you’ll be stuck in a cycle of re-learning if studying periodically. Circling that calendar and setting a timer is all it takes to improve your skillset.
4) Embrace your mistakes
Striving for perfection is normal – who doesn’t want to be perfect? However, as a child, when you learned your native language, you spoke without hesitation and adapted by being corrected by loved and other methods. Improve your Italian by learning from your mistakes and recognising areas for improvement.
5) Immerse yourself
There’s only so much you can learn with textbooks. Until you can put it into practice, it’s exponentially challenging to gauge your Italian language improvement. Besides, isn’t the point of learning a new language to use it? Surround yourself in an environment that forces you to speak Italian, like an Italian restaurant. Heck, treat yourself to a trip to Italy – I’ll let you know some great locations.
6) Mix things up
Variety is the spice of life, and improving your Italian is no different. Create a legend on your calendar by colour coding the various daily exercises, ensuring you’re learning in many ways. Find a way to make it fun by diversifying your education. It motivates you to make valiant attempts at learning, even though there may be a discipline that you find unfavourable. For example, you can download one of the suggested apps whilst listening to Italian CDs.
7) Grab a study buddy
The more, the merrier! Conversing with yourself is a lonely feeling, and you won’t know if what you’re saying is comprehensible either. Having a friend or a tutor as a sounding board will increase your self-awareness and confidence in real-life situations.
Want a improve your Italian or recommendations on language materials? Send me a quick message, and I’ll give you a few other tips reserved exclusively for my students.
Italian Courses Southampton 