Learning to Speak Italian

Treviso, Italy
 copyright 2018 Candace Borth

     If you want to go to Italy without the expense and structure of a tour group, the single, most beneficial way you can help yourself is learning the language.   It will help you plan your trip, navigate once you are there, and help you better understand the people and the culture.

     I know, just the thought of having to learn a whole new way of speaking and an entirely different set of grammar rules is enough to make anyone have second thoughts.   But it doesn’t have to be a deal breaker. 

     I grew up speaking only English.  When my husband and I began thinking about going to Italy, I began learning Italian.  After only somewhat successful results in language learning with a grammar school approach,  I found Rosetta Stone to be  a huge improvement.  I was really learning to understand and speak Italian.  It payed off by helping me save money, giving me confidence to to perform everyday tasks while I was in Italy, and opening up so many opportunities for fun, relaxation and enjoyment.

Here are some things that I found useful as I began learning

Approach it as a game.  Have fun with it.  It’s not the end of the world if you get something wrong.  You can repeat an exercise as often as you like.  You can also go back and repeat just the questions you missed to boost your score. 

Look up a tricky word or phrase.  It’s not cheating.  It’s just another way of learning. You could use an Italian-English, English Italian Dictionary like this this one, or go to Google's translator and type in your word.  Google also has a translation app you can get for your phone.

Be consistent.  Working with the language every day, even if it’s only for a few minutes will help you remember what you’ve learned.

Don’t skip the speaking modules.  If your goal is to smile and casually reply “Buon giorno,” when someone greets you on the street or at the grocery store, you need to practice saying it now.  Rosetta Stone is programmed to listen to you when you speak and rate your pronunciation.  Sometimes it can be frustrating.  Make sure you have a good microphone and little background noise.  If you’re having continuous trouble with the pronunciation you can change the program’s sensitivity.

Learn as much as you can.  I completed all five levels of Rosetta Stone before my husband and I went on our first solo trip to Italy.  My daughter and her husband were comfortable spending a week on their own in Italy after completing the first two or three levels.  It up to you.  The more you know, the more you can understand and enjoy your time in Italy.

Find a friend to learn with you.  It will make it more fun and you can encourage each other along the way.

Don’t stop with just one learning method, whether it’s Rosetta Stone or any other learning product.  There are lots of ways to boost your language learning.  I’ll share more about that next time.